Illinois Service Resource Center

For today's , we offer you Wanda Hears the Stars. As Hispanic Heritage Month and World Blindness Awareness Month come together in October, this is the perfect book about innovation, resilience and empowerment to share with young people.

Wanda Diaz Merced is a real life astrophysicist and computer scientist who was raised in Puerto Rico. When she saw her first meteor shower, she wanted to learn all she could about stars. When she started losing her sight in college, she realized that a career in astronomy was going to be challenging, but she refused to change her course. Eventually, Wanda found a way to turn the images she struggled to SEE into soundwaves she could HEAR.

Check out Wanda Hears the Stars and other great books and resources at the ISRC Library: https://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/home.php
(if prompted the Library Name is "ISRC Library" - no password is required)

For we are featuring the classic kids' game Hedbanz ✨ It's so important for kids to acquire and practice rich language. In a fun and silly way, Hedbanz gets kids to ask all kinds of questions to answer "What Am I?"

The ISRC Library has lots of games, videos, and resources, along with nearly 3000 books. Check out our library today!

Our today is The Words in my Hands by Asphyxsia. An awesome coming of age teen read about identity and deaf culture and standing up for what you believe in. Besides being an engrossing story about a not too distant dystopian Australia, the book is also a beautiful read with fascinating pages that feel like peeking into someone's journal.

Smart, artistic, and independent, sixteen year old Piper is tired of trying to conform. Her mom wants her to be "normal," to pass as hearing, to get a good job. But in a time of food scarcity, environmental collapse, and political corruption, Piper has other things on her mind--like survival. Piper has always been told that she needs to compensate for her Deafness in a world made for those who can hear. But when she meets Marley, a new world opens up--one where Deafness is something to celebrate, and where resilience means taking action, building a community, and believing in something better.

You can check the book out through the ISRC Library's online catalog https://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/home.php
(if prompted, the Library Name is "ISRC Library" no password is required).

It's

This is a week to bring awareness to how 🐾PAWESOME🐾 Deaf Dogs are. That they are fully trainable, lovable, and social pets. Deaf Dogs can do everything that other dogs can do except hear. It’s estimated there are about 35,000 dogs in the United States who are deaf in both ears.

Our Librarian, Mary Kay, has an English Setter, Stanley (pictured below), who was born deaf. Stanley watches Mary Kay and her family closely and responds to many hand signs. He is energetic and snuggly and so so smart.

Here in the ISRC Library we have a number of books sharing how wonderful deaf dogs are. Check out these great titles today:
- I Deaf-initely Can & We Deaf-initely Can by Karlie Waldrip
- Deafinitely Awesome: The Story of Acorn by Timy Sullivan
- Piglet Comes Home & Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf Blind Pink Puppy and His Family both by Dr. Melissa Shapiro
https://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/home.php
No account is needed to browse or use our library catalog. If you are prompted to log in, enter the library name: "ISRC Library." No password is required

It's ⏰ Did you know that the ISRC Library has ✨Bed Shaker Alarm Clocks✨ that can be checked out? Especially as older students begin to practice more independence, this tool can help kids with hearing loss and kids on the autism spectrum build great morning routines ☀

Check out our Library Catalog at:
https://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/home.php
(If prompted, the Library Name is "ISRC Library" - no password is necessary)

Today's are the books on our features table highlighting Deaf Authors. This is just a small selection of the books in the ISRC Library written by authors who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind. During Deaf Awareness Month, why not check out a book written by a Deaf Author?

You can easily search the Library Catalog for Deaf Authors and Illustrators. View the ISRC Library Catalog at: https://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/home.php
(if prompted the Library Name is ISRC Library, no password is necessary)

Make a plan to see Brailled It at the Music Box Theater. On Sunday September 27 there will be a moderated discussion with writer/director, David Grabias after the show.

Every year, the top under-18 Braille readers and writers from across the English-speaking world gather in Los Angeles to compete in the Braille Challenge. For one weekend, blind and low-vision kids are no longer the minority in the room. They make new friends, face off against old rivals, and chase a rare chance to be recognized not for their disability, but for their skill.

In BRAILLED IT, the camera is placed directly in their hands. As the kids document the competition themselves, their fragmented imagery and candid moments of nerves, boredom, joy, and triumph invite audiences to experience the event on their terms.

https://musicboxtheatre.com/films-and-events/brailled-it

Congratulations to our Digital Update Giveaway Winner, Hayley Marks, a special education teacher in downstate Harrisburg. Hayley wins a Mad Dragon game (and a few other prizes for her classroom). Mad Dragon is an Uno-like game that helps kids learn skills for anger control. Congratulations, Hayley!!!

Sign up for our monthly newsletter, the ISRC Digital Update, and keep an eye out for future chances to win a cool tool for your classroom or family! https://isrc.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ba8037c4f8b27f001bc0d0114&id=83c1650c12