National Adult Literacy Database

Editor’s Note: The following article was written for Adult Learners’ Week April 6-14, 2013, to entice people to go to their public libraries to learn at any and every stage of their lives.

By Manisha Khetarpal
Head of Library Services
Maskwachees Cultural College

When I was working with Wetaskiwin Public Library in Alberta in 2009, it was my observation that many agencies were bringing special needs clients to the library. Also, there were many immigrants working with people with special needs who were using other library services such as reading magazines, photocopying and using the computers. There was an opportunity, I thought, to position the library as an inclusive place for all people in the community and also to train library staff how to serve clients with special needs.

There were four main agencies in the community including Social Services, Horizons Centre, Wetaskiwin District Association for Community Living, and Touch Stone Place. They provided day programs, home care, and community connections services, and the Twilighters’ Group was active in providing services to people with vision problems. My main point is that these organizations were looking for opportunities, avenues and programs for their clients. 

The library came up with an action plan to serve this target segment and associated stakeholders who had the time to use the library. The plan involved inviting special needs agencies to do displays at library events; organizing workshops to provide learning opportunities and to create networks; initiating annual events; building connections to share library resources for programs offered at the agencies; and conducting library orientation via field trips.

The library invited the agencies providing services to set up displays and bring the products created by their clients. The agencies exhibited hand puppets, hand-crafted cards, postcards, and woodcarvings both at the Aboriginal Day celebration and at a Seniors Appreciation Tea during Canadian Library Month.

The library organized a ‘Say Yes to Community Inclusion’ workshop series in April 2011 in partnership with All Abilities Welcome (AAW), an initiative of the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability. It is aimed at promoting greater inclusion of Canadians with a disability in community physical activity programming. By connecting community facilities and people with a disability to build awareness anyone can be physically active and promote a culture of inclusion.

An All Abilities Welcome presentation can:

• Take the form of a conference presentation or keynote address, a stand-alone event, a workshop, or a staff training opportunity for community recreation providers;

• Introduce community recreation program staff to some basic approaches and creative steps that will help in making their programs more inclusive;

• Offer hands-on, practical, cost-effective tips to community service providers on how to modify community recreation programs to include persons with a disability; and

• Engage and empower recreation practitioners through a compelling presentation from a speaker whose personal or professional experience illustrates how active living is truly for everyone!

The library created a network to connect recreation service providers with the special needs agencies.  This positioned the library as a lifelong learning place, a welcoming space and a community partner.

Among other activities, the library targeted the First Nations community living in the city and on nearby reserve land.  The library invited the schools to come for a field trip and offered a variety of ocean legends, shells, a scavenger hunt, puppet plays, puzzles, and sacred teachings of water. The sacred teaching was conducted by a First Nations presenter who was a program coordinator at the special needs agency. This also helped in doing a pitch for the summer reading program.

Our relationship development process over time increased the demand for library services for special needs clients and their case workers, immigrants and the First Nations community.

To sum up, here are various strategies library staff could use to engage the community:

• Give information in one or two sentences.

• Use clear, simple, and concrete words.

• Check with the person for understanding.

• If necessary, repeat the information using the same words.

• Skip the use of acronyms.

• Speak calmly and slowly in a clear voice.

• Avoid the use of negatives.

• Use their words as much as possible.

• Pay attention to your body language (try to be relaxed).

• Be patient and use encouraging words.

Manisha Khetarpal can be reached at mkhetarpal@mccedu.ca.