Be Creative @ Your Library

This year the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is offering a variety of materials that your libraries can purchase to make your programs more inclusive for kids of all abilities.

The CSLP Diversity Committee has made arrangements with two different Wisconsin agencies to provide tactile graphics sheets and Brailled materials for children who have visual disabilities. While many of the CSLP member states are able to contact their Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped for assistance with having items Brailled or print images created in tactile graphics, many indicated that they did not have easy access to Braille and tactile graphic services.

Sets of tactile graphics sheets based on activities in the 2009 CSLP manual have been made available through the cooperation of the Outreach Department of the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The Center staff, under the direction of Stacy Grandt, helped select and redesign appropriate materials that will work with children who are blind as well as children with vision impairments who use tactile graphics. The cost of the set is $10.00. Orders for the set of tactile graphic sheets can be placed online at www.wamp.k12.wi.us.

For Brailled materials, can contact Kurt Pamperin at the Oshkosh OSCI at 920-231-4010, ext. 2208. Braille can be added to preprinted materials such as the Upstart reading certificates available on the CSLP order form. Libraries should put in the child’s name, the name of the library, and the date. The cost for adding Braille to a certificate is .50 per certificate. The Braille text will be put on a clear adhesive strip that will be placed over, under, or on top of the written text. The written text will always be visible regardless of the placement of the Braille text.

OSCI can translate any page of text from the manual into Braille. Copy the page needed and include it with the order form, along with instructions. Print images on the page will not appear on Brailled pages. The cost is .50 per page. Braille can be done one of two ways. For items with brief text and space between lines, the Braille characters can be placed under the print text. The result is that the print text and Braille characters appear on the same page. If the text is longer, for example a letter to parents, only the Braille will appear. The cost for that is also .50 per page. Again, contact Kurt at OSCI for a quote, or use the order form located on the CSLP Diversity webpage http://www.cslpreads.org/learning-tools/diversity.html.

2009 marks the second year that the Diversity committee has produced a sign language training video for children’s librarians. The video is also located on the Diversity committee webpage. American sign language trainer Vicki Patterson demonstrates various fingerplays, songs and individual words that can be incorporated into storytime programs. Both Vicki and videographer David Haldiman are Wisconsin residents.