Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS)

One of the best things about working in libraries are the many avenues for feeding our need to learn and improve our services. In addition to our quarterly SNAILS meeting on May 11 at Mount Prospect Library, there are a number of upcoming learning opportunities on the topic of serving people with disabilities this spring. CONFERENCES If you're attending the inaugural  Illinois Youth Services Institute   (IYSI) in Normal, Illinois  April 1-2 , you may want to check out the following programs: Enhancing Stories with Sensory Experiences  presented by our friends at Lekotek All Are Welcome: Practicing Inclusion and Accessibility  presented on Saturday afternoon by yours truly, Renee Grassi and Holly Jin. Renee and I are pretty pumped about our session, as this is our first hands-on workshop! You may also want to consider attending  Tactile Tech: Adventures in Making Technology Accessible to Children and Families  since new technologies are known to level the playing fi

Last December, Renee and I had the pleasure of presenting the final webinar in a five-part series celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act for Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS). We opened with some statistics about the prevalence of disabilities and then briefly talked about models of service and inclusive technologies that create a welcoming library environment for young patrons. Our favorite part of the presentation was the time spent showcasing the amazing targeted and inclusive programs our SNAILS member libraries are offering children, teens, and young adults. We're so proud of you! We invite you to view the presentation and share it widely. An archive of the webinar, including handouts, is posted on the  RAILS website .