Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS)

Renee Grassi Renee Grassi, co-founder of SNAILS, friend, and mentor to many of our members, has been selected to receive the 2017 Alexander J. Skrzypek Award ! Presented by the Illinois Library Association and the Illinois State Library in honor of Alexander J. Skrzypek (1905-1976) -- the first librarian for the blind at the Chicago Public Library -- the award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library services for the blind or physically disabled in Illinois. We know first hand how Renee's work has impacted libraries and communities across the state of Illinois, so we nominated her for the award! Read  ILA's press release  to learn about Renee's award-winning efforts to make Illinois libraries more inclusive to children with disabilities. Renee's word cloud The Alexander J. Skrzypek Award Award will be presented to Renee at the Awards Luncheon held on Tuesday, October 10, during the 2017 Illinois Library

Our summer meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 30 at Deerfield Public Library . Please plan to arrive close to 9:00am for morning treats and networking. Our business will begin promptly at 9:30am. Robin Jones This month, we have the privilege of hearing from Robin Jones, the Director of the Great Lakes ADA Center . Robin will be giving an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it relates to local government (i.e. public libraries). Her presentation is jam-packed with legal and practical information, so this is a great meeting for library staff at all service levels to attend. In order to the make the presentation as relevant as possible, Robin would like to know what type of scenarios you experience when serving (or not being equipped to serve) people with disabilities. If you ever wanted to ask an ADA expert a question about legal requirements, best practices, or "what to do if..." this is your chance! Even if you can't make it to the meetin