April is Autism Acceptance Month: Winchendon library seeks to be Autism Welcoming certified

The staff at Beals Memorial Library in Winchendon is on a mission to provide an inclusive and accessible space for people of all abilities and ages.

The library has created programs, events, workshops, and sensory-friendly spaces for neurodivergent patrons. April is Autism Acceptance and Awareness Month, a time to educate, accept and support people with autism spectrum disorder.

After both of Alexis Chanthachack's sons were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, the senior library technician immediately started to look for sensory-friendly activities and programs at libraries in the Greater Gardner area and found nothing.

"Autism can be very isolating not only for the individual or kid, but it can be very isolating for their family or caregiver as well," she said. "I wanted my kids to have a community and to be able to do fun stuff, so I saw my position in the library as the opportunity to create that community for them and other families."

Beals has received two grants to aid in accessibility

Last June, the Beals Library was awarded a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) that focuses on distributing funds to libraries in rural communities so those libraries can create a more accessible environment for all residents. The library received $10,000 from the ALA's accessible rural communities initiative grant.

Chanthachack said that with the grant this past year, the library could purchase materials to make a dozen sensory to-go bags available for library cardholders to check out and also fund several neurodivergent accessible programs like the sensory-friendly Santa meet and greet. She said she reapplied for the grant this year, and the library received another $10,000.

The library staff plans to make the sensory-friendly Santa meet and greet an annual event. Chanthachack said that as a mother of two autistic children, she can not imagine going to the mall with her kids and getting a picture taken with Santa.

"I can't explain how rewarding it was seeing those families able to take a photo with their neurodivergent child," she said. "Sometimes, this is the first or only time they are able to take a family photo. It's so rewarding to be able to give this service to them."

Autism Acceptance Month programs

The Beals Library plans to host seven programs and events this month that promote autism awareness and acceptance to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month.

On April 8, the library screened the autism documentary "In A Different Key." Chanthachack said this movie night was designed to be a time for educating others on the disorder.

On Saturday, April 13, from 9 to 10 a.m., the library will be closed for a sensory-friendly browsing hour. Noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys are available if needed. Right after the browsing hour, at 10 a.m., a sensory-friendly showing of the Super Mario Brothers movie will take place.

On Tuesday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to noon, the library will host a sensory-friendly storywalk featuring the book "Masterpiece" by Alexandra Hoffman. The book is about a kid who loves the color blue and is on the autism spectrum.

On Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to noon, a sensory-friendly touch-a-truck event will be held at 295 School St., Winchendon American Legion. All the first responder vehicles will have their lights and sirens off. Noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys will be available if needed.

Chanthachack said she would be handing out vinyl car stickers and seat belt covers with various labels indicating an individual in the vehicle is on the autism spectrum or is nonverbal, neurodivergent, etc. She said these fabric seat belt covers and car stickers can be essential ways to communicate with first responders during a car accident.

"During an emergency situation, people with autism can be unpredictable, or if they are nonverbal, they will not respond to first responders," she said. "This is another tool for individuals, parents and caregivers to prepare if they are in an emergency situation."

On Monday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m., the caregiver support group event is called Walking Beside You. Chanthachack said besides giving individuals with autism a community, they also want to foster a community for family members and caregivers because they can also experience isolation.

On Saturday, April 27, the first day of the Winchendon Renaissance Faire, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Beals library staff will set up a Sensory Kid Corner for anyone needing a quiet space. Noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, and other materials will be available. Chanthachack said she has never been to a Renaissance Faire. Still, she can assume it will be loud and overstimulating for neurodivergent individuals, so having a place for them to go is important.

More: Hotspots, telescopes and Santa suits: How you can borrow these and more from the library?

Library seeks to become Autism Welcoming certified

The Beals Memorial Library will be the first Massachusetts library to be Autism Welcoming certified by the Autism Alliance, a support and advocacy organization based in Framingham. Chanthachack said Autism Alliance has never had a public library apply for certification and it's usually businesses or other private institutions.

The library staff, members of the board of trustees, members of friends of the library, and selected community leaders will have to participate in three training sessions to get certified.

On Thursday, April 11, the staff will do an autism spectrum programming and event training. Chanthachack said this training would help the staff expand their knowledge on how to make library programs more accessible to neurodivergent people. Next month, the staff has to do an introductory sign language workshop.

The last training piece will be a three-hour-long Autism Welcoming Certification session conducted by the Autism Alliance Center in October. Chanthachack said that besides the training, the library has to show what accessibility it already has and what it can expand on to make it an even more inclusive library.

"We already have sensory to-go bags, noise-canceling headphones, and fidget toys at every library event or program; we have sensory-friendly programs," she said. "And we have at least one book in every section with a character on the spectrum or about being neurodivergent or autism. But there is still more we can do."

A requirement of the second ALA grant is that they host a community hearing for individuals, caregivers, and parents to give the library feedback and discuss what else they would like to see the library do for the neurodivergent community in the next year.

Chanthachack said the community hearing will be in early May, but they haven't confirmed the date yet.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Autism awareness and acceptance month at Beals Memorial Library