Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services (SNAILS)

This post was written by Maria Papanastassiou, Early Literacy Services Supervisor at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library in Arlington Heights, IL . For more information about the Arlington Heights Memorial Library's services to families with children with disabilities, check out their Special Child webpage .  Our library was fortunate enough to host a very successful Fairy Tale play exhibit for over two months this past winter.  Crowds of children and their caregivers enjoyed playing with the interactive exhibit pieces from open to close daily .  Due to the high customer traffic and noise levels each day, we wanted to offer an alternative time for exhibit exploration for families with members with special needs.  Our library is open daily at 9 am with the exception of Sundays when we open at noon; w e chose a Sunday morning early opening time of 10:30 am to accommodate this program .     How did we get this program off th...

Opening the Doors: Serving Special Populations Friday, February 26, 2016 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Workshop Fee: LACONI Member: $30; Non-Member: $40 Register here! "Opening the Doors:  Serving Special Populations" is an upcoming LACONI YSS professional development opportunity for librarians and library staff looking to learn more about serving special populations at their libraries.  This full-day workshop will feature guest speakers from the Northwest Special Recreation Association (NSWRA) and JJ's List .  There will also be a two-hour discussion about serving the homeless . This workshop is open to anyone that works with the public. Location Hinsdale Public Library 20 East Maple Street Hinsdale, IL 60521 Workshop Agenda 9:00 - 9:50 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast 9:50 - 10:00 a.m. Business Meeting 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. “Empathy” presented by the Northwest Special Recreation Association 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. “Serving Differently-abled Pat...

    What is the "Light The Way" Grant?   The ALSC/Candlewick Press " Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved " Grant was formed in honor of Newbery Medalist and Geisel Honoree author Kate DiCamillo, and the themes represented in her books.  The award consists of a $3,000 grant to assist a library in conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations through a new program or an expansion of work already being done. The  ALSC Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee  will select the winner of this award based on an application process. Special population children may include those who have learning or physical differences, those who speak English as a second language, those who are in a non-traditional school environment, those who live in foster care settings, those who are in the juvenile justice system, those who live in gay and lesbian families, t...

There are many opportunities for learning about serving special population children at ALA!  So, as you make your final schedule for 2015 ALA Annual in San Francisco, the ALSC Library Services to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee encourages you to add the programs below. Library Services for the Incarcerated and Detained | Saturday, 06/27/2015 – 08:30am – 10:00am | Marriott Marquis San Francisco – Yerba Buena Salon 04 Hearing on Guidelines for Library Services to Persons with Dementia | Saturday, 06/27/2015 – 10:30am – 11:30am | Moscone Convention Center – 133 (N) Next Chapter Book Club: A Community-based Model for Engaging People with Disabilities | Saturday, 06/27/2015 – 10:30am – 11:30am | Moscone Convention Center – 2000 (W) AIDS in the End Zone: Working with Incarcerated Youth to Create a Graphic Novel on HIV/AIDS Prevention | Saturday, 06/27/2015 – 01:00pm – 02:30pm | Moscone Convention Center – 122 (N) Conversation Start...

Looking for some professional development about serving underserved populations in libraries?  Check out this upcoming LACONI program hosted at the Indian Prairie Public Library in Darien, Illinois.   Opening the Doors, Reaching the Underserved  Friday, April 24, 9:30 am to 3:00 pm Indian Prairie Public Library , Darien IL Brief Agenda 10:00 am: The Northwest Special Recreation Association gives their Empathy Presentation. 11:00 am: The Disability Players from JJ's List present a skit about serving differently-abled patrons. 1:00 pm: Journeys: The Road Home discusses serving the homeless. 2:00 pm: PFLAG  (Parents, families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)  discusses how to make the library more welcoming to LGBTQ families and teens. Purchase Tickets Here

Illinois needs librarians!  Make a difference in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) community and participate in Targeting Autism , the Illinois State Library's ground-breaking grant project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Service. In September of 2014, the Illinois State Library received a $100,000 National Leadership Grant (NLG) award to hold two inter-organizational forums to develop strategies to increase the role of all types of libraries to support their patrons and family members who are impacted by ASD. Two forums will be held on March 4-5 and September 3-4, 2015 at the University of Illinois in Springfield.   Participants will include roughly 80 individuals who represent libraries, autism organizations, educational institutions and a variety of other stakeholder groups. This is a wonderful opportunity for librarians across the state to apply to be a part of this process.  There is a limited amount of spaces for forum participants, so don't...

Do you have an innovative new program or service that requires funding? Are you looking to serve youth with disabilities in your community more inclusively?  The ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved ” Grant is a great opportunity for your library! The Light the Way Grant was formed in honor of Newbery Medalist and Geisel Honoree author Kate DiCamillo. The spirit of the award honors the themes represented in her books.  The  award  itself consists of a $3,000 grant to assist a library in conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations through a new program or an expansion of work already being done. Special population children may include those who have learning or physical differences, those who speak English as a second language, those who are in a non-traditional school environment, those who live in foster care settings, those who are in the juvenile justice system, those who live in ga...