Making Learning Opportunities and the Arts Accessible for Oklahomans with Disabilities
As Recreational Activities Coordinator for EOC Tech Adult Day Services, Mary Thoma oversees outings and events for adults with disabilities. She reached out to share how local libraries have become community hubs for this demographic of Oklahomans which is often underserved.
Thoma led field trips to the library for a weekly Noon Tunes event where she and her clients enjoyed live music together. Obstacles like navigating downtown as a large group never stopped them from attending. "We enjoyed every minute of it!" she recalls. In the midst of a large metropolitan area, Ronald J. Norick Downtown Public Library strives to make life-enriching experiences accessible: live music, visual arts, and more. This goal is reflected in a variety of one-time or ongoing programs.
EOC Tech's Adult Services participants continue to engage with library programming, even as the concept behind Noon Tunes has evolved over time. Downtown Public Library now hosts a similar program—Neighborhood Arts—at no cost to guests, offering everything from improv and dance performances to opera and local bands. Adults with disabilities from EOC Tech attend regularly.
They also take part in Summer Reading. Staff members modify aspects of the program to ensure that everyone can benefit from the learning opportunity, because some participants have independent reading limitations. According to the Metropolitan Library System, "Summer Reading is a community tradition that promotes reading for fun and lifelong enrichment for all ages."
Oklahoma’s Statewide Summer Reading Program is sponsored by local libraries, community partners, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Prizes and badges celebrate the time readers spend with books—whether that looks like listening to a story or turning the pages themselves.
"We are thankful for the relationships and friendships cultivated via the Metropolitan Library System," Thoma says on behalf of the EOC Tech Center and her clients. Many libraries across the state provide opportunities to connect for Oklahomans of varying abilities. These events expand access to recreational reading, the arts, and the larger metro community. Mary Thoma considers the engaging programs offered at Downtown Public Library and other system branches to be an important staple that her clients enjoy.
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