Seattle's downtown library has been improved to meet the needs of the disabled community, but people with disabilities say there's still more work to do.

After the building opened last year on Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle, one disabled patron said it looked like the Seattle Public Library did only what the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required, without thinking about how the disabled community would actually use the library.

There were complaints about elevator doors opening and closing too fast; people in wheelchairs couldn't get through before the doors closed.

Ramps between floors — alternatives to the elevators — were too narrow. The revolving door leading to Fifth Avenue was confusing to operate and could be dangerous for disabled people.

Finally, computers were placed on tall tables and couldn't be used by people in wheelchairs or by those who were small, such as adults with curved spines.

"I never thought we were asking for more than other people," said one man in a wheelchair in a recent visit to the library. "We are just asking to get access like other people."

Alex Harris, capital-program director, said the library is listening to the complaints and making changes. She said the library has put in raised lettering in some parts of the building to aid the blind.

But Darlene Hilling of Shoreline, who is blind and uses a guide dog, said the lettering is needed on more surfaces, especially around the elevator.

Hilling said unless a blind person has someone show him or her where the Braille writing is, they will miss it.

"They also should have reader boards on each floor in both Braille and printed form to tell about what is going on each floor," she said.

The blind rely on "monuments, raised plates in the floor that act as guides." And while the library has them in some places, Hilling said there should be more.

The restrooms were a big issue for the disabled. They complained they were hard to find and the doors took too much muscle power to open. Once inside, it was hard to get a wheelchair into the stall.

Harris said some of those concerns have been addressed. The pressure on the bathroom doors, for example, was lowered so the doors are easier to open. More signs were put up so the bathrooms are easier to locate, and some computers have been relocated to provide easier access for people in wheelchairs.

One issue still in dispute is the disabled entrance on Fifth Avenue. The entrance is a double door that opens by pushing buttons. The disabled community wants better signage to tell people where the buttons are. They are on the rail leading to the door, while most people expect to find them on the wall.

Finally, the disabled community said there should be windows on the doors so people can see in and out. As it operates now, people going into the library collide with people coming out. That would be solved if people could see each other.

Harris says the library will find a way to address some of these issues. But moving the door controls, for example, isn't possible because of the configuration of the wiring, she said.

Meanwhile, the library is also trying to accommodate the disabled community by offering such services as the Library Equal Access Program (LEAP). The program's offices are located in the Central Library. There, people can use computers with Braille keyboards and scanners that read printed material. There also are books on tape and television sets that can magnify type. Some library branches have similar equipment.

Jeanne Jacobs, of Seattle, who is blind and uses a guide dog, started as a volunteer for LEAP but now works full time for the program.

Jacobs says she loves the LEAP program but has trouble finding her way around the library.

"They need better signs," she said.

Jacobs likes her morning coffee, but the coffee stand is in the middle of the room and she has a hard time figuring out where the serving area is.

"They need a rail," she said. "It's that simple."

A rail here, a sign there. Maybe a window on a door. It's very simple, disabled folks say, and they plan to keep after the library until it is done.

To learn more about the services at the library, contact the LEAP coordinator, Cleo Brooks, at 206-386-4690 or cleo.brooks@spl.org

Steve Johnston is a retired Seattle Times reporter who uses a wheelchair. His e-mail address: stevejonst@aol.com