Programming for Adult Patrons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities​
4/4/2019
2:00 PM -  3:00 PM

About This Session:

As part of providing equitable access and inclusion to all community members, Medicine Hat Public Library has been hosting a weekly program for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities since 2015 with attendance ranging from twenty to thirty-five individuals and support staff. From July to November 2017, MHPL conducted a province-wide telephone and email research campaign in order to gain information about existing programs at other libraries while hoping to also improve upon their own.
The session will provide basic information on the similarities and differences of intellectual and developmental disabilities, information obtained from the 2017 research campaign (including outlines of various programs as described by the library staff that offered them or recalled them) and suggestions regarding different types of programming that staff in Medicine Hat has had experience hosting.

Learning Goals:

- Similarities and differences between intellectual and developmental disabilities

- Summary of research results on library programming for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Alberta

- Programming suggestions and ideas for serving these library users

About the Presenter:

Andrew Plait is a Library Assistant at Medicine Hat Public Library in Southern Alberta. A graduate of MacEwan University's Library and Information Technology Program, he has also regularly hosted the library's weekly program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities since 2015. He is currently pursuing a degree in Communication Studies through Athabasca University.