2016-12-19

The Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign now offers resource guides on various disabilities, disability theory, and assistive technologies. The disability-specific, easy-to-use guides are the result of Applied Health Sciences Librarian JJ Pionke’s efforts to offer materials on common disabilities in one centralized location. The 19 guides are available online at http://guides.library.illinois.edu/alacwgdisabilitytoc —and there are more planned.

With funding from a Carnegie-Whitney Grant from the American Library Association (ALA), Pionke brought together the resources for and about individuals with disabilities. Pionke’s project includes resources pertaining to anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), blind/visual impairment, depression, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The guides are available to everyone, not just to those on the University of Illinois campus.

“These guides are meant to act as a gateway into developing a well-rounded understanding of the disability that is highlighted,” said Pionke. “For instance, each guide links to resources and examples from popular media like movies and bestsellers, as well as more academic and medical literature for when the reader wants more in-depth information.”

To view all of the resource guides developed by librarians at Illinois, visit http://guides.library.illinois.edu/ .

Do you have a story you’d like added to the Library News & Events? If so, please contact Heather Murphy ( hmurphy@illinois.edu ).