A welcoming and respectful attitude is one of the most important things that makes a library accessible to people who are homeless and/or living in poverty.

For practical suggestions on working with library users who are homeless, living in poverty, or suffering from mental illness, watch the video A Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness, presented by Ryan Dowd of Hesed House, a shelter in Aurora, IL.

Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability, and the second most commonly diagnosed serious developmental disability.  The number of children identified as autistic continues to grow 10%-17% each year, and 1 million to 1.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder.