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Check out the Friends Second Saturday Super Sales coming up on January 12 and February 9! These sales are offered each month from 9:30a.m. – 3:30p.m. The first hour is open to members only. Not a Friends member? Memberships are very affordable and available on our website, at the door on the day of the sale or pick up a membership form at the Welcome Desk the next time you visit the Bloomfield Township Public Library.
Library Board
Margart Cohen, Joseph Falik, Grant Gerhart, Judy Lindstrom, Joan C. Luksik, Pamela Williams
Special Needs Collection
The Special Needs Collection at the Bloomfield Township Public Library is a circulating multi-media collection serving youth with different needs and their caregivers. Generously funded by the Friends of the Bloomfield Township Public Library, it is one of the first public library collections of its kind in the Metro Detroit area. The collection, developed after much research and the guidance of special education staff members in the Bloomfield Hills School District, was unveiled in a grand opening celebration in January, 2009. The collection contains therapeutic toys (adapted and mainstream); speech and language therapy cards; DVDs, music & activity CDs; CD ROMs; handwriting kits; Braille books; Interactive books; and many fiction and non-fiction books for special needs kids, their peers, families, teachers, and therapists. Story Boxes are also a popular component of the collection. These special boxes contain a story and a collection of manipulatives that correspond to the items mentioned in the story. A story box is a way for children with visual impairments to experience a story. This tactual exploration of a story is not just for future Braille readers who will be using their sense of touch to decode letters and words, but also for all children who would benefit from “hands-on experiences” to help provide meaning to the words in the story.
We Recommend...
For more information on special needs and diagnoses, we recommend these recent titles:
Many devices and apps have been developed to assist those with different needs. For people with verbal disabilities, we have electronic communication devices available for check out, such as the Big Talk Communicator or the Cheap Talk 8 1-Level Communicator. Caregivers or teachers can record simple messages that can be activated by the non-verbal individual with the push of a button. These tools are great for providing communication and cognitive support, as well as enhancing and developing expressive and receptive language skills. For individuals with reading disabilities, such as dyslexia, check out our Readingpen (Basic Edition K-12). This pen is designed to help school-age children improve their reading skills. Kids can scan single words or full lines of text and listen to the pen read them aloud. It recognizes over 250,000 words and includes a dictionary. For children who have difficulty with math and need more visual aid, try one of the See ‘N’ Solve Calculators. The large 2-line screens on these unique calculators display math problems and the steps to solve them.Looking for a good resource on apps for autism? Check out Lois Brady’s Apps for Autism: an Essential Guide to Over 200 Effective Apps for Improving Communication, Behavior, Social Skills, and More!
In addition to this circulating collection, children with different needs and their families that don’t feel comfortable in our story time programs can enjoy an adapted story time the third Saturday of the month. Our Sensory Saturday Story Times are designed for children, ages 3-10, with developmental delays and other different needs. These story times are filled with rhythm, movement, stories, and sensory-friendly fun.
Bloomfield Township Public Library
1099 Lone Pine Road Bloomfield Township Michigan 48302
Phone: (248)-642-5800 Website: www.btpl.org
