autism spectrum disorder

July 8, 2016

ASCLA webinar on Serving Library Patrons with Autism Spectrum Disorder

On Tuesday, August 9, 11AM CT, the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) will be hosting a webinar on serving library patrons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a companion to the Project PALS (Panhandle Autism Library Services) online trainings.

The webinar will be taught by Dr. Amelia Anderson, an expert of educating library professionals on serving patrons with ASD, online communication of people with ASD and students with ASD in academia.

Concluding the webinar, participants will better understand the characteristics and behaviors of a person with ASD in the library; make adjustments and recommendations to their own institution on how to be more inclusive and welcoming; and to provide ASD patrons opportunities for engagement in the library.

Librarians and library staff in public, school, academic and/or special libraries will benefit from this course, which supports ASCLA’s mission for libraries serving special populations, including users with disabilities. More information on this course can be found here.

Registration costs are: ASCLA members: $40; ALA members: $50; ALA student & retired members: $25; Non-members: $65; Group rate: $99 single login, $38/person multiple logins. (min. 2 people). Register here.

May 8, 2012May 9, 2012

2013 Programs, Preconferences and Institutes: Proposals due June 1, 2012

The deadline for a call for ASCLA proposals for institutes at the ALA 2013 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle and programs and preconferences at the ALA 2013 Annual Conference in Chicago has been extended to June 1, 2012.

What’s this all about? Midwinter Institutes are ticketed full or half-day workshops held the Friday of the Midwinter Meeting. Annual Preconferences are ticketed full or half-day workshops held the Friday of Annual Conference. Programs are part of the ALA Annual Conference, are included with conference registration, and are held Saturday through Monday of the conference. Check out what ASCLA’s doing at this year’s Annual Conference.

What’s the best way to propose a program? We encourage members with programming ideas to partner with one of our ASCLA interest groups to sponsor the program. Review our list of interest groups and learn how to join a group at the ASCLA website.

More information about the proposal process–including some important notes about overall scheduling changes to both Midwinter and Annual–is in this post in ASCLA’s ALA Connect space. Please check out this post before making your submission.

Learn more about ASCLA, and join this small and mighty group of ALA members who are making a difference for library users from all corners of the world!

We look forward to receiving your proposals!

February 8, 2012February 8, 2012

“Next Chapter Book Club”: ASCLA webinar highlights effective literacy programming for teens and adults with intellectual, developmental disabilities

ASCLA will offer a new webinar, “Next Chapter Book Club: An Innovative and Viable Approach to Meeting the Literacy Needs of Adolescents and Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities”, on February 16, 2012, 1:00 – 2:30pm CT.

The Next Chapter Book Club (NCBC) is a community-based literacy and social program for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. NCBCs include five to eight people with a wide range of reading skills who gather weekly in bookstores, cafés, and, increasingly, libraries. This webinar will describe the NCBC model, which has been disseminated to over 100 cities in North America and Europe. The webinar will further explore how the NCBC model has been implemented by the Scotch Plains Public Library, which is reaching out to people with disabilities, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, in a variety of ways.

Who should attend this webinar?
–All public librarians, especially those who have responsibility for outreach, programming and teen services
–High School Media Specialists
–Any community member with an interest in authentic community engagement and lifelong learning opportunities for people with disabilities

Those who attend will gain a thorough understanding of the NCBC model and philosophy; understand how they might meet the adult literacy needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, even those who do not conventionally read; and learn the myriad benefits of including people with developmental disabilities in library programming.

Webinar presenter Jillian Ober, MA, CRC, has worked at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities since 2004. At Nisonger Center, Jillian manages programs that emphasize community inclusion and lifelong learning for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One such program is the Next Chapter Book Club, a community-based book club program for people with developmental disabilities. Jillian manages all aspects of this program, including its expansion to now more than 100 cities in 24 U.S. states and 5 countries. Jillian received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees (Psychology, Rehabilitation Counseling) from The Ohio State University.

Individual registration fees are $40 for ASCLA members, $50 for ALA members, $65 for non-ALA members, and $45 for ALA student members and retired members.

Group rates are available: $99 for a single login, and $38/person for multiple logins (min. 2 people). We also offer excellent rates for state libraries who are members of ASCLA: $69 for a single login and $29/person for multiple logins (min. 2 people). Get more group registration information, including forms, at the ASCLA website.