[MD-Sligo] Center for Accessibility Newsletter | August 2026
DC Public Library
info at library.dc.gov
Wed Jul 29 16:01:36 UTC 2026
Catch our teen volunteer's Talking Book review!
Center for Accessibility Newsletter. August Edition
"The Center for Accessibility assists individuals with disabilities to access programs, services, and collections at all branches of DC Public Library. For information about requesting accommodations, including sign language interpreters, please visit the DC Public Library Accessibility Page. [ https://www.dclibrary.org/accessibility ]"
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August at a Glance
* Visually Descriptive Exhibit Tours!
* Intermediate ASL classes on Zoom until the end of August
* Accessible movie screening of "Bugonia" with ASL and open captions
* Accessible Disney Trivia event
* NEW! Talking Book Corner, with our teen volunteer, Layla Stephens
* NFB-Newsline available for blind and visually impaired readers to access newspapers and magazines from around the world
* ASL interpreted Job Fair at Anacostia Library September 17
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District Vibes American Pride
*Visually Descriptive Exhibit Tours!*
*Saturdays - August 1 & 22
**1-2 p.m*
DC Public Library is commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary by showcasing the unique and vibrant contributions Washingtonians have made to America’s culture and history.
District Vibes / American Pride: How D.C. Changed American Culture [ https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.dclibrary.org%2Fdistrict-vibes-american-pride-how-dc-changed-american-culture/2/0101019f7180a351-8b08bba5-eb60-4b7c-87a5-ab3c782bce18-000000/NUA8Ab3R595-Oa0R_NAPKVK5vLkVDRFm5KWLnxqQu3A=452 ] tells the story of D.C. through striking images, artifacts, compelling history, and dynamic programming.
Washington, D.C. is more than a federal city—it’s a mosaic of neighborhoods and communities that have nurtured creativity, learning, music, cuisine, and sports for generations. While the District is smaller geographically than every single U.S. state, within its’ 68-square miles residents of the District have contributed groundbreaking ideas that have shaped the nation’s imagination and driven meaningful change.
During your visit you will be guided through the exhibit and be given the opportunity for questions and clarification in an open forum format.
*"NOTE: The Saturday tours on August 1, and August 22 include visually descriptive language to increase accessibility for blind or low-vision visitors."*
Registration is recommended:
*August 1 tour* [ https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16969780 ]
*August 22 tour* [ https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16969769 ]
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Intermediate ASL classes on Zoom throughout August
ASL Class Virtual2
Intermediate ASL (Online)
July 6 – August 24 (Mondays), 12-1 p.m. *Instructor: Bronte
To get the most out of the class, participants should have completed a Beginning Level class or equivalent and be comfortable having a basic conversation in ASL.
*Register for Intermediate ASL* [ https://dc-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/YIcAvwn4TVeA1H33m6NbOg#/registration ]
*IMPORTANT:* Please make sure you have a working web cam on your computer before you sign in to the classes. In order to get the most out of learning ASL, the instructor needs to be able to see the participants and the participants need to be able to see each other as well as see the instructor.
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Accessible Film Screening at MLK
August 22 accessible film Bugonia
*Accessible Film:*"* Bugonia*"
Saturday, August 22, 2 p.m.
Room 401-F
With ASL and open captions
Rated: R
Run Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
*Sensory note: Loud sounds
To request other reasonable accommodation for this program, please contact DCPLaccess at dc.gov or call 202-727-2142.
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Programs for Children & Families
Accessible Disney Trivia jpg image
NEW! Accessible Disney Trivia!
*Thursday, August 6, 5-6 p.m.*
*MLK Library, **Room 401-F*
You are invited to join the Center for Accessibility and the DC Developmental Disabilities Council for our Accessible Disney Trivia event!
We will have multiple choice questions about Disney movies. You can play by yourself or join a team. We also will have snacks!
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation or have any questions about the event, please email DCPLaccess at dc.gov or call 202-727-2142.
Down Syndrome Play Group 2 children doing art project
Down Syndrome and Friends Community Play Group - For Kids with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families
Saturday, August 22
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library
Families of kids with disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and developmental disabilities, are invited to play, read, and connect with resources together at the library!
We have a variety of toys and themed activities so kids can play and create while families socialize and learn about local resources. Each session opens with a themed story time at 10:30 and closes out with a dance party.
The theme for August 22 is Back To School!
This event is designed for families who have children ages 0-12. Siblings are welcome!
As space is limited, registration is required.
*Register for August 22* [ https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16515363 ]
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ASL Story Times at DCPL
Children and teacher signing ASL together
We sign and vocalize our stories and songs. No knowledge of ASL is needed! These fun story times are for kids ages 2-5 with caregiver.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library:
Unless otherwise noted, all ASL Story Times at MLK Library during 2026 will be held on the following Mondays at 11 a.m. in the Children's Room on the 2nd Floor!
* August 10
* September 14
* October 5
* November 2
* December 14
ASL interpreters will be present. For other reasonable accommodations, contact DCPLaccess at dc.gov or 202-727-2142.
Neighborhood Libraries:
* Tuesday, August 4, 10:30 a.m. - Cleveland Park
* Tuesday, August 25, 11:00 a.m. - Northeast Lbrary
* Tuesday, September 8, 11:00 a.m. - Northeast Library
* Tuesday, October 20, 11:00 - Northeast Library
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NEW! Talking Book Corner
Wanda Hears the Stars book cover
Book Review by Layla Stephens
Teen Volunteer, Center for Accessibility
"Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe
"By Amy S. Hansen with Wanda Díaz Merced
*NLS Talking Book Number: DBC28877*
*Age range: Elementary and up*
As a young girl, Wanda always wanted to be an astronomer, but diabetes resulted in her full loss of vision. She thought that she couldn’t become an astronomer anymore because she had no vision left in her early 20s. However, it wasn’t too late for her. Wanda discovered sonification, which is the sound cues you hear from space due to static changes and patterns. Wanda was able to achieve her dream of becoming an astronomer. She shows that through hard work and courage you can truly accomplish anything you put your mind to regardless of your disability or regardless of any challenge you may have. For this she is widely respected and she has gained a bunch of awards. She gives a lot of speeches and gives a lot of auditory space tours to people who would like to come and discover what it’s like to see through the eyes of a fully blind person when it comes to astronomy. She is one of many more famous and highly impactful disabled members of the community. For example, there is another blind astronomer, there is a Deafblind lawyer, and there is also a Deaf president of Gallaudet College.
* DC NLS readers [ https://www.dclibrary.org/using-the-library/dc-talking-book-and-braille-program-nls ] can check out "Wanda Hears the Stars" on the BARD app or request it on a cartridge by calling 202-727-2142 or emailing DCPLaccess at dc.gov
* Learn more from Wanda Díaz Merced by watching her TED Talk [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hY9QSdaReY ]
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NFB-Newsline Now Available
NFB newsline logo2
*Would you like to listen to the reading of newspapers, magazines and other important information?*
NFB-Newsline is a free service for blind and visually impaired people. The service includes 450 newspapers from across the country and around the world. It has a wide variety of 50 magazines. Along with these, it contains T.V. listings, department store circulars, weather reports and job listings.
There is also a DC Information Channel that provides local and national announcements as well as newsletters of special interest to the blind and print disabled community.
NFB-Newsline can be accessed using an IOS Mobile App, online via a computer, a touch-tone phone, an Amazon Echo, or the Victor Reader Stream.
Anyone who is blind or visually impaired is eligible to sign up for NFB-Newsline. If you are interested in doing so, or you would like more information, please email:
Kathy Gosselin at Nfb.newsline at dc.gov or call the Center for Accessibility, at 202-727-2142
If you are a Washington DC resident, Kathy will fill out the NFB-Newsline application with you and sign you up. If you are a resident of another state, she will tell you who to contact to sign up.
NFB-Newsline is a great resource for news and information. Kathy encourages
you to subscribe, and looks forward to hearing from you!
Questions? Contact:
Kathy Gosselin
NFB-Newsline Administrator for Washington, DC
Nfb.newsline at dc.gov
202-727-2142
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Programs for Adults in ASL
Tom Lake Book Cover
ASL Book Club
Next Meeting: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 6 p.m.
Virtual Program
Do you love to read and talk about books? Are you interested in participating in an online book discussion in American Sign Language? If so, this book club is for YOU! Come join us for an ASL Book Club on Zoom every other month on a Wednesday evening from 6-7 p.m. ET.
The ASL Book Club is facilitated by librarian Janice Rosen from the Center for Accessibility.
*NOTE*: Even if you do not know sign language, you are welcome to join us. Voice and automatic captioning will be provided.
*Our September title is "Tom Lake: a novel" by Ann Patchett *
*Abstract:*
In the spring of 2020, Lara's three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.
*The book is available in the DCPL collection in the following formats*:
* Book
* Large Print
* eBook
* eAudiobook
*Check out the book* [ https://catalog.dclibrary.org/search/card?id=3f75b96e-73b7-54cc-a2a7-52adf581d529&entityType=FormatGroup ]
*Register for September 23 ASL Book Club* [ https://dc-gov.zoom.us/meeting/register/QEyPyXlTTqmFAwyWu-GqQg ]
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ASL fingerspelled
Ongoing ASL Classes at Francis A. Gregory Library!
Fun, informal, inclusive, interactive, in-person ASL learning at the Francis A. Gregory Library through December 2026!
* Beginning Level: Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.
* Intermediate Level: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
These classes are organized by the Francis A. Gregory library. Please visit their page [ https://www.dclibrary.org/plan-visit/francis-gregory-library ] for the latest class dates and times. If you have any questions about those classes please reach out to them by email at francisgregorylibrary at dc.gov or by phone at 202-698-6373.
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ASL Interpreted Job Fair at Anacostia Library
Job Seeker Registration
Job Fair
Thursday, September 17, 12:30-4 p.m.
Anacostia Library, 1800 Marion Barry Ave SE
*ASL Interpretation will be provided throughout the event
**Only online resumes accepted- no paper resumes*
*Register as a job seeker* [ https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16691800 ]
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Play Without Limits: A Decade of Access at Nationals Park
Play Without Limits
Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Angels
Saturday, September 12, 4:05 p.m.
Nationals Park, 1500 S. Capitol St. SE
Disability Partnerships [ http://www.disabilitypartnerships.org ] invites the disability community to a Washington Nationals game in celebration of their 10th anniversary and Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month!
*Cost: FREE!* However, only 150 free community tickets are available. Register before the tickets run out!
*Register for Free Tickets* [ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1993557702754 ]
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