HOW TO GO
WHAT: Next Chapter Book Club, a book club for adults with developmental disabilities
WHEN: 2 to 3 p.m. every Sunday, beginning Jan. 24
WHERE: Wright Memorial Public Library, 1776 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood
MORE INFO: Call 937-294-7171
A book club that aims to provide literacy opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities will soon have a chapter in the Dayton area.
Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association (MVDSA) and Wright Memorial Public Library are partnering to bring Next Chapter Book Club to Oakwood.
“It’s a great opportunity for individuals with developmental disabilities to be able to have a social group that’s also promoting literacy at the same time,” said Jenna Stites, Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association executive director.
The book club originally started at Ohio State University’s Nisonger Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. It has since grown to more than 100 cities, according to Next Chapter Book Club’s website.
Members of the new chapter will choose the book they’ll read at their first meeting Sunday, Jan. 24.
“Members take turns reading it or listening or contributing in any way that they can, and we talk about it,” said Diane Bengson, a librarian at Wright Memorial Public Library. “But it also has the underlying social component, which allows different people to get to know each other and to kind of build a commonality around the book and talking about the book.”
Bengson and some colleagues completed a day of training at the Nisonger Center in the fall.
“A lot of it was about the philosophy of how the book group works. How it’s very directed as much as possible by the participants … We were shown how to help people who have limited reading skills to read at least part of it. Different ways that we can talk about the literature,” Bengson said.
Instead of gathering in the library’s meeting room, the group will meet outside in one of the library’s common areas to further enmesh book club members in the community.
“We want to help get individuals with developmental disabilities in the community just like you and me, just like anyone else, you know, enjoying social events, having a great time, building shared experiences that help them to build future social platforms as well,” Stites said.
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