SALISBURY — Chapter Chats Book Club is Rowan Public Library’s newest book club targeting participants with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD).

When young adults with IDD turn 21, they lose government-funded special education services. When support services end for these individuals, opportunities for human interaction outside the home are significantly reduced. Rowan County provides a number of vocational and recreational opportunities through agencies such as The Arc of Rowan, Parks and Recreation’s Therapeutic Recreation group, Rowan Vocational Opportunities, Piedmont Behavior HealthCare network, and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s S.O.A.R. (Skills, Opportunity, Awareness, Readiness) program.

Because the mission at Rowan Public Library is inspiring a spirit of exploration and the power of imagination, promoting the joy of reading, and supporting the lifelong pursuit of knowledge for all people, staff member Tammie Foster decided it was time to provide programming for patrons with IDD.

As a former special needs assistant for the public school system, Foster found that most parents of this population are continually seeking an external resource within their community in which their child can be involved.  “I am excited in knowing that Chapter Chats Book Club will provide an opportunity for us to nurture the love of reading in these young men and women while also providing a much-needed opportunity for them to socialize and make lifelong friends,” Foster said.

Seeking resources from other libraries providing similar programming as well as local experts such as Carlton Jackson, program specialist and transition specialist with Rowan-Salisbury Schools, Foster and other library staff began planning a launch of Chapter Chats Book Club for January 2016.

While the target audience is teens ages 14-17, all are welcome. Participants meet weekly and are encouraged to read a sentence, paragraph, chapter, or to just hang out and listen. The goal of Chapter Chats is not to teach participants how to read, but to promote the joy of reading.

Chapter Chats Book Club meets every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Yosties, 202 N. Main Street in Faith. Books will be provided at each meeting. For more information, contact Foster at704-216-7842.