KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A new partnership between Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and Kent District Library (KDL) is bringing American Sign Language (ASL) storytimes to local library branches.
The new program kicked off this month as part of Deaf Awareness Month.
The two organizations say they want the storytimes to be a positive, deaf-friendly experience for the kids and families that visit the libraries.
"We're trying to be more inclusive in the way that we offer programs and can have interpreter access," said Ashley Smolinski, Branch Outreach and Programming Specialist with KDL. "But this fall, we're also inviting a deaf author who wrote 'Signing with Khy,' Khyiana Tate. And next year, we're looking at hosting more deaf authors that we might be able to find in the community."
Nancy Piersma, Community Education Coordinator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, says the ASL storytimes help make the library more inclusive and welcoming for everyone.
"We're offering this to our families to be able to participate, and also for the deaf and hard of hearing people to come," said Piersma. "They're welcome to come to the library, we want them to have communication access. And it's not just for hearing people, the library isn't for that, the library is for everyone."
ASL storytimes continue throughout the month of October and November from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Cascade Township branch of the Kent District Library.
For more information, click here.
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