Welcoming Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patrons to Your Library

Wednesday, September 29^th from 11:00am-12:00pm

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders One in eight people in the United States (13 percent, or 30 million) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears.

In this interactive program, you’ll learn tips for communicating with deaf and hard of hearing patrons, information about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, and even some basic ASL vocabulary to introduce yourself and help patrons navigate the library.

As a result of this program, attendees will:

• Describe 3 strategies for communicating with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing
• Introduce yourself and greet someone in American Sign Language
• Describe 3 types of accommodations libraries may provide for deaf and hard of hearing patrons and in what situations they would be used

Kathy MacMillan~Biography

Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press, Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press), and many other resources books for librarians and educators. She shares resources for signing with children at StoriesByHand.com.