Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS)

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 .

"Thank you so much for visiting my class today and creating such interesting lessons. Every student asked me when you’ll be coming back! We appreciate all your time and effort.  You are awesome! It is so wonderful that you and the library are making a clear effort to our students that they are welcome and wanted. When can we schedule another visit?" I received this lovely message from a teacher after I visited her class. As part of the School Outreach team, I visit classrooms frequently over the course of a school year. However, this instance was particularly rewarding because it was one of my first visits with our local high school’s special education department. Since then, I’ve been back many times and have formed wonderful connections with teachers and students. Every school and every group of students are different and you’ll want to adjust your plan to best fit their needs, but here are a few things I keep in mind before a school visit.     ...

Vernon Hills Public Library hosted our spring meeting on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 in their beautifully redesigned library. We covered a lot of ground in a few short hours, so if you weren't able to attend, please take some time to soak in this recap. Leap into Literacy Rita Angelini, founder of Leap into Literacy, shared the history and mission of her organization as well as the process of creating an adaptive book by translating the text into Boardmaker ™  symbols, laminating the pages, and adding page fluffers. About a dozen suburban libraries have already received a donation of these books, and Rita is working with volunteers and SNAILS to provide them to many more libraries. To see which libraries already carry Rita's books, as well as the books' titles, visit the new Leap into Literacy  website .  After Rita's presentation, a conversation ensued about the extra time it takes for Technical Services to catalog and process adaptive books. Due to the books...