Next Chapter Book Club
The Next Chapter Book Club was founded in 2002 by Dr. Thomas Fish, Director of Social Work at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center on Disabilities. His intention was to launch and support a handful of clubs in and around Central Ohio that offered a fun way for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to actively participate in their communities. But in the years that followed, the organization grew by leaps and bounds. The Next Chapter Book Club is now a nation-wide organization that supports community-based book clubs for adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Clubs are comprised of four to eight members and two volunteer facilitators who are trained to engage readers of all levels – including those who cannot read at all.
The Salisbury Public Library Next Chapter Book Club meets for an hour every other week. Members read aloud (or “echo read”, if they are non-readers) and discuss adapted classics, current fiction and other reading material that they select with guidance from our club facilitators. We also LOVE joke books and try to fit a few good jokes in at every meeting.
Although the literacy skills of club members often improve over time, the focus of Next Chapter Book Club is more on “reading to learn,” than “learning to read.” Our current club is full, but if you have a group that is interested in starting a second club please contact Corinn Flaherty at cflaherty@salisburylibrary.org or 978-465-5071 x 136.
