Living Paintings
Living Paintings, a free library service offering tactile books for the blind, produces raised versions of pictures with accompanying recordings that tell the story while guiding fingertips across images. Coming soon: an accessible version of a children’s book that will be available on the same day it is available to sighted children. For more information please visit their website: www.livingpaintings.org
Book on autism wins at 2010 World Book Awards
"No Matter What" by Sandy Howarth (ISBN: 9781847477491) won a Gold Award for literary excellence at the 2010 inaugural World Book Awards: www.worldbookawards.com
The book outlines Sandy’s first hand experience gained from her son Steven who was diagnosed as being severely autistic with a severe receptive language disorder at two and a half years old. The book has been written to assist and offer support to families, to create awareness of autism and to demonstrate the complexities in brain development by comparing ‘typical’ development with ‘autistic’ development.
Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care journal
Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care journal is published by Pier Professional, a leading publishing for professionals in health and social care and allied fields. The journal explores what is currently known about racism, discrimination and disadvantage and considers interventions that will overcome barriers and promote equality.
More information about the journal is available from this leaflet (PDF - 1.24MB) and Pier Professional's website: www.pierprofessional.com
Public Libraries and Social Justice book
Jobn Pateman and John Vincent spoke at the 2010 Diversity Group conference: "Race Class and Libraries" about their forthcoming book "Public Libraries and Social Justice".
You can download an order form here (PDF - 175KB) to order a copy of the book is published by Ashgate. This book is also available as en e-book.
Bright Books
Bright Books supply books to libraries, prisons and schools in over 70 foreign languages with MARC records and servicing. They have become a one stop shop for libraries to buy or rent foreign materials. For more information look at their website: www.brightbooks.co.uk
Peoples, nations and cultures book
Peoples, nations and cultures: An A-Z of the peoples of the world past and present. A Fascinating exploration of the cultural and ethnic diversity of our planet. John Mackenzie (editor) Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicols, 2005. ISBN: 0304365505.
This book was recommended by someone who attended the recent Diversity Group conference that they found in their public library and wanted other Diversity Group members to be aware of. It is also available from Amazon, one of the reviews states: "This informative, nicely presented guide gives the ethnographical and historical lowdown on all the world's main ethnic groups."
Open University course - H810: Accessible online learning: supporting disabled students
This online course is aims to improve access to learning for disabled students. People responsible for provision in academic and support roles need to be aware of how courses are designed and delivered online for students with disabilities. The course looks at the experiences of disabled students, the technical aspects of accessibility, and current debates and discussions about disability and accessibility in educational contexts. This course benefited from JISC TechDis expertise and materials in its production. The next presentation of the course begins in September 2010. For further information please see http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/course/h810.htm
Multi Faiths
Website: www.multifaiths.com
This is a website that gives you different calendars of different faiths like Buddhist and Islamic calendars. The Inter Multi Faith Calendar 2010 - 2011 Culture Diversity Equality eBook is now available from their website - giving information useful for considering religious beliefs under the Equality Act 2010.
The website also hasa series of eBooks that give information on different cultures and traditions that would be useful for people involved in community engagement in both private and public organisations.
Race Equality Foundation websites
Two new website have been recently launched by the Race Equality Foundation, which provide a collection of resources and useful information on race equality and housing and healthcare
Better Housing: www.better-housing.org.uk
Better Health: www.better-health.org.uk
The Network
The Network is a network of public libraries, museums, archives, other organisations and individuals committed to tackling social exclusion.
They have a list of suppliers of black, ethnic minority and community language materials on their website: www.seapn.org.uk/resources/
Guide to obtaining textbooks in alternative formats
Website: www.techdis.ac.uk/getaltformat
This is an online guide which is for anyone who needs to source text books in an alternative format for a reading impaired learner. It is specifically designed for library staff, learner support staff and subject tutors and lecturers supporting disabled learners. It should help anyone trying to get digital versions of textbooks.
Welcome To Your Library
Welcome To Your Library website
The London Libraries Development Agency and The Network launched the www.welcometoyourlibrary.org.uk website. The aim of the website is to support public librarians in engaging effectively with refugees and asylum seekers and promote good practice.
The website was designed by Electric Putty and is part of the Welcome To Your Library project. Website users can navigate the site to find practical advice, good practice examples and search information resources produced by the project and from other relevant sources. Registering on the site enables users to sign up to a weekly digest and to post relevant events and training opportunities on the web site. A message board, which will go live in the second phase of development, will provide more opportunities for the community of interest to share ideas and experience.
Handbook
The Welcome To Your Library project is now featured in a new handbook ‘Understanding the Stranger: Building Bridges Community Handbook’ published by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Helen Carpenter gave a talk on the project at the Diversity Group 2006 AGM.
The Handbook profiles innovative initiatives from across the UK that aim to mediate tension and build bridges between local host communities and asylum seekers and refugees, with examples drawn from statutory and non-statutory sectors, including very small-scale grassroots projects.
You can read more about the project and handbook in the press release which you can download by clicking the link below:
Welcome To Your Library press release (MS Word - 69 KB)
In The Picture
Website: www.childreninthepicture.org.uk
In The Picture aims to promote the inclusion of disabled children in early years' picture books. They work with illustrators, writers and publishers to make sure that young disabled children become more visible in children's literature.
They work with disabled people, families, other organisations and the book world to develop and promote good practice. Some of this is in animated and illustrated stories and in the image bank area, all designed to inspire and encourage other illustrators and publishers.
Shape
Website: www.shapearts.org.uk
Shape is a leading disability arts organisation. It aims to improve access to the arts for deaf and disabled people whilst supporting deaf and disabled artists to challenge perceptions and promote Deaf and Disability Culture.
Shape's Open the Door campaigns for access and equality to make arts, culture and leisure accessible to deaf and disabled people. Open the Door has different services that can help you apply access and equality standards across your organisation and develop your deaf and disabled audiences. They run various seminars and in-house training, do access audits, has an access forum for professionals and has an online booking service, that gives deaf and disabled people access to the cultural life of London.
Website: www.shapearts.org.uk/openthedoor
Shape, Deane House Studios, 27 Greenwood Place, London, NW5 1LB
Telephone: 020 7619 2616 Minicom: 020 7424 7330
Email: openthedoor@shapearts.org.uk
Speak Up DVD Resources
Speak Up Self Advocacy are a specialist charity making information films for people with learning disabilities. The subjects range from health, the law and rights to bullying, tenancy agreements and general life skills. These would be great resources for libraries as they are in easy to understand English.
Speak Up employs people with learning disabilities to script and act in the films which are made to a very high standard. They've been making information films now for 10 years and are the ONLY producer of information like this for people with learning disabilities.
Their website is www.speakup.org.uk where you can watch the DVD's in a "sample" format online.
Jobs websites
- Diversitylink Website: www.diversitylink.co.uk
This is a website aiming to provide up to date news and jobs information to Equality and Diversity managers in the UK.
- Ethnic Jobsite Website: www.EthnicJobsite.co.uk This website wants to impact the lives of BME groups and provides opportunities for cross-functional and cultural collaborations among ethnic minorities communities.
- Diversity jobs Website: http://Diversityjobs.co.uk
This is a recently launched jobs portal for the UK's socially disadvantaged. Workplace equality is still a challenge for ethnic minorities, women, older people, disabled workers and people of different sexual preference. Their site is one of many ongoing initiatives to support the equality movement in Britain.
"Life in Great Britain" - Citizenship course
"Life in Great Britain" is the British Citizenship course that is taken from the content of Chapters 2 to 6 from the "Life in the United Kingdom - Revised Edition 2007" published under the Home Office.
To view the British Citizenship demo of the course please go to this website: www.220soft.co.uk
Once on the homepage click the top "Life in Great Britain" icon, click signup and then enter any name or password.
To view the online Assessment program please go to this web page:
http://www.220soft.co.uk/course/admin.php
Fifty library authorities have now ordered "Life in Great Britain" as well as Adult education departments, colleges, community centres, and prisons. Each client upon agreeing a licence has their own tailored Assessment program.
Last updated: 12 January 2011