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player ready...The Eisenhower Public Library in Harwood Heights is joining an effort to better serve children with autism and other disabilities by offering one hour each month for them to have the Kids World department all to themselves.
Adaptive Hour will be held Sunday, July 10, and invites special needs children, age 12 and under, and their families to enjoy the kids’ section of the library for an hour prior to the normal opening time of 1 p.m. Future dates include Aug. 14 and Sept. 11 at the library, 4613 N Oketo Ave., Harwood Heights.
The program first was held on June 5, following the suggestion of a library patron.
“This idea came from one of our residents attending the Niles-Maine Library program and letting us know about it,” said Tiffany Lewis, Eisenhower Public Library Head of Children’s Services. “I thought it was a great idea and we’re all about being responsive to the community.”
Lewis said the Adaptive Hour is an unstructured program where special needs children and their families can enjoy the facility at their own pace.
“We make available sensory-type toys like blocks, fidgets or small manipulative items that help kids focus,” Lewis said. “There also will be some craft things available and any of the kids or families can do whatever they choose to try.”
Lewis described it as a time for participants and families to find materials and check them out in a space that is not as “overly stimulating” as it might be during the normal library hours, which are from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
While the first Adaptive Hour took place June 5 at Eisenhower, a similar program has been held for the past several years at the Niles-Maine Library District.
“Originally, the idea came from something they were doing at the Cole Children’s Museum,” Youth & Teen Services Supervisor Arianne Carey said. “Our program coordinator Mikey Orzechowski deserves all the credit, however. She’s had the enthusiasm and does a great job with our program, having had experience doing that with the Chicago Park District previously.”
The Niles-Maine Library’s Adaptive Hour similarly opens its KidSpace area exclusively to special needs children for an hour on one Sunday per month. It also makes the second and third floors of the library available to adult special needs patrons during that same time.
Based in Chicago, the American Library Association applauded the efforts of Eisenhower and Niles-Maine libraries.
“Equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental values of the American Library Association,” ALA President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada said in a statement. “Libraries should be fully inclusive of all members of their community and strive to break down barriers to access.
“Many libraries have embraced inclusion and expanded their programming for youth with disabilities, especially autism. It’s imperative that libraries offer enriching initiatives for patrons of all ages with developmental disabilities.”
Lewis said she was surprised at the number of special needs individuals who attended the June Adaptive Hour at Eisenhower Library.
“It went very well,” she said. “We had about 20 individuals participate, which is really great for a first program. The parents all told us they were very pleased we were able to do this.”
A minimal library staff supervises the program, which is unstructured with no ‘storytime,’ for example, Lewis said.
“The staff does undergo yearly training and one of the goals is to learn how to best serve children as well as adults with disabilities and special needs,” she said. “We’re really focused on making our library a comfortable space for patrons to use, and that goes with the goals of this program to be a place where families can meet, talk and feel welcome.”
The Adaptive Hour is free of charge, but advance registration is required. Go to the Calendar of Events at www.eisenhowerlibrary.org or phone 708-867-2298.
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