Including Families of Children with Special Needs ─ A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians

Feinberg, Jordan, Deerr, and Langa's practical text will assist librarians in serving children and youth with disabilities, their families, and others involved in their lives. Incorporating the methods of educators, medical and psychological therapists, social workers, librarians, and parents, the authors explain frameworks, tools, and materials that will enable children with disabilities and their families to make full use the library's resources. Opening chapters provide background on the philosophy of inclusion and how it benefits children with and without disabilities, their families, as well as the libraries; legal requirements to serve all children; child development and family support; and theory and design principles relevant to inclusive library services. Subsequent chapters explain aspects of preparation--assessing the staff and library, staff training, community involvement, designing library services, assistive and adaptive technology--and specifics on developing collections and services. The original edition was limited to preschool children and their families and focused on developmental disabilities; the revised includes school-age children and teens, and covers children with all types of disabilities and the needs of Spanish-speaking children with disabilities. Annotation c2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)