Looking for ideas for programming with adults with disabilities

Tami Hurst

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Sep 24, 2025, 10:16:13 AM (6 days ago) Sep 24

to ABOS-Outreach

Hello from Kansas! I'm hoping to find some libraries that are doing programming for adults with disabilities. We are starting a monthly program aimed at better meeting the needs of adults in our community who have disabilities, particularly developmental or intellectual. Do any of you do targeted programming for these adults or do you just adapt your regular adult programming to make it appropriate? I would like to learn from your experiences and would appreciate any advice or suggestions you may have. Right now, I primarily work with older adults with and without dementia. I imagine programming for adults with disabilities would be somewhat similar in that the content needs to be suitable for adults, but simplified. I'm just not exactly sure what that looks like yet. Thanks so much in advance!

Tami Hurst

Library to You

Olathe Public Library

Sally Mathews Inglett

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Sep 24, 2025, 10:47:56 AM (6 days ago) Sep 24

to Tami Hurst, ABOS-Outreach

Tami,

I invite you to take a look at MEternally's offerings. While our products target those with dementia, caregivers, and their families, they are multigenerational and many are suitable for adults with disabilities. We work closely with libraries to create products and kits that can be checked out to both facilities or individuals.

We exhibited at the ARSL conference last week and will be at the ABOS conference in October for anyone who wants to stop by and put their hands on our products.

Sally

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Mary Beth Adams

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Sep 24, 2025, 11:07:14 AM (6 days ago) Sep 24

to Tami Hurst, ABOS-Outreach

There is a Facebook group, Library Programming for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, that is helpful!

What you do really depends on their level of disability. Some groups have adults who would be able to take part in a book club (Next Chapter Book Club is an example - https://nextchapterbookclub.org/) or typical craft or learning activity, with some additional support.

We do several storytimes for adults with IDD. The storytimes we do are for people with moderate to severe disabilities, so we read picture books and do a simple craft. Books we choose don’t feature babies or toddlers, talk about school, or anything that is obviously childlike. There are a lot of great books out there! You also can incorporate stretching, chair yoga, and music. Your group may love singing, or they might just prefer to listen to music.

Just to give you an idea of some storytimes:

Peace and Meditation – read The yeti and the jolly lama : a tale of friendship (2019) by Surya Das, The Hundred-Year Barn (2019)

by MacLachlan, Patricia and If you come to Earth (2020) by Blackall, Sophie

Craft: wooden mandala from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Blosssound-Unfinished-Ornament-Painting-Decorations/dp/B0D6BCMZMW/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=LTWT7R57VC2E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ci93_KEcRvnM2RUiHIbg2uxYl5u16JFuEv049ZrsQCEcQckKTo_lR7XcWVOif7WGGczrSrOZEaFDDRltkOkBERiVgswKeP1RTUfO6OLG1LUl9Gewn6TTnmIMJcf0DqDKt0bJrzmvE6Ekd7DSJ7pzOCQrXiU1KJTFPMgiDBESxetys551s-01GHJT5NcxHq92A_j0jdCm9LKbDLMq0A7TKyhft-zPxC2ieSvp8PrBhxWYxFlMlSefF4kwSNOppdl61cqV8l8EmRjzh2m1FqsbiZQEKaOlZawMdwo1ad2MSbQ.MNrhTZfLqA40q4_XD_6JGiL50iIvC3catFY3NiaRooo&dib_tag=se&keywords=mandala%2Bwooden%2Bcolor&qid=1758724329&sprefix=mandala%2Bwooden%2Bcolor%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Armchair Travel/Storytime – I went to Oslo and Bergen, Norway this summer, so I showed them photos and talked a little about Norway. We then read books about trolls and made a pocket troll.

Trouble with trolls (1992) by Brett, Jan

The toll-bridge troll (1995) by Wolff, Patricia Rae

Craft: Pocket Troll (I modified this some, but this was my inspiration): https://honigkukuk.de/streichholzschachtel-taschentrolle/

Since the summer reading theme was Color Our World, we did a storytime about colors.

Love is my favorite color (2024) by Laden, Nina

P. Zonka lays an egg (2015) by Paschkis, Julie

The day the crayons came home (2015) by Daywalt, Drew

Craft: pom pom coaster – bought cheap thin coasters from Amazon that can stick to a bar – I layered two together before we went to the facility. They then peeled the sticky off of the coaster, and stuck pom poms on it. – inspiration: https://busybeingjennifer.com/easy-kids-craft-pom-pom-coasters/

Coasters: https://www.amazon.com/KITLAB-Self-Adhesive-Coasters-Adhesive-Backed-Adhesive/dp/B0CRVDY2YY/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=JTXY8YQ9LU0Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.plfAMxOJdznB5FdbOdxP-YBWPAVB0bUwsAeBGJTaFLRLF_ZxOnvid82rFM0lPhBHj1TZVOpYyWFUdr_YyTuLX5zshkx___kOqceuQiXkNCW8XCm8wsQojBzsqGt5wrIq1eXaTnEmExdUIYV5RBiI5KnGc92zlNdHcahSqcv8RR_8G61MohzuXGKwsCJ7H34jZxqeu5s9kxElmrU7XJmZMoaXik5HsiZkrfU0sgkos9zkdS9TSgdWB7gZdRjkZqK_kvg-g6nxksY1EBRft5DMYcHS6adbTFhngSixMxJ0WWA.upowA1SicgDrLc1y6cN3mcKSau1fIbS0rqyuDoWpB6M&dib_tag=se&keywords=cork%2Bcoasters&qid=1758725503&sprefix=cork%2Bcoasters%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Mary Beth Adams

Community Engagement Librarian

Alamance County Public Libraries

(336) 570-6981

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Lynde McCaleb

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Sep 24, 2025, 11:25:18 AM (6 days ago) Sep 24

to Mary Beth Adams, Tami Hurst, ABOS-Outreach

Hello!

I do a music program with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities—I do it twice a month and it is very low-key. I bring a speaker and some instruments, and we just sing and dance to popular music. I always give time for song requests as well.

One of our branch libraries also does a program with a group, where they do crafts and activities. Sometimes the activities are centered around something that is helpful to learn about, like safety or hygiene. Sometimes they are just fun crafts.

I would just make sure to treat the groups you are working with like adults—if you are doing an activity with them, keep in mind that while they may enjoy doing children’s crafts or reading children’s stories, they are also adults and should be treated as such. If you are doing crafts, I would also consider a variety of mobility and skill levels, so it is good to have scaffolded options for whatever you do. There may be some people who don’t have mature motor skills, so things like cutting and beading may require assistance.

One of the groups that I do my music program with is an art program, so the participants spend their days making different crafts, paintings, etc. They do some really cool stuff—sometimes it is more structured and sometimes they get to make whatever they want. So if you don’t know where to start, I’d say start with art. I’ve done buttonmaking, where everyone gets to design their own buttons and we make them together and that is always a hit as well.

During COVID, I also made a series of take and makes for adults with disabilities, so if you are interested in those, let me know and I’ll send them to you!

Lynde

Lynde McCaleb

Outreach Librarian

High Plains Library District

Outreach Services

2650 W. 29^th Street, Greeley, CO 80631

1-970-302-3068

lmcc...@highplains.us

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Jonathan Frincke

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Sep 25, 2025, 10:57:01 AM (5 days ago) Sep 25

to Lynde McCaleb, Mary Beth Adams, Tami Hurst, ABOS-Outreach

The message below, along with the amazing resources, are being shared on behalf of Rebecca Wolfe, one of our branch managers in Allen County-

Hi Tami.

My library system, Allen County Public in northeast Indiana, does much programming for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

At some facilities, we do a book club, where participants take turns reading out loud. Some clubs do crafts or other activities in addition to reading.

At other facilities, we do a modified storytime, or what some places just call "library time." It's a mix of music and literacy. Here is a description I wrote for Programming Librarian: https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/library-time-modified-storytime-adults-intellectual-disabilities

If you're interested in more information, you might watch the recording of this webinar I did for an Ohio cooperative.

I started a Facebook group for sharing ideas. Feel free to join!

Https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1GEHW1DZtE/

Finally, you can feel free to email me directly or give me a call. I'm happy to share some ideas and answer some questions!

Rebecca

Rebecca Wolfe

Branch Manager, Grabill Branch-Allen County Public Library

(260)421-1326 (internal extension 4510)

rwo...@acpl.info

13521 State St.

Grabill, IN 46741

Jon Frincke