Category Archives: Professional Development

Register Now for Welcoming Deaf Patrons to Your Library

On the left, a White woman with brown hair signs LIBRARY in American Sign Language. Text reads: Welcoming Deaf Patrons to Your Library Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 2-4 PM Eastern/1-3 PM Central/12-1 PM Mountain/11 AM-1 PM Pacific. Online session via Zoom (2-hour webinar). Includes recording access. Presented by Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S. StoriesByHand.com/webinars

Welcoming Deaf Patrons to Your Library

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 from 2-4 PM Eastern/1-3 PM Central/12-1 PM Mountain/11 AM-1 PM Pacific

Online session via Zoom (2-hour webinar). Includes recording access through May 2, 2026.

In this interactive overview, you’ll learn communication tips for interacting with deaf and hard of hearing patrons, information about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, and even some basic ASL vocabulary to introduce yourself and help patrons navigate the library. Certificate of completion available with successful completion of post-test.

Pricing:

  • Individual: 80.00 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
  • Group rates available for groups of 10 or more. Contact info@storiesbyhand.com for more information.

Past attendees say:

“Kathy MacMillan’s workshop was phenomenal. She presented the material in a wonderfully engaging way. I will definitely put the materials she presented in this workshop in my daily work with our deaf patrons.” – Sarah Campbell, College of the Holy Cross Archives and Special Collections 

“I appreciated the instructor’s clear communication and instruction, her openness to questions, the combination of hands-on practice/ASL language learning and English instruction, and the pacing of the workshop. It’s clear she put a lot of thought into including just the right amount of information in the allotted time frame, and keeping attendees engaged. I also very much appreciated the context for ASL and Deaf culture that was provided, helping attendees to further understand community perspectives. I will definitely use what I learned in the workshop and am inspired to keep learning.” – Janine M. 

“Kathy MacMillan is not only an expert, but she’s kind and curious. The breadth of her knowledge and her patience with people new to Deaf culture and ASL makes a virtual learning environment more effective.” – Anonymous 


All upcoming webinars and series

Feedback from Workshop and Webinar Participants

Find out more about booking a private webinar for your group

FAQ: eCourses and Webinars

Purchase recording access to past webinars

Librarian and Teacher Resources for NITA’S FOOD SIGNS

I’m so excited to share with you these resources for using Nita’s Food Signs in the classroom or storytime!

Nita’s Food Signs Teacher/Librarian Guide (printable .pdf)

 

Video Demonstration of the Signs in the Book:

 

Nita’s Food Signs Storytime with Author Kathy MacMillan (in Spoken English with Closed Captions)

Nita’s Food Signs Storytime with Author Kathy MacMillan (in American Sign Language)

 

More Resources for Signing with Young Children:

Little Hands Signing Storytime & Craft Ideas

Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together

Resources for Signing with Babies and Young Children

Resources for Signing in Storytime or the Classroom

Resources for Educators and Librarians

Picture Books about ASL and Deaf Culture

Hear This!: Use That Microphone, Already

photo of a microphoneIt happens again and again: a speaker is asked to use a microphone, and they say, “Oh, I don’t need it. I have a [teacher/pastor/camp counselor/fill-in-the-blank supposedly loud profession] voice.”  (I even had a clergy member at my own parent’s funeral try to pull this!)

But guess what? It has nothing to do with how loud you (supposedly) are, and everything to do with your audience’s comfort and access. Some people can hear high sounds, some low, and some need you to use the microphone to help drown out background noise. And just because people can hear you when you shout “Can you hear me?” at the top of your voice, that doesn’t mean that they can comfortably listen to you for five or ten or sixty minutes when your voice, tone, and pitch go up and down in the course of normal speaking.

Continue reading Hear This!: Use That Microphone, Already