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11
Posted by benniefinch on August 11th, 2026
Posted in: Blog
Back in June, Region 7 featured a blog post about an Inclusive Story Time happening at UConn Avery Point. In this article, learn how it went as well as the partnership that evolved to facilitate this innovative programming. Collaboration and partnerships are an integral part of the work of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), so it is a pleasure to share this story of 4 departments including 4 disciplines and 2 campuses joining together to create this multilingual opportunity for children and families.
The inclusive story time held on July 18th at UConn Avery Point was designed for all children, featuring the book The Quest for the Cockle Implant, presented in spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL) with live translation captioning in Spanish. The water-themed activity included reading the book, related crafts, critter encounters, and more.
Four programs from the University of Connecticut are highlighted in this innovative project.
Narindra Andrisoamampianina, Lab Manager of the Hearing Experience and Language Learning Outcomes (HELLO) Lab located at the Storrs Campus. The HELLO Lab is part of the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The HELLO Lab is dedicated to exploring language learning, one of the most fundamental aspects of development. Lab members study factors that impact spoken language learning, psychosocial development, and family interaction in children who are D/deaf or hard of hearing.
Maria Bernier, Library Director, and Jamie Kleinman, Professor in Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus. UConn Avery Point, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Thames River in Groton, is a center of excellence for marine and maritime studies and delivers an outstanding education in more traditional areas of study. The Avery Point campus is home to Connecticut Sea Grant, the CT Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA), the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CTNERR), and Project Oceanology.
Larissa Graham, Education Coordinator, Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CTNERR). The Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 30 Research Reserves in the country that are focused on research, education, and stewardship of estuarine ecosystems. The Reserve provides essential habitat for wildlife, offers educational opportunities for students, teachers and the public, and serves as a living laboratory for scientists.
Several years ago, Jamie Kleinman, Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, hosted Read Across America events each year with her students. After a break due to the pandemic, Dr. Kleinman was interested in bringing back this type of activity and found a partner, Maria Bernier, University of Connecticut Avery Point Library Director. They developed a week of story time events in the spring of 2025 hosting guest readers and offering book giveaways.
Later that spring, Narindra Andrisoamampianina, Lab Manager of HELLO Lab learned about the event at UConn Avery Point. Undergraduate students working in the HELLO Lab were planning an end of the school year event in the community and were looking for book donations to provide as giveaways. Narindra reached out to see if there might be leftover books from the Avery Point event, which formed this introduction.
Over the course of the next several months, the HELLO Lab has hosted 6 inclusive story times with public libraries in Connecticut and New York. Each of these story times featured books with characters who were D/deaf or Hard of Hearing and included readings of the book in spoken English, spoken Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL). They also featured literacy and craft activities. They had great feedback on the educational and craft activities.
Narindra became aware of a grant opportunity for inclusive and creative programming around the theme “On the Water” and thought of her colleagues at UConn Avery Point. As a land and sea grant institution, Dr. Kleinman highlights the important connections between nature, health and wellbeing. The campus of the public institution, located in a beautiful setting surrounded by water on three sides seemed the perfect place to host this community event. When Narindra presented the idea, Maria and Jamie brought in Larissa Graham, Education Coordinator of the Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve (CTNERR). By weaving together a variety of professional expertise, this interdisciplinary partnership developed this multifaceted event.
While the group continued to seek funding, they were so excited about the program they had imagined that they committed to finding the needed resources to make it happen.
Many families joined the event and student volunteers from the CTNERR and UConn Avery Point Marine Sciences Department supported the event throughout the day. In addition to the marine life presented, there were lots of toys for the children to play with, tangible representations of some of the elements from the story (mermaids, a stuffed octopus, treasure, etc.). In addition to the multilingual aspects of the story time, there was a sensory corner in the story room, amplified sound, sign language interpreters, high-contrast large print copies of the text, and lots of choices of activities after the story, all geared toward making this event accessible.
Due to the success of the program, plans have been made to repeat this event in July 2027!!
Part of the NNLM Mission is to support access to health information for everyone, so these tangible examples of outreach, inclusion, and partnership all highlight ways of supporting information access.
These resources were shared by the Hearing Experience and Language Learning Outcomes Lab:
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