There’s a new book club in town. Each Monday this summer, a group of four young adults have been meeting at the Borders in La Grange to discuss Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” This group is a bit unique in that each member uses an augmentative or alternative communication device. The group was started by Western Springs residents Pam Harris and her teenage son, Josh. Josh has Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a genetic disorder that is characterized by impairments in cognitive processing. Because functional speech is difficult for Josh, he relies on assistive technology in order to communicate. He and his mother work to increase awareness about the use of augmentative and assistive devices used to help individuals with disabilities to communicate. His mother and Dr. Jill Senner founded Augmentative Communication Technical Supports in order to operate programs and opportunities such as the book club.

Harris said that the club is modeled after Next Chapter Book Club which was founded at Ohio State University. This program is designed to give adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to read and discuss books, while socializing with their friends. Harris said that she learned about the program through a local Ups for Downs chapter, a nonprofit organization comprised predominantly of parents of individuals with Down syndrome. Ups for Downs is funding training for Next Chapter Book Club for area organizations that provide services to individuals with disabilities.

Harris said that operating the book club has required significant preparation and special tools. The text for “Treasure Island,” she said, has been “carefully written and edited to meet the needs of those struggling, or the early reader. Those barriers including language, syntax, vocabulary and dialogue which would make the book difficult have been removed. This has really contributed to the success of the program,” Harris said. A company that provides adaptive learning materials compiled a kit including a hard copy of “Treasure Island,” a CD of the book to listen to, and a computer disk of the book which highlights the words as they’re being read.

Harris said that the reading group tackles one chapter each week.
“They all read the chapter before we meet,” she said.

Then each individual is responsible for sharing a page in whatever method he/she communicates. For instance, she said Josh uses a device which actually generates speech from words he’s typed in.

“This means that he’s entered the page word by word into his device,” she said.

Another member, she said, reads aloud on his laptop computer and everyone follows along.

“He moves the cursor along as the computer reads his part aloud. Everyone is reading a page at a time, at their level of comfort. It’s not a test. It’s recreational, social reading,” Harris said.

After taking turns reading, the book club members are asked four to five content questions.

“And Dr. Senner always has one question that the book club member can relate to a personal experience,” Harris said.

Harris said that there are three basic objectives of the book club: to improve literacy skills and social connections, to increase the inclusion of individuals with communication devices in community settings, and to improve lifelong learning opportunities. She feels that thus far the book club has been a success. “The group has taken on its own personality. It’s so exciting,” she said.

Harris said that the book club meetings will continue until the book has been completed. “Everyone signed a contract that they’d stick with it for the whole book and there are 10 chapters,” she said.

 For further information visit www.actsIL.org.