Carrie Scott Banks has worked with and on behalf of children with disabilities since high school. Taking over Brooklyn Public Library’s Inclusive Services in 1997, she created their gardening program in 1999. Ms. Banks taught inclusion at Pratt Institute from 2013 to 2015 and conducts inclusion trainings across the United States and Canada. She has had many roles in ALA: ASGCLA (Association of Specialized, Government and Cooperative Library Agencies) board member, committee member and chair, program organizer, and co-drafter of resources and tools for serving people with disabilities. Her substantially revised edition of Including Families of Children with Special Needs: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians was published in 2014.

Samples
- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the Authors
- Reviews
More than 6.5 million children in the US receive special education services; in any given community, approximately one child out of every six will get speech therapy, go to counseling, attend classes exclusively with other children with disabilities, or receive some other service that allows him or her to learn. This new revised edition is a step-by-step guide to serving children and youth with disabilities as well as the family members, caregivers, and other people involved in their lives. The authors show how staff can enable full use of the library's resources by integrating the methods of educators, medical and psychological therapists, social workers, librarians, parents, and other caregivers. Widening the scope to address the needs of teens as well as preschool and school-age children, this edition also discusses the needs of Spanish-speaking children with disabilities and their families, looking at cultural competency as well as Spanish-language resources. Enhanced with checklists, stories based on real experiences, descriptions of model programs and resources, and an overview of appropriate internet sites and services, this how-to gives thorough consideration to
- Partnering and collaborating with parents and other professionals
- Developing special collections and resources
- Assessing competencies and skills
- Principles underlying family-centered services and resource-based practices
- The interrelationship of early intervention, special education, and library service
This manual will prove valuable not only to children's services librarians, outreach librarians, and library administrators, but also early intervention and family support professionals, early childhood and special educators, childcare workers, daycare and after school program providers, and policymakers.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part 1: Understanding Inclusion
1.
What Inclusion All About?
2.
What Does the Law Say?
3.
Developmentally Appropriate Library Services
4.
Resource-Based Practice and Inclusion
5.
Multiple Intelligences and Universal Design
Part 2: Getting Your Library Ready
6.
Assessing Your Staff and Library
7.
Staff Training
8.
Community Involvement
9.
Designing Library Services for All Children
10.
Assistive and Adaptive Technology
Part 3: Developing Collections and Services
11.
Playing and Learning—in the Library and at Home
12.
Resource Centers for Children, Families, and Other Professionals
13.
Electronic Resources
Appendix: Portals to State Resources
Glossary
Bibliography
About the Authors
Index
"An essential instruction guide … should be considered mandatory reading for school and community library staff members and a core curriculum supplement for Library Science students."
--Library Bookwatch
"The book reminds us of the importance for libraries to embrace inclusive practices. In doing so the library can be a more valuable contributor to decreasing prejudice towards children with disabilities. Overall the authors have created an easily read, practical and thought-provoking book for information professionals who are interacting with children with special needs."
— Australian Library Journal