Creating Safe Library Spaces for Children with Special Needs

Equal access to community facilities and resources is vital to the educational development of children. Yet, many times community programs and activities are not appropriately adapted for children with disabilities. This thesis project explored how public library spaces and programs can be adapted to become more accessible for children with special needs. Forty-one library youth staff members were surveyed to understand their training needs and inform the development of a professional workshop. In partnership, Arizona State University and Scottsdale Public Library System created a professional development training to educate library youth staff on cultural responsivity. One component of the training, "Creating Safe Library Spaces for Children with Special Needs," was developed to teach library youth staff about techniques for ensuring equal educational opportunities for all children in libraries. Sixteen library staff members participated in the training and were asked to complete a post-workshop survey evaluating their satisfaction and perceived usefulness of the training.