Did you know? One in five children today has a diagnosable mental health condition. One half of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of fourteen. Nearly one in ten children have an anxiety disorder. 37% of students with a mental health condition ages fourteen and older drop out of school–the highest rate of any disability group. Why is mental health important to the work we do in libraries? Mental health is an essential part of children’s overall health and a key indicator for lifelong success. It has a complex relationship with kids’ physical health and their ability to succeed in school, at work and in society. However, if a child is experiencing a mental illness, a person can’t tell just by looking. If mental illness goes untreated, the implications are severe for the a child’s quality of…
Category: Blogger Renee Grassi
A Librarian’s Open Letter to Jacqueline Laurita
Hi Jacqueline, First off, I have a confession to make. I have never watched an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, nor have I watched any of the Real Housewife series or spin offs. It’s just not my cup of tea. In fact, there are probably many other librarians out there who share my opinion. And that’s perfectly okay because that’s not why I’m writing this open letter to you today. This is not the first time a children’s librarian used this blog before to broadcast their message to a celebrity. In 2012, I fangirled my adoration for Glee’s Chris Colfer for writing a book and encouraging children to read. That same year, Susan Baeir penned an open letter to Kourtney Kardashian about how she admired Kourtney’s commitment to reading and literacy in raising her son. I’m not sure if you, Chris Colfer, and Kourtney Kardashian share many things in…
Improving Outcomes for Children with Disabilities in Libraries
When libraries are looking to improve an area of service, such as service to children with disabilities and their families, it’s important to start with answering the question–why? It seems like a simple question with a simple answer. Libraries should serve children with disabilities because libraries are for everyone. It’s the right thing to do. It’s in the spirit of public libraries as public institutions, which are for all. All of these statements are absolutely true, but sometimes it’s not enough to justify the existence of a new collection, program, or service. So, let’s consider other reasons why libraries should serve children with disabilities and their families. First and foremost, it’s the law. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990. The ADA makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in jobs, schools, transportation, and all experiences that are open to the public. In…
Community Assessment for Inclusive Library Services
Leveraging partnerships is essential to supporting the development and growth of new programs and services for children with disabilities. One of the best things you can do when serving an undeserved population like families with children with disabilities is to collaborate with other local organizations to gather community feedback about people’s perceptions and experiences of your library. Whether you decide to take a more formal or an informal approach in gathering information, performing a comprehensive community assessment is a necessary first step in growing this area of service. Assessing your community helps identify opportunities and gaps in service for different age groups. It can help you learn about what types of programs your library could be offering to families with children with disabilities. This process can also help you determine what the best and most accessible mode of communication is for families, or identify areas for improvement in your library’s…
ALSC Community Forum: Inclusive Spaces and Services for Children of All Abilities
ALSC Community Forum January 10, 2018 @ 3PM (Central) Topic: Inclusive Spaces and Services for Children of All Abilities Jason Driver, Renee Grassi, Eva Thaler-Sroussi, and ALSC President Nina Lindsay will be hosting an ALSC Community Forum live chat on the topic of Inclusive Spaces and Services for Children of All Abilities. This forum will include a live text discussion with the opportunity to ask questions to our presenters. In the past 5 years alone, the topic of inclusion, accessibility, and youth librarianship has moved forward in positive and innovative ways. This discussion will focus on tangible practices for inclusion of children of all abilities in library spaces and services. What can we do to make our youth departments, our branches, or our libraries more welcoming to children and their families? What have we learned from our successes and our failures in programs and services?…
Rethinking Summer Library Programs….in November
Summer 2017 may be over, but Summer 2018 planning has only just begun…we know it to be true! Our Summer Library Programs may be just 10 weeks out of the year, but program planning is perennial. We design our summer library programs to be engaging and impactful, and we care deeply that the kids in our communities have a positive experience. But let’s face it–it takes time to do that effectively. So, earlier this month, 60 passionate Youth Librarians in Wisconsin got a jump-start on rethinking their summer library programs. And it was at their annual YS workshop where I had the pleasure of facilitating a lively discussion about accessibility and inclusion for youth with disabilities in summer library programs. Before redesigning your library’s summer program, it’s important to consider the big picture at the very beginning of planning. What is your overall goal in providing this summer library program…
Library Accessibility in 140 Characters or Less
Twitter is one of my favorite places to connect with other librarians. As a tweeting youth services librarian, I experience a strong sense of community with the “Twitterbrarian” youth services community. I am always learning–and often inspired by–what others tweet, retweet, like, or post. Many of the librarians I follow share my common interest in making libraries more inclusive for people with disabilities. Here’s a snapshot of tweets with information, tips, suggestions, and recommendations I’ve gathered from other Twitterbrarians to help continue your learning about accessibility and libraries. Conference centers/facilities: please invest in lav mics. Give people freedom to come out from behind podium & encourage accessibility. October 23, 2017 by @papersquared #SensoryStorytime was SO much fun! We read: GO AWAY BIG GREEN MONSTER, DANCING FEET, & THE WIDE-MOUTHED FROG! #saturdaylibrarian. October 21, ,2017 by @Julia_Frederick “Mind autism doesn’t mean one experiences autism mildly…it means YOU experience…
Recommending Books for Kids with Low Vision
Twitter is a great place to share ideas with your fellow youth librarians. Just recently, Jennifer Taggart, blogger at Adaptive Umbrella and author of the recent ALSC blog post Inclusive Technology Station, reached out to her Twitter followers. She needed suggestions of high contrast picture books for children with low vision to add to her library’s special needs collection. It made me think–how do families with children who have low vision find library books? Unless our libraries have a special needs collection, it can be difficult for librarians and parents alike to sift through all of the picture books to find the right one. If this is a situation you have struggled with at your library, here are some criteria you can consider when making book recommendations to families with children with low vision. High Contrast: Books featuring high contrasting colors are inherently more accessible to children with low vision. These titles offer…