Dear Dara,

I am working on a campus serving multiple schools with students in grades 6-12. Over the last few years, there has been a growing number of special education students on the campus, and I don't know where to begin in serving their needs. I am not a special education teacher and I have no idea how to teach or build a collection for them.

Sincerely,

Confused

Dear Confused,

Not every student learns in the same way or has the same needs. Start with building your understanding of all students and then focus on differentiating for different learning styles. There are several different theories on learning styles. The two I consult most often are VAK by Walter Burke Barbe and VARK by Neil Fleming. Basically, each states there are varying types of learners who process information uniquely. Auditory learners process via sound, visual learners via sight, and kinesthetic learners via touch and movement. VARK adds the social concept which focuses on observational learning and learning via one's environment.

When curating a collection, select resources that meet each of these learning styles. Consider Playaways and Wonderbooks for audio learners. Playaways (http://playaway.com/audiobooks/) are self-contained MP3 files (audiobooks). Wonderbooks (http://playaway.com/wonderbook/) contain MP3 files on a small device attached to the book, making the format accessible to older students. Vox Books also provides a talking book format and was the first to enhance print with a read-along audio component. Both publishers provide a wide range of topics, high interest and popular fiction, and are fairly reasonably priced and durable for long-term library use.

Free digital audio book services are also a consideration. Bookshare is a non-profit that provides free audiobooks to readers with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other barriers to reading. Bookshare readers have access to over 780,000 titles including textbooks. Schools or qualifying individuals can sign up Additional information can be found at https://www.bookshare.org/cms/.

Another resource is the National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled (https://www.loc.gov/nls/). Through a national network of libraries, braille and audiobooks are delivered for free to qualifying individuals. There are a variety of other resources available on the website including a list of producers of accessible reading material , as well as disability awareness resources for students in grades PreK-6.

Large print offers many benefits to students that extend beyond helping those with visual impairments. Research has found that large print makes it easier to decode texts. Large print also provides additional white space and an enhanced font size making the text more accessible for readers with dyslexia or other reading challenges. Thorndike Press (https://www.gale.com/thorndike) offers an extensive catalog of popular titles in large print. There are no exterior markings to indicae the book is large print and the book is comparable in size and weight. This helps to reduce the stigma for students and makes the format much more accessible for all.

Both IEP (individualize educational plan) and 504 plans are used frequently and as a school librarian you should become familiar with reading and understanding the terminology within them. Each IEP or a 504 begins with a committee made up of educators, counselors, and the student's parents or caregivers. The team meets to develop the plan and individualize it for the student's needs. The plans are simply guides to help teachers work with the individual to differentiate their instruction. Some indicate that the student needs additional testing time. Others may indicate the student requires access to print materials instead of digital. It all depends on the student's needs. You do not need to be a special education teacher to know how to read or implement the plan. However, you should have access to IEPs and 504s of your students and should speak to your administration if you do not.

As school librarians, we work to meet the needs of all of our students. It is important to remember every single student, with or without an IEP, is unique in their own way. Our job is to find the reading material and instructional resources that engage, excite, and support each learner. Remember to curate for all, differentiate for individuals, and speak to other educators in your school to learn how to meet everyone's needs.

Sincerely,

Dara