Try Your Hand at This: Easy Ways to Incorporate Sign Language into Your Programs

by Kathy MacMillan

American Sign Language is more than just an assortment of gestures. It is a full-fledged unique language, with all the characteristics of such. This helpful and user-friendly guide for librarians and other library personnel involved in library programming demonstrates everything from how to set up programming involving sign language for all ages to dealing with and paying interpreters. The book also discusses how to publicize programs to the public and within the deaf community and how to evaluate and improve the library's sign language collection. Kathy MacMillan's impressive understanding and knowledge of the deaf community and the importance of sign language_as well as her exceptional handling of the numerous erroneous myths about deafness and sign language that are, unfortunately, still often current_make this handbook an indispensable tool for all library personnel looking to reach out to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Kathy MacMillan is a writer, American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and signing storyteller. She writes picture books (the Little Hands Signing series and The Runaway Shirt, Familius Press), children’s nonfiction (She Spoke: 14 Women Who Raised Their Voices and Changed the World, Familius Press), and young adult fantasy. Her debut young adult novel, Sword and Verse (2016) was a finalist for the Compton Crook Award, and its companion novel, Dagger and Coin (2018) has been called a “complex feminist fantasy” by author Heidi Heilig. She has also published 8 resource books for educators, librarians, and parents, including Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press). Kathy serves as the Mentorship Program Coordinator for the Maryland/Delaware/West Virginia Region of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in Baltimore, MD. Find her online at www.kathymacmillan.com or on Twitter at @kathys_quill.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Published in 2005.
This book, while catered more towards parents/library staff who do younger/early literacy programs, does not really include any imagery of sign language, only going through the childhood development process, how signing effects that, and its positive outcomes.
I wish the book had included pictures or even a dvd/cd of popular words/the alphabet/counting to ten/colors...nope nothing...

But after having met a child at a program and trying to learn from him and show him the VERY little ASL signs I knew, I didn't quite realize just how much of a positive effect that had on both the parents and the child or how important it really was. I was just trying to be a good employee, but this book told me that there's more we can do to reach not only the deaf community, but to give our kids another way of communication. I loved that.

[Angie Shere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great help for incorporating signs into storytimes.