Special Needs Planning Resources

• Adults with Special Needs - A resource and planning guide for Wisconsin Public Libraries
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Offers information on disorders that seriously interfere with the day to day functioning.
• Exceptional Parent - Practical advice and the most up-to-date educational information covering disabilities and special healthcare needs online and through a variety of media including magazines, books, DVDs, and CDs, interactive CME accredited seminars and teleconferences.
• LDL Online - Authoritative resources for learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading difficulties, speech and related disorders. Provides recommended web sites, organizations and books about learning disabilities by subject or title. A section for children with learning disabilities includes book suggestions as well as stories and artwork contributed by children.
• “Library Accessibility – What Trustees Need to Know” - A toolkit provided by The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA)  that covers access issues including but are not limited to patrons who have cognitive, mental, or emotional illnesses; learning and/or developmental disabilities; physical disabilities; service animals; and patrons needing assistive technologies.
• Learning Disabilities Association of America - Adult reading literacy programs for literacy providers.
• National Dissemination Center for Children With Disabilities - Provides information and answers questions related to programs, services and legal issues affecting infants, children, and youth with disabilities
• National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center - Supports programs to improve service and outcomes for children and families.
• Office for Outreach and Literacy: ALA
• Parenting Special Needs -
• Programming for Children With Special Needs - A five part series covering programming for Children with Special Needs series
• Serving Special Populations - Designed to guide library staff in planning, implementing, and evaluating services for special populations, offer a range of resources and strategies useful to all size public libraries no matter where they are located in Wisconsin, and provide information unique to Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training and Support - Connects families to community resources and information supporting children with disabilities including links to key websites.
• Writing LSTA Special Needs Grants
• Youth and Special Services: - Includes planning guide publications and resources for programs, agencies, and initiatives.

Special Needs Tools

• Amazon Large Print Children’s Books
• Apps for Children with Autism
• AbleData - Objective information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment available from domestic and international sources to consumers, organizations, professionals, and caregivers within the United States.
• Child Development and Behavior Resources: The University of Michigan provides information for caregivers on child development topics
• Common Core Apps
• Merlin Large Print Fiction
• Assistive technology computer software, apps and web browsing tools - Microsoft • Apple
• Reading Rockets - An educational initiative with resources to make it easy for librarians to support children's reading achievement including themed and seasonal booklists, literacy calendars, library literacy toolkits, video interviews, and hundreds of inspirational articles.

Page up