Menu/Recipe Books Fot IT Users With Additional Needs

IT groups with special or additional needs have successfully compiled a menu/recipe book. The idea was to create a useable tool that members could make use of in their own care homes or day centres. We wanted an IT project that was flexible to the variety, and range, of the user’s capabilities. We asked each group member to create a favourite recipe for the book. The menus chosen were to be simple, easy to follow, and suitable for all people, regardless of their literacy skills. The menus would consist of breakfast, soups, main meals, puddings and cakes. Participants were then able to construct the recipes in a way that would correspond to their skill levels. Some, who where able to type, chose to use text as well as pictures for their recipes, others who had little, or no, literacy skills used images to describe the recipe process. Staff were on hand to assist with any text, when needed. A group member who had no literacy skills was easily able to follow a recipe by a fellow group member, using just the images, which were provided, to illustrate the preparation and cooking process. This project also helped individuals with their searching skills, looking for suitable images on the internets and being able to resize these pictures and cut and paste them into a document. Each page of the finished book was then laminated, so that it could be easily wiped clean when used in the kitchen. This was a project that was fun to do and allowed the participants to be involved in choosing their favourite foods. It also had a tangible end result that can be used in a practical way and helps the personal development and confidence of the individuals, and allows them to demonstrate their skills in producing the book to others, such as family and friends.

Easter IT Initiative
Finding IT projects for users with special needs has always proved to be a challenge, but library staff have embraced it as an opportunity to get creative and imaginative and to make sessions an informative but fun learning experience. We wanted a project that was IT based, but would help users develop simple skills such as searching an image base for relevant pictures or photographs, and printing out their selections. We also wanted the users to be able to select a piece of text, and look how it was possible to alter it in size and colour.


As it was coming up to Easter, we decided that an Easter theme would be appropriate, but we needed to find an interesting way to then display the images and the pieces of text that users had been able to select and print. A member of staff came up with the idea of making papier mache Easter eggs. This was achieved by the traditional method of inflating balloons and covering them in papier mache and, once dried, then deflating them. We found that kitchen roll dipped in a mixture of PVA glue and water hardened with a shell like effect. Users were then able to select their own individual styles of what they wanted to put on their egg. Some of the group wanted to create pictures using sites such as

http://www.manetas.com/pollock/

and use the colours and shapes to create a very individual egg. Others wanted to add some craft materials to turn their eggs into characters or objects. Some individuals used online colouring sites such as

http://www.free-coloring-pages.com/easter/index.html

to colour in and create their very own individual Easter themed pictures.

Users in each of the groups came up with their own creative interpretation of the theme, and used images, poetry and text, as well as sites that had Easter online colouring sheets, which were duly filled in and printed out. Using these functions helped group members with their motor and cognitive skills, as well as teaching them how to use the cut and paste functions, print command, resizing images and altering text.
The eggs completed over a number of weeks were then given another coat of PVA to harden them. They could then be attached to ribbons and hung as decorations at home, or filled with sweets and given as Easter presents.

All the groups enjoyed this creative initiative for using and learning IT skills and were pleased to have an attractive end product that they could take away with them that was as individual to them as it was unique.

Library Resources for People with Dementia

Staff from the Central Library engage in outreach work for elderly people suffering from dementia. At present the staff visit residents in sheltered housing complexes and care homes in the area. These visits are carried out on a weekly basis for the care homes and fortnightly for the sheltered housing complexes. They use a combination of resources to help stimulate discussion and aid recall and prompt memories.

These resources consist of packs, which we have specially designed to encourage interaction and introduce topics for discussion. The packs include photographs, reminiscences, articles, and adverts from newspapers, as well as reading materials about the subject. Staff have collated most of this information, using newspapers, photographs and other resources from the Local History Department. Information is then arranged into folders which staff can easily transport on their visits to the homes.

Staff also use passages from books which again have a local interest by authors such as Mae Stewart and Maureen Reynolds. Mae Stewart has also participated in a visit, with library staff, to a local care home and engaged in a session helping to stimulate conversation and interaction, by sharing her own reminiscences with the group. There are usually between five and twelve people in each group. The people attending these groups all have some form of dementia, ranging from mild to severe cases. When the clients are suffering from more advanced stages of dementia, staff recommend that groups are kept smaller, with a maximum of five peopeople attending.

Although the average age of people attending these sessions is 80-85 staff have found that the least popular topic for discussion is the Second World War. Many were just children, or teenagers, during this time and do not have many memories of that period other than home or school life. More popular topics are fashions of the 50's and 60's, Dundee Cinemas, Life in the Tenements and Dance Halls. More able groups enjoy finding out about Local History and staff have noticed that the groups enjoy amusing or anecdotal stories.

Staff leading these sessions have noted an increase in attention spans and interaction as the weeks progress, often people initially attending, who would not engage in the sessions are now becoming more communicative and conversant. These outcomes are not always immediately apparent, and are reached over a period of several weeks working with the group. Staff involved in this type of outreach work find this new aspect of their library work both rewarding and enjoyable, and staff research skills are employed to put together these resource folders, which can be reused by themselves, or lent to other staff who may, in the future, become involved in this type of innovative work.

Connections Suite

The Connections Suite is situated on the lower level of Dundee Central Library. The space has been specially adapted to accommodate Reading and IT Groups. Having this dedicated area gives the groups a safe, relaxing and comfortable environment, that they can identify with, and feel safe and secure. Paintings done by the groups are displayed in this department, and there are also plans to display sculptures that the groups have worked on recently.



Many photographs also adorn the walls of the reading area, giving the groups a sense of ownership and belonging.




The Connections Suite also has a range of resources available to borrow which could help carers and family members of vulnerable people, these include books on Makaton, Storybook and Storystarter cards, as well as colour cards and books on emotions, family, behaviour and feelings.
We also have a range of books on dyspraxia, dyslexia and ADHD.

There is a self-help section in this department which has CD's and books on motivation, ,empowerment, relaxation manuals and alternative therapies. Audio books on tape are also located here, as well as a selection of picture books, which carers, or families, may want to borrow, or read aloud in a secluded seating area of the department . A carrel in this department also houses a Kurtzweil Reader and a magnifier to aid people with visual problems. There is also storage space, used to hold all the resources required for the reading and IT sessions.

The IT space has eight computers available for vulnerable group use These have a printer and scanner attached. Specialised software such as Boardmaker, Texthelp-Read and Write, Kidspiration and Inspiration is also available on these terminals.

IT Groups in Central Library

Since September 2009 we have been running It groups in the Connections Suite of the Central Library for groups with special or additional needs. At present we have seven groups who attend on a weekly basis. Most groups stay for a two hour session. For the first part of the session we tend to look at things that would interest the individual users, this could be music sites or family history for example, or in some cases playing simple graphics games to improve motor and cognitive skills,such as UK Learn after a short refreshment break we then work on an IT project. At the moment we are working on individual personal story books. Staff compiled a list of ideas that could feature in the book such as, favourite time of the year, future plans, descriptions of themselves etc. These pages are accompanied by photographs, or images, to illustrate the book. These images were chosen by the individual ,who also dictated as to what should be written and what would be included into the book. Some people, with mild learning problems, needed very little help, mostly just with spelling, and some computer applications, while others who had less communication skills, and more severe learning problems, were able to express what they wanted by using Makaton or simply pointing to the screen. Once the book is complete it is then given a cover and bound. The user is then able to take the book home with them as an example to show friends and family what they have been working on and then they have a very personal and unique book all about them and their likes and dislikes. These books can also be beneficial to carers and helpers in finding out more about the person they are supporting.

Judy Paterson Tells Stories to Special Needs Groups

Judy Paterson visited the library to tell stories to one of our Reading Groups, whose members have learning and physical difficulties. Judy brought along photographs of her horse and explained to the group how her own horse was used in many of the illustrations in her books.
She then told the story of 'Tamalane', and again Judy's own horse featured in the story. Many of the group participate in ' Riding for the Disabled', and have a love and affinity to horses, as Judy herself clearly does . The group enjoyed the story and were able to recognise the horse illustrations and appreciate the process of illustrating a story. Judy also told other stories, which she had gathered from around the world.

Anne Errington Visit

This week we had a visit from storyteller and performer Anne Errington. Anne was telling stories to our a reading group of young people who have challenging behaviour and live in residentail care .
She gave a wonderfully animated rendition of several legends and myths from around the world. These included the stories of Hercules and Prometheus. She told a legend from Finland and ended the session with a story from Scotland, which had striking similarities to the Scandinavian tale.




The group, of about fifteen young people, and their carers, thoroughly enjoyed Anne's storytelling and were enraptured by the performing skills she utilised to bring the story to life. Many of the members of the group, as well as their carers, commented on how much they had enjoyed the session, and how different it was from anything that they had experienced before. Some compared it to being at a theatre and watching a play, but with a front row seat and a smaller audience.

In and Out of This World

The latest initative for the Reading Groups was a project which we called "In and Out of This World". We selected several different regions which included, Polar Lands, Deserts, Rainforest, Underwater, Space, Day and Night, Space, Town and Country and Underground. We collected together artefacts as well as books that tied in with these themes, and each week delivered a storytelling session on that topic.

At the outset of the project we made keyrings for each member of the group with their photograph on it aand a legend saying "In and Out of This World". Each week, if the person attended that session they were given a card to attach to their keyring with had pictures of the area we had travelled to, as well as text indicating that the person had heard stories relating to that subject. This was to encourage users to attend each week as well as to act as a reminder of what topics had been covered in previous weeks.

Although the project proved successfull, it didn't have the same level of interest or commitment that 'The World Reading Route' had achieved. When staff discussed the reasons behind this, it was felt that, perhaps, members of the groups could not see how the topics directly related to each other and that the 'World Reading Route' initative had introduced, for the first time, the concept of using food and tastes to enhance the storytelling process.

Christmas Event

This year the Central Library held a Christmas event for vulnerable groups. Over eighty people from the groups attended, as well as carers and helpers. We had music, refreshments and storytelling. It was a great oppotunity for carers, helpers and group members themselves to get together. The event brought together eleven IT and Reading groups, for a relaxing and enjoyable afternoons' entertainment.

Jess Smith , author and storyteller, told several stories and sang songs at the event, and a Dvd was shown, which the groups had participated in making. The film showed the work being done with the reading and IT groups. It also recorded comments and feedback from useres, carers and library staff working with the groups. Individuals were pleased to see themselves on the film and everyone cheered when they saw someone they recognised. Copies of the Dvd were made and handed out to each group.

This is an important event that, once a year brings everyone together, and makes people aware of the diversity of work that is being carried out with vulnerable groups in the Central Library