Awareness and Inclusion Serving Library Patrons with Learning Differences

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Awareness and InclusionServing Library Patrons
with Learning Differences

• Presented by
• Lynne Cutler, Disability Services Advocate
• lcutler_at_oaklandlibrary.org
• Lisa Stringer, Educator and Consultant
• lstringer_at_ecs-sf.org
• Nina Ghiselli, Psychologist and Consultant
  Drghiselli_at_yahoo.com

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Public Library Association's Eleventh Annual
Conference March 2006

• This session will cover
• Outline of the California State Library
  disability Project
• Overview of learning disabilities
• How will learning disabilities manifest in
  library patrons?
• Ideas for your library
• Resources and best practices from one of
  Californias projects

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California Library Services and Technology Act
Grant (2003-2004)

• Stipulations of grant
• - Services to people with disabilities
• - Community based surveys for needs
• - Community Partnership
• - Outcomes measurement

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Projects Implemented Under the Grant

• Staff Training
• LD programs for public
• Assistive Technology
• Collection Development
• 88 Pictograms of
• Dewey subject areas

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Sample Pictogram
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Where to access the pictograms

• East Bay Learning Disabilities Association
• www.eastbaylda.org/
• California State Library-
• Library Literacy Services
• http//literacyworks.org/clls/

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Introduction to Learning Disabilities

• Impairment, Disability, Handicap
• Dyslexia brain and manifestations
• Universal Design

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Impairment, Disability,Handicap
Disability
Handicap
Impairment
Marilyn Monroe actress who stuttered
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(No Transcript)
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Based on the work of Sally Shaywitz, Overcoming
Dyslexia
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Universal Design
Universal design is the design of products and
environments to be usable by all people, to the
greatest extent possible, without the need for
adaptation or specialized design. Ron Mace
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Dyslexia
  The brain uses an eight-step process in the
left brain to read.   Dyslexia is caused by many
differences in nerve pathway development in these
eight areas.   The bridges along the reading
pathway of these eight regions are damaged or not
developed.
       

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Visual Dyslexia
  Most People who are dyslexic have trouble
interpreting what they see in print. The visual
cortex of the left brain does not learn how to
recognize symbols consistently or in the correct
direction/sequence As a consequence, letters,
numerals and other symbols tend to reverse or
turn upside down. Parts of words may also
transpose.
       

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Auditory Dyslexia            
Auditory Dyslexia
The ears bring sounds to the midbrain, which is
designed to recognize and organize the hard/fast
and slow/soft speech sounds. The midbrain does
this extremely quickly. Speech sounds are then
transported in the correct sequence to parts of
the left brain for blending and decoding.
Dyslexia is caused when the midbrain is slow in
sorting these sounds and the sequence becomes
confused.
   
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Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome
Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome affects
individuals ability to see clearly when reading,
writing and performing visual tasks. Although
scotopic sensitivity does not appear on regular
eye exams nevertheless it can result in extreme
difficulty distinguishing between written words
and shapes.

• Exists to some degree in 30 of the general
  population
• Is found in 60 of adults who score below a
  forth grade reading level on standardized tests
• Is a major barrier to reading for eighty
  percent of individuals who are dyslexic

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How the Brain Carries Visual Information
Visual information from the parietal lobe is
sent to the visual cortex for interpretation
Mango and Parvo cells deliver separate parts of
what is seen to the midbrain at different speeds
The midbrain filters, blends and organizes the
images. These images are then sent to the
parietal lobe to be sorted further
Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome Scotopic
Sensitivity is caused by a problem in the
development of the mango cells. Parts of these
mango cells are missing, and some of the neurons
that blend the images in the midbrain are
incomplete. This Cellular deficit sends unstable
images through the brain. Finally, the visual
cortex sees print distortions Readers
experience jumping, unfocused images that result
in eye strain, headaches and nausea.
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Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD)
Nonverbal Communication and Information Sixty-fiv
e percent of all communication and information is
nonverbal. Tactile, kinesthetic, visual-spatial
affective and experiential information are
examples of nonverbal information. Nonverbal
communication and information can be used on its
own, but is often associated and integrated with
language.
Lack of Nonverbal Communication Skills People
with NLD have extreme difficulty processing and
utilizing nonverbal communication and
information. They rely almost exclusively on
their interpretation and use of the spoken or
written word.
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The Neurology of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities
    The Right Hemisphere (very generalized)   The
right hemisphere appears to be specialized for
nonverbal information. It controls visual and
spatial perception and also plays a dominant role
in the recognition of auditory tones, objects and
faces, and in the recognition, interpretation and
expression of emotion.
Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD) result
from dysfunctions in right hemispherical systems,
or in the inability to access right hemisphere
systems due to deficits in sub cortical white
matter.
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Learning Disability Challenges for Library Patrons
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Learning Disability Challenges for Library Patrons
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Learning Disability Challenges for Library Patrons
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Learning Disability Challenges for Library Patrons
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Learning Disability Challenges for Library Patrons
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Learning Disability Challenges for Library Patrons
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Learning Disability Challenges for Library Patrons
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Sample Library Call Number Sheet    
  Patrons may have difficulty transcribing call
numbers and matching call numbers to shelved
books. Many patrons with learning disabilities
may also have difficulty with organization.   Diff
erentiating between call number digits and
providing structured grids to prompt correct call
number transcription is helpful. Sheets that
prompt large, organized copying of call numbers
with notes for author and title also assist
readers in finding the book and tracking their
book search.   A key or map that matches call
number to book location in the library would also
be helpful. If your library adopts pictographs,
these could be referenced in your database
besides call numbers.
 
    Book Title __________________________________
__________     Author ___________________________
____________________    
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Links to websites on learning disabilities
http//www.ldonline.org/google.php LDOnline. The
leading Web site on learning disabilities for
parents, teachers, and other professionals.
Includes online LD store. http//www.ncld.org/
The National Center for Learning Disabilities
(NCLD) works to ensure that the nation's 15
million children, adolescents and adults with
learning disabilities have every opportunity to
succeed in school, work and life. http//www.spec
ialneeds.com/ Special Needs Project, a unique
disability bookstore. We carry books, videos,
DVDs and related items about mental and physical
disabilities...for parents, professionals,
educators, family members and persons with a
disability. We have the largest collection of
books about autism spectrum disorders we know
of.  http//www.schwablearning.org/ Schwab
Learning. To help parents, we created Schwab
Learning, a nonprofit organization, dedicated to
providing reliable, parent-friendly information
from experts and parents http//sfpl.lib.ca.us/li
brarylocations/accessservices/rcld.htm San
Francisco Public Librarys Resource Collection
for Learning Differences. The Resource Collection
for Learning Differences provides extensive
information for adults and children with
dyslexia, aphasia and other learning differences
and also their families, friends and
professionals. http//www.makoa.org/index.htm
Many useful linksEASI (Equal Access to Software
and Information). EASI's mission is to serve as a
resource to the education community by providing
information and guidance in the area of
access-to-information technologies by individuals
with disabilities. We stay informed about
developments and advancements within the adaptive
computer technology field and spread that
information to colleges, universities, K-12
schools, libraries and into the
workplace. http//www.washington.edu/accessit/ind
ex.php AccessIT promotes the use of electronic
and information technology (EIT) for students
and employees with disabilities in educational
institutions at all academic levels. This Web
site features the AccessIT Knowledge Base, a
searchable, growing database of questions and
answers regarding accessible EIT. It is designed
for educators, policy makers, librarians,
technical support staff, and students and
employees with disabilities and their
advocates.
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http//www.ala.org/ala/olos/outreachresource/roads
tolearning/roadslearninglearning.htm In 1996,
Roads To Learning, The Public Libraries Learning
Disabilities Initiative, came into being. The
goal of the initiative is to bring information
about LD to the general public through libraries
while increasing public libraries capacity to
serve in this area of need. http//www.ala.org/al
a/olos/outreachresource/roadstolearning/biblio.pdf
Roads to Learning bibliography. Learning
Disability Resources for Public Libraries. This
is not an exhaustive list. It is a beginning
guide for public libraries, to develop materials
collections for the general public. It includes
mostly recent titles, plus a few older items for
background. All are available from jobbers,
publishers or other organizations. Since
listening can help comprehension for some people
with learning disabilities, availability of audio
cassettes is noted as found in bibliographic
sources. http//www.aph.org/louis.htm The
American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
currently houses a database called the Louis
Database of Accessible Materials for People who
are Blind or Visually Impaired. Louis contains
information about tens of thousands of titles of
accessible materials, including Braille, large
print, sound recordings, and computer files from
over 170 agencies throughout the United
States. http//www.rfbd.org/ RFBD's library
contains more than 104,000 titles in a broad
variety of subjects, from literature and history
to math and the sciences, at all academic levels,
from kindergarten through post-graduate and
professional.  Chances are, if the book is in
your curriculum, it's in our library! Anyone with
a documented disabilityincluding a visual
impairment, learning disability or other physical
disability which makes reading standard print
difficult or impossibleis eligible to use
RFBD's audio textbooks but in order to access
our library, you need to become a
member.   http//www.loc.gov/nls/ National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically
Handicapped (NLS) The Library of Congress.
Through a national network of cooperating
libraries, NLS administers a free library program
of braille and audio materials circulated to
eligible borrowers in the United States by
postage-free mail. Those eligible include persons
certified by competent authority as having a
reading disability resulting from organic
dysfunction and of sufficient severity to prevent
their reading printed material in a normal
manner. http//www.jan.wvu.edu/ JAN, or Job
Accommodation Network, is a free consulting
service designed to increase the employability of
people with disabilities by 1) providing
individualized worksite accommodations solutions,
2) providing technical assistance regarding the
ADA and other disability related legislation, and
3) educating callers about self-employment
options. JAN is a free service of the U.S.
Department of Labor. Call JAN for advice. One is
not allowed to ask about disabilities during the
employment process. JAN might be of use if an
employee self disclosed that they have a
cognitive or learning disability. They have a
page of Accommodation Ideas for Learning
Disabilities at http//www.jan.wvu.edu/media/lear.
htm
 
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http//www.icdi.wvu.edu/Others.htm Steven
Fullmer's Where Can I Go to Find
Disability-Related Information? http//www.ldaam
erica.us/ Learning Disabilities Association of
America. Since 1963, LDA has provided support to
people with learning disabilities, their parents,
teachers and other professionals. At the
national, state and local levels, LDA provides
cutting edge information on learning
disabilities, practical solutions, and a
comprehensive network of resources. See also
California LDA at http//www.ldaca.org/ and the
East Bay LDA at http//www.eastbaylda.org/
(pictograms will be mounted here and on the
literacy section of the California State Library
website.)