TRL celebrates Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Timberland Regional Library celebrates March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by highlighting staff-selected resources that recognize the many achievements and contributions of people with developmental disabilities.

To help spread awareness about Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (DDAM) and the barriers that people with disabilities continue to face, Timberland Regional Library (TRL) staff are highlighting accessible resources and materials online and in libraries throughout the month, said Juliet Lawson-Hall, Timberland Regional Library District Manager for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

“Inclusion and access for all are important core values for TRL,” Lawson-Hall said. “As an organization, we are actively working toward that goal in our libraries and throughout the communities we serve.”

Accessibility features services by TRL include the ability for patrons to check out eBooks, e-audiobooks, streaming videos, digital magazines and other digital materials using computer or other electronics like a smartphone.

Patrons can access services such as:

• Streaming movies and documentaries from A full list of DDAM-related materials can be found on the Kanopy website.
• Access reference, magazines, audio, news, videos, and academic journals via Gale Medical Ebooks and Gale General OneFile.
• Using the PressReader website in accessibility mode, patrons should be able to navigate most of the website using just a keyboard, go directly to the main content areas on the page using skip links, listen to most of the PressReader content using a screen reader, navigate the entire PressReader accessibility mode using speech recognition software and zoom in up to 400% using browser tools without text spilling off screen.
• Access a variety of educational resources including ABC Mouse, Pronunciator, Scholastic Teachables and Britannica Library. A full list of reference databases can be found on org.

In addition to TRL resources, patrons can find links to a variety of state, county and other area resources on the TRL website Celebrations page.

TRL also promotes accessibility inside its libraries, Lawson-Hall said. At least 15 buildings have had refreshes over the past two years, with many of the updates including more accessible shelving and furniture, as well as changes in flooring to remove trip hazards.

“It is our mission at TRL to bring resources and materials to all of the people in the communities we serve, whether in our libraries or in the comfort of their own homes,” Lawson-Hall said. “Wherever people access TRL, we want them to feel comfortable and welcome.”