Story Hour at the Public Library: Ideas for Including Visually Impaired Preschoolers

Story Hour at the Public Library: Ideas for Including Visually Impaired Preschoolers

Future Reflections Spring/ Summer1989, Vol. 8 No. 2
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STORY HOUR AT THE
PUBLIC LIBRARY: IDEAS FOR
INCLUDING VISUALLY IMPAIRED
PRESCHOOLERS
Editor's Note: This flyer was published June,
1988, by the National Library Service for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped, the Library of Congress.
For additional copies of the flyer please write
to: National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped, The Library of Congress,
Attention: Ms. Charlynn Spencer Pyne,
Washington, DC 20542.
For all preschoolers, storytime is an introduction
to books, stories, and language. It is also an early
experience in social interaction with other
children and with adults other than parents. It is
an experience that can be shared by all children,
those with visual impairments and those who are
fully sighted.
The librarian needs no special skills or training
to include successfully a blind or visually impaired
child, only experience and expertise in
sharing stories with children. The tips in this
flyer are provided as suggestions for making the
experience more meaningful, and to help
librarians encourage visually impaired children
to come to storytime.
Starting Off
Introduce yourself directly, addressing the child
by name. From your introduction, the child
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learns where you are. If you walk away from the
area, also let the child know that you are leaving.
Take a moment to observe how the child
responds to the surroundings and to other
people. Learn about the child's visual abilities
through observation and by talking with the child.
This will give you an idea of how much assistance
this particular child will need.
Do not hesitate to use visual words such as "see"
and "show." These words are common in the language,
and the child will use them comfortably.
On the first visit, introduce the child to the area,
showing where the furniture, equipment, drinking
fountain, restrooms, and any special items
are. If you rearrange the area, let the child know.
Pointing, nodding, or saying "Over there" will
probably not convey the intended information.
Introduce the child to the group, as you do other
children, and encourage everyone to use the
child's name when speaking to him or her. Encourage
the child to answer any questions other
children have about his or her handicap.
Allow your acceptance of the child to show;
children in the group will take their cues from
you.
Selecting the Story
The primary consideration for visually impaired
children is that the story must be able to stand
alone without illustrations or be supplemented
with verbal descriptions. Also, the language
must flow well when presented verbally.
Without illustrations, the language and presentation
take on extra importance in conveying the
story.
Folk tales are usually excellent choices, not only
for all the usual reasons that they appeal to children, but also because they are rich in narrative
language. Because tales have been passed
down verbally, most adaptations are not dependent
on the illustrations.
Ways to Present and Reinforce the Story
Because some visual experiences may not be
familiar to the visually impaired preschooler, occurrences,
shapes, and sizes may need to be explained
(e.g., bird sitting in the trees, the size of
a house, description of a circus).
Audiovisual materials can be used successfully,
but select those for which you can verbally fill in
information that is presented visually.
Braille, recorded, and print/Braille children's
books produced by the National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)
are available throughout the country from a network
of cooperating libraries. For more information,
public libraries and parents should contact
the local cooperating library or NLS for
referral.
Other Resources
Commercial tapes and records of music, songs,
and games and stories should be made available.
Parents and children may need to be told that
these items are available from the public library.
In Summary
The key element is enjoyment; the librarian is
the link between the joy of reading and the
pleasure of sharing with others. The librarian's
acceptance and enjoyment of the visually impaired
child will foster sharing and enjoyment
among all children.
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