I have compiled the responses I received (THANK YOU everyone for your help/advice/encouragement): Cindi, I would be interested in any results as I am working with some severely disabled students operating at a preschool or more probably infant level starting this week. I have some stories I plan to tell for the first four of ten sessions, but suspect they will work better with the other classes I will be doing with hearing or other disabilities but those students are both younger and cognitively are preschoolers. I would gladly share what I am doing with you if it's at all of any help. In the case of hearing impairment, you would need a local interpreter. (I am able to tell in voice and sign, so I chose some stories I already tell.) Your mention of sensory storytime was what caught my own attention as their learning may require something more attuned to different sensory methods than I have experienced so far. Lois -- Lois Sprengnether Keel Website:<http://www.LoiS-sez.com> <http://www.lois-sez.com/>, Blog:<http://www.StorytellingResearchLoiS.com> <http://www.storytellingresearchlois.com/>, One tip I recall getting is that picture books are fine but look for some that have real people featured in them instead of cartoon characters. Brenda Dunseth Youth Services Highland Township Public Library A book that ties well to them could be fun - art activities could be paired with books like Radiant Child by Steptoe. This is also a possible opportunity to use picture books with longer text, depending on your audience’s disabilities and attention span – I’d recommend some of Patricia Polacco’s books, like The Bee Tree or When Lightning Comes in a Jar. If you have BookFlix or Tumblebooks those might be handy as well, particularly if your patrons have tablets handy. I found a couple handy resources online for patrons with disabilities as well: https://www.urbanlibraries.org/sensory-storytime-for-special-needs-adults-in... http://brycedontplay.blogspot.com/search/label/accessibility - I can’t recommend this blog’s accessibility posts highly enough – great insights into the disabled community. Hope this helps! Thanks, Gillian Streeter Lead Librarian I - Youth Services Norton Shores Branch Muskegon Area District Library I do special needs storytime all year round. Every month at the library and at my son's school. He's handicapped. My choose picture books and themes at a preschool level. I do have special needs adults attend at times. I hope if you collate a list, please share! Have a great day! Deb Deborah Sobczak Canton Public Library Information Services Librarian My hours: M,W,Th 5p-9p; Fri/Sat 9a-6p Juvenile nonfiction can be a helpful resource when working with disabled adults: the content is still of interest, it’s visually stimulating, and of course you have the option of choosing a topic or topics that work with the sensory materials you want to use. *Hope E. Nobel, M.S.L.S.* *Director* *Tamarack District Library* Hi Cindi, My colleague in Adult Services, Ed Niemchak, and I recently presented on this topic at MLA annual this past fall. We are going to be working on a handout of favorite teen/adult sensory story time titles for our 5/1 presentation at the Loleta Fyan Rural Library Conference (“Outgrowing the Seat but Not the Stories: Engaging Teens and Adults with Special Needs at the Library”). I think Ed will be responding to your email with some of his monthly adult sensory story time favorites, too, and we can pass on our handout to you if we don’t see you in Traverse City on 5/1. Here is a recent response I sent to another librarian: Here are some ideas from my blog posts about our story times for ages 3 - 26 at Wing Lake Developmental Center:http://adaptiveumbrella.blogspot.com/search/label/Outreach . When choosing titles for sensory story times, I find it helpful to go with picture books (either fiction or non-fiction) that are interactive, rhythmic, and/or repetitive. (Note: I have found that incorporating interactive/sensory experiences is more important than a book that rhymes.) With an older audience, also try to go with a book that has age respectful illustrations or photographs. Here are a few of my recent favorites: Sayre, April Pulley (love her books!!) Raindrops Roll, Best in Snow, Rah Rah Radishes, Full of Fall Hale, Christy Dreaming Up: a Celebration of Building Schofield-Morrison, Connie I Got the Rhythm Ward, Jennifer What Will Grow? Matheson, Christie Tap the Magic Tree, Plant the Tiny Seed, Touch the Brightest Star Messner, Kate Over and Under the Pond, Over and Under the Snow Miyakoshi, Akiko The Way Home in the Night Wenzel, Brendan They All Saw a Cat Henkes, Kevin Birds Frazier, Craig Lots of Dots Portis, Antoinette Not a Box Glad to hear you are offering this program at your library! Best, Jen Jen Taggart Assistant Department Head, Youth Services Bloomfield Township Public Library 1099 Lone Pine Road <https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g> Bloomfield Township, MI 48302 <https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g> (248)642-5800 <(248)%20642-5800> www.btpl.org Hi Cindi, We have offered the program monthly here at BTPL for over two years now and sometimes the hardest part is picking a theme. Even though we work with adults, we try to choose age-respectful books from the youth department. We have explored holidays using books like “Valentine’s Day Is…”, “St. Patrick’s Day Is…”, and “Halloween Is…” (all by Gail Gibbons). We have also celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday one March using “Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?” and “My Many Colored Days” both of which explore colors (and the second explores emotions as well), we played a game of Dr. Seuss Bingo using the covers of the books in lieu of numbers. “Arctic White” by: Danna Smith is another cool book which tells the story of a young girl seeing the northern lights for the first time. We also used oil pastels and crayons to draw our own northern lights. “Plant the Tiny Seed” by Christie Matheson and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar are good to explore the theme of things that grow, where you can end by having the patrons plant their own sunflower or other seeds to take home. “Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?” by: Rita Gray and “Mama Built a Little Nest” by: Jennifer Ward are good to present a program on birds also. This year, we are visiting a different country each month. Instead of books though we are using facts and pictures of well-known landmarks, events, and people from each. We are also listening to music from each country and trying to find a craft project unique to the area, as crafts tend to be the biggest hit of the program. The last thing is that I tend to use the books more as a guide for discussion topics instead of straight reading and description, Good luck with your first program and let us know if you have more questions. Best, Ed Niemchak Adult Services Librarian Bloomfield Township Public Library 1099 Lone Pine Road <https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g> Bloomfield Township, MI 48302 <https://maps.google.com/?q=1099+Lone+Pine+Road%0D+Bloomfield+Township,+MI+48302&entry=gmail&source=g> (248)642-5800 <(248)%20642-5800> (ext. 140) niemchae@btpl.org Cindi L. Place Reference & Technology Librarian Boyne District Library (231)582-7861 placec@boynelibrary.org cindiplace@gmail.com Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one. *–Neil Gaiman*