Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS)

Hosted by ASCLA (Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies) Instructor: Kate Todd Dates: August 1 through August 28, 2016 Cost: $100 for student and retired members; $130 for ASCLA members; $175 for ALA members; $210 for non-ALA members Click here to register   Who should attend? Library staff in schools, public, college or special libraries would benefit from this course.  Staff at all levels, including librarians, support staff and IT staff would be able to apply their learning to work assignments.  Why Closed Captioning? By Kate Todd Library staff have found short instructional videos to be an effective way to help readers use resources, even when the library is closed. However, patrons who are deaf or those with hearing loss cannot get the full benefit unless the videos have captions. Unfortunately, technology has not provided a flawless solution. Speech recognition is still an imperfect tool. Planning and attention to ...

At our spring meeting at Mount Prospect Public Library on May 11, 2016, we got to hear from Melissa Lundt, the Special Services Coordinator from Child’s Voice . Child’s Voice was started by parents in 1996 as a way to empower their children who have hearing loss to learn and be successful. There are different programs: Early Intervention, a school program, and a transition program (the school program takes children up to 8 years old). Melissa explained to us how hearing loss happens, what the staff at Child’s Voice do, and the technology that is available to people with hearing loss. What was of most interest to us in public libraries is how we can serve people with hearing loss best. What we at public libraries can do: 1. Face the person when communicating with them. 2. Find out their name and use it. 3. Use visual aids. 4. Repeat important words and phrases. 5. Provide clear rules and expectations. 6. Talk naturally. This was just a sample of what we learned, b...