Every Mind Welcome

The Accessible Librarian blog will  explore the intersection between public librarians and patrons with intellectual disabilities, with the goal of providing tools, strategies, and resources for librarians serving this community. Approximately 3% of the U.S. population (almost eight million people) have an intellectual disability (The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) | ACL Administration for Community Living, n.d.), and many of these people rely on the public library as a resource, many of them visiting multiple times a week, so this is a segment of our library patronage that deserves additional focus. Topics we will explore are:  Foundational Information (Vocabulary, Demographics, and Other Critical Information), the Historical Perspective, Diversity, Community Barriers and Contemporary Concerns, Collection Development and Maintenance, Cataloging and Equity of Access, Programming, Intersectionality, Community Services and Resources, Intellectual Freedom, Censorship, Professional Ethics, Community Engagement and Outreach, Refugees and Immigrants, Teens, Families, and Our Elders, and Library Staff. An Annotated Bibliography and several Book Reviews will also be provided.