Program
When groups or individual adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities visit the library, librarians may make ableist assumptions about them when deciding where in the library they belong. Because of misperceptions about their social and emotional needs, interests, learning potential, and cognitive abilities, they have often been served in and by the children's department. But, is reading picture books to them in a room also used by toddlers or allowing them to attend your music or art programs for kids really the best way you can serve these library users? The librarians on this panel think not. They will tell you why and provide you with alternatives, introducing you to a successful partnership between a children's and adult services librarian as well as some program ideas and useful inclusion strategies that can help you to better serve these adults in your library's adult services department.
ALA Unit/Subunit: ASGCLA
Meeting Type: Program
Cost: Included with full conference registration.
Open/Closed: Open
Jennifer Taggart
Assistant Department Head, Youth Services
Bloomfield Township Public Library, Michigan
Tess Prendergast, PhD
Lecturer
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Ed Niemchak
Adult Services Librarian
Bloomfield Township Public Library, Michigan
Barbara Klipper
Retired Youth Services Librarian, Author, and Library Trustee
Provincetown Public Library