Great Disability Resources Awareness Fair At Riley Library Roseville

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Twas a busy day a week ago, Saturday. Not only did I get to enjoy the official renaming of the Jack Wallace Park at Cresthaven. I managed to spend an hour or so delivering neighborhood newsletters before the rain started. Then, while driving home from that, I spotted the Disability Resources and Awareness Fair at Riley Library in Mahany Park off Pleasant Grove and Woodcreek Oaks in Roseville.

Disability Resources and Awareness Fair

I had shared about the Disability Resources and Awareness Fair on my Facebook pages, including Roseville California Joys, as it looked like a great resource. Of course, I had to go check it out.

It was terrific! There were three rooms with so many interesting things to see and resources to learn about. And useful info for all ages from babies to school age and all the way up to senior citizens.

SOME of the Many Disability-Awareness Resources

Here are just some of the many resources I saw there:

1.  The Roseville libraries have so many great options. I was especially intrigued when Riley Library staff shared about their Exploration Stations. These are accessible computer stations that include larger keyboards as well as larger mice and other items to help children and others who might need those. (Some of the equipment, like the mice, are behind the counter. Just ask a librarian for them.) And don’t forget, the Mahany park playground is right behind the library, with accessible swings for all ages. Here’s the Roseville Library Facebook page – RosevilleLibrary .  And here are the two sweet library staff who shared such great info with us!

2.  I LOVED seeing the various dogs, including the cute guy at the top of this post, from Lend A Heart, Animal-Assisted Therapy that come to read with the children in the library once a month. They were so lovely, sweet and patient! And the kids there were enjoying their time with the dogs immensely. I love sharing their cute photos from LendAHeartAAT at Facebook – like this adorable video that made me smile – you, too, I hope. 🙂

3. Meghan Adams of A Touch of Understanding was so nice to meet. I enjoyed a lovely chat with her.  This terrific group goes to schools all around Northern California.

One of their offerings that I particularly enjoyed learning about was giving kids of various ages the opportunity to experience what it is like to have various disabilities. This helps lead to building empathy and igniting respect. As she pointed out, so often bully-ing is due to lack of knowledge. One of this group’s goals is to empower children with positive knowledge. I also really appreciated the Braille cards they were giving away.

I took one to share with my grandkids on our next visit. It will go great with the books I’ve already given them about guide dogs, Braille, and some of my life heroes like Helen Keller. They are ATouchOfUnderstanding on Facebook.

4. Seniors First. This is an organization I’ve raved about in the past. Such a great place with a range of services for low and no cost to help senior citizens throughout Placer County. I really appreciate the services and always get their updated resource guide. The NEW resource guide should be out by summer of this year! 🙂 While chatting with Debbie and Mike, I was especially pleased to hear that they offer meals for seniors in Roseville as well as the surrounding area. Seniors can go to one of 8 senior cafes giving them a chance to eat and visit with others. For housebound senior citizens, they also offer meal delivery Monday – Friday. Their Facebook page is sfplacer .

5. Autism – Such an important issue many of us are grappling with  in our world today. And so many great volunteers working hard to help, including the UC Davis Mind Institute. One of the many resources they had at their table was a list of their 2016 -2017 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Five of the lectures are over but there are still more coming! Be sure to also check out their Facebook page – UCDMIND

6. Dyslexia

7. NORCAL Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing – Lots of great information from the gentleman at this table including information about upcoming Community ASL classes for parents, students, and anyone interested. The current one has started but if you’re interested, you might call to see if you can still get in or when the next one will start. The 6-week classes going on now cover finger and hand coordination exercises, ABCs, numbers, colors, family signs, deaf greeting signs, and more! For more info, call 916-349-7500 or 916-993-3048. Their Facebook page is norcalsvcs .

8. Meals on Wheels – another great organization that helps Senior Citizens 60 and better.

I was tremendously blessed by Meals on Wheels years ago when a long distance elderly relative was recuperating from surgery. I was able to get her set up for regular meals and know that she would have prepared meals daily AND someone to check on her regularly. Awesome!

And so many more.

Looking Forward To Next Disability Resources & Awareness Fair

Such a great group of volunteers, workers, and resources all in one spot at this very interesting Disability Resources and Awareness Fair! Very helpful for so many! Hopefully this will be repeated again next year and I’ll be sure to put it on the calendar to share with you if I hear about it (and yes! You can let me know if you hear first!). Thank you to the Mahany Park and Riley Library staff for hosting this and thank you to the many volunteers who put this together and were there to patiently answer all our questions!  🙂

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