Three Franklin County libraries will offer increased accessibility resources for patrons with disabilities thanks to grants from the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities program.

South Deerfield’s Tilton Library, the Sunderland Public Library and the Wendell Free Library will all expand their offerings for folks with disabilities, with the two southern Franklin County libraries using their pair of $10,000 grants to focus on the autism spectrum.

“We are so proud to be chosen for this amazing opportunity,” Holly Johnson, children’s librarian at Tilton Library, said in a statement. “This grant will allow our library to get the perspectives of neurodivergent youth and give them an opportunity to help us create a safe place for them to feel welcome and seen.”

Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association in collaboration with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries. Staff at the Sunderland Public Library confirmed with the American Library Association that these grants are unaffected by any sort of federal funding cuts.

Through the grant program, the staff at all three libraries will take an online course on how to lead conversations. Tilton Library will then host a conversation with children and families on what they would like to see in the sensory room that will be available as part of the ongoing expansion project. The Sunderland Public Library will also host a conversation before using the funds to institute sensory-friendly hours and create a Library Accessibility Committee.

Once the Sunderland Public Library holds its community conversation, Library Director Katherine Umstot said it can then institute those sensory-friendly hours, which are likely to start in July and will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays. Sunderland will kick off its community conversation on Monday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m. with Jennifer Elizabeth Brunton, a Florence-based author and activist with autism.

“The overarching goal for engaging with people on the autism spectrum is to reinforce the idea that they are valued members of our community and they are welcome at the library as they are,” Umstot said in a statement. “This project provides the Sunderland Public Library with the opportunity to make neurodivergent patrons feel like it is a place where they can be themselves, learn, grow and contribute to their community.”

In Wendell’s case, the library will use its $10,000 grant to fund improvements to accessibility, such as assistive-listening technologies, which could also be used at Town Meeting and other events to make them accessible for all residents.

“We are so excited to be chosen for this opportunity to better serve Wendell residents with mobility, sight and hearing difficulties,” Wendell Free Library Director Miriam Warner said in a post on the town’s website. “This grant will allow our library to get to know our residents with disabilities better. It will help us improve our services to ensure this population feels welcome and comfortable in our space.”

People interested in getting involved or taking part in the libraries’ community conversations are encouraged to reach out to their librarians at hjohnson@cwmars.org (Tilton Library), director@sunderlandpubliclibrary.org (Sunderland Public Library) or wendell@cwmars.org (Wendell Free Library).

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.