Videos for Deaf and Hearing People at Your Public Library:

Try Your Hand at American Sign Language!

ASL Access: www.aslaccess.org ASLAccess@aol.com

703.799.8733 voice, 703.799.4896 tty

Deaf and hearing people across North America use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. Perhaps you have seen a sign language interpreter at church, at a community event, or on television. Your child may have a deaf classmate at school or fellow teammate in sports. Maybe you, your child, or someone else you know would like to learn ASL. Why not ask your public library staff to make the ASL Access Video Collection available?

When this collection comes to your public library, you may choose from over 200 videos which present sign language lessons at all levels (including videos for babies), as well as ASL translations of Bible stories, scripture, hymns, and classic literature. The collection also features children's stories, biographies, history, health issues, parenting topics, and original ASL literature titles. You can make a difference by letting your local public library staff know about ASL Access, an organization which helps get these videos into your library.

Did you know that over 90 % of deaf children are born to hearing families who have no knowledge of sign language? How will these parents communicate their love and faith to their deaf children? More than 85 % of deaf children are mainstreamed in classrooms with hearing students. Will your child be one to reach out in friendship? Think about your church. Would a deaf adult visiting your church feel welcome? If your public library has the ASL Access Video Collection, the answers to these questions could be in your hands.

ASL Access is a fully volunteer non-profit organization (EIN #54-1887224) which helps put ASL videos in public libraries. ASL Access does not have funding for the videos. Rather, the organization helps coordinate placements of the ASL Access Video Collection through local community donations. How does this work? It's simple. Someone, such as a library friends group, service club, local church, or an individual raises funds ($7700) for a donation of the collection to the local public library. Funding is sent to ASL Access. ASL Access orders the videos from over 40 ASL vendors - agencies, schools, ASL artists, publishers, and a major distributor. The ASL Access

Video Collection is available ONLY as a "package" for placement in a public

library. (This is NOT a collection for a church, school or agency library.) A

few of the ASL video titles are exclusive to ASL Access library placements,

and the set is purchased at a significant discount. Once the videos are in

the public library, the individual titles may be brought to neighborhood

libraries, making it very easy for people across a large area to conveniently

borrow the videos.

The ASL Access Video Collection meets American Library Association

guidelines. Libraries have won awards for making this ASL collection

available. Will you let your local public library staff know about ASL

Access? Your action will make a lasting difference.

ASL Access Video Collections are located in these libraries:

* District of Columbia Public Library, Washington, D.C. (Opened June 15,

1999)

* Fairfax County Public Library, Fairfax, VA. (Sept. 1999)

* St. Johns Public Library, St. Augustine, FL (2000)

* Morris County Library, Whippany, NJ (2000)

* Fort Smith Public Library, Fort Smith, Arkansas (2001)

* Riverside Public Library, Riverside, CA (2001)

* South Mississippi Regional Library, Columbia, Mississippi (2001)

* Baltimore County Public Library, Baltimore, MD (2001)

* White Plains Public Library, White Plains, NY (2001)

* Arlington County Department of Libraries, Arlington, VA (2001)

* New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped, Trenton, NJ (Opened Dec.

6, 2001)

* The James V. Brown Library, Williamsport, PA (Opened Jan. 26, 2002)

* Meridian Library District, Meridian, Idaho (Opened Jan. 26, 2002)

* Deaf Independent Living Association Library, Salisbury, MD (Opens soon)

* Howard County Public Library, Columbia, MD (Opens soon)

* Jackson/Hinds Library, MS (Opens soon)

* Loudoun County Public Libraries, VA (Opens soon)