Vol. 38, No. 18

2-1-2006
By: Jillian Ober and Vicki Graff

The Next Chapter Book Club: Learning is for everyone

Lifelong learning is a value espoused by all facets of society - and yet, for one group of people, that value remains elusive.

According to Tom Fish, director of social work at Ohio State's Nisonger Center, people with intellectual disabilities - meaning an intellectual functioning level (IQ) below 70-75 and limitations in adaptive skills - leave the education system at around age 21 with few, if any, expectations that they are capable of continuing to learn.

"Adults with ID historically have had limited opportunities to participate in community-based activities, which involve interacting and forming relationships with community members and belonging to clubs and organizations," Fish said.

To address this void, Fish and a group of professionals, adults with ID and their family members formed the Next Chapter Book Club, the only program of its kind in the country.

The idea, Fish said, is pretty simple: Six to eight people with ID gather with two volunteer facilitators in local bookstores or cafŽs to read and discuss a book for one hour a week. The clubs welcome people with every level of reading ability, including those who don't read at all. They also promote literacy, learning, social connections and community inclusion. Above all, the clubs encourage adults with ID to see themselves as learners engaged in meaningful activity.

From a library housed at the Nisonger Center, club members choose the books they want to read, from adapted classic novels and current best-sellers to sports books and even the sports page of the newspaper. It typically takes 12 to 14 weeks to complete a reading project.

The clubs' community setting increases public awareness of people with disabilities, Fish said. It also provides adults with ID opportunities to experience the culture of local cafes and community gathering places.

"Three years later, our book clubs continue to defy assumptions we made during the planning process," Fish noted. "For example, at first I thought the participants would need or want to listen to the books on tape because they probably could not read. I could not have been more wrong. All of our book clubs have chosen to read their books aloud together."

There are now more than 25 book clubs in Ohio with
150 members and 50 volunteer facilitators ranging in age from
18 to 82. Groups are racially and ethnically diverse, consisting of members with a wide range of literacy abilities. Members in the
16 Columbus-area clubs are recruited through various social service and educational agencies.

Book club facilitators are college and high school students, retirees, homemakers, professionals and people with disabilities. Nisonger Center staff provide training and support for facilitators, including strategies to engage all members.

"This program is unusual because it involves OSU faculty, staff and students along with the community," Fish said. "For the last three years we have received external funding to develop and evaluate our program model."

Cortney Colledge, a recent OSU graduate and Nisonger Center trainee who served as a book club facilitator, said learning to work with adults with disabilities was directly relevant to her current job in vocational rehabilitation. "It was interesting to see the members' passion for reading and being in the community. It was an exciting experience for everyone in the group," she said.

Her comment is echoed by "Gene," a 60-year-old member of a book club: "This is what I've wanted to do all my life. Since I've been in the book club, I've been learning."

The Next Chapter Book Club is always looking for volunteer facilitators and additional members to join the clubs, regardless of reading level. To learn how to get involved, contact Program Coordinator Jillian Ober at 247-6392 or ober.7@osu.edu or visit www.nextchapterbookclub.org.

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