Project ENABLE School Librarians Present Their Experiences Serving Children with Disabilities

December 12, 2014

A Two Part Webinar Series Presented by Project ENABLE

Part 1: Supporting Public and Academic Librarians to Provide Inclusive Programs and Services for All Patrons with Disabilities

A collaboration of the Center for Digital Literacy and the Burton Blatt Institute

Funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Grant No. RE-06-13-0071-13 / 45.313 (2013–2015)

On December 12, 2014, Project ENABLE will offer the first of two free webinars for K-12 School librarians everywhere to learn about creating inclusive library services and programs to effectively serve all students with disabilities. This webinar, “Project ENABLE School Librarians Present Their Experiences Serving Children with Disabilities”, will address the issues of: 1) Identifying the library needs of diverse students with disabilities, 2) Evaluating school library accessibility, 3) Developing inclusive library collections, 4) Applying Universal Design principles and Universal Design for Learning strategies to library programs and services, and 5) Providing innovative, promising and model practices for school library inclusiveness.

Part 1 – December 12

Project ENABLE School Librarians Present Their Experiences Serving Children with Disabilities
December 12, 2014
3:00 – 4:30 pm (Eastern Time)

Presenters

Kendra L. Allen
Kendra L. Allen became the School Library Media Coordinator at Holly Grove Middle School in Holly Springs, North Carolina, when it opened in July 2010. Before opening Holly Grove Middle, she began her library career as the school library media coordinator at Holly Ridge Middle School. Kendra worked in book publishing prior to entering libraries. She is a graduate of the School of Information and Library Science (2008) and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (2004) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research and special focus is on library services to students with disabilities with an article published in School Library Monthly (2010), co-authored with Sandra Hughes-Hassell, and based on her master’s paper, “The School Library Media Program and Special Education Programs.” Allen is a member of Beta Phi Mu, the International Library and Information Studies Honor Society; the North Carolina School Library Media Association; and the Junior League of Raleigh. Originally from Georgia, she resides in Raleigh.

Linda Houck
Linda Houck is a teacher librarian for the Wilson School District in West Lawn, Pennsylvania on the outskirts of Reading. The district is comprised of five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. She has been at Cornwall Terrace Elementary for 13 years serving approximately 525 students yearly in Kindergarten through fifth grades. In addition to being a teacher librarian, Linda has taught grades 1, 2, and 5 as well as Art and Physical Education. She has worked in preschools, coached, has taught Instructional Technology to staff, and has even taught graduate level courses in Reading and Differentiated Instruction. Linda has her undergraduate degree in Psychology and her Master’s in Library Science, plus 45 other Master’s credits. She has attended Teacher’s Academy for both Science and Technology and currently is involved with running the television studio and Reading Olympics.

Sean Fallon
Sean Fallon has been the library/media specialist for the Upper Deerfield School District in southern New Jersey since September, 2013. Prior to coming to Upper Deerfield, he served as a library/media specialist for the Bridgeton Public Schools for 10 years. A graduate of the University of Dayton with a degree in communication and a master’s in public relations from Rowan University, he worked in the journalism/public relations field for 10 years prior to going into education. A member of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians, he studied school librarianship through Rutgers University’s School of Communication, Information and Library Science.

Moderator

William N. Myhill, M.Ed., J.D., Co-Principal Investigator of Project ENABLE
Mr. Myhill, Director of Legal Research & Writing for the Burton Blatt Institute, has worked on the issues of effectively serving and advocating for persons with disabilities in education and through the law for 25 years. For the past four years, he has been actively involved in training librarians in ways to provide effective services and programs to patrons with disabilities.

Accessibility

This webinar will be close captioned and provide audio, video, text, and telephone participation options. It will be digitally recorded, and audio, audio/video, and transcription versions will become available in early 2015.

Additional Webinar on December 12, 2014

Central Issues and Strategies for Public and Academic Librarians to Provide Inclusive Services