Library established for challenged adults, children

A centre in eastern P.E.I. for people with intellectual disabilities is expanding its services for families on a tight budget.

The Kingswood Centre in Montague has opened a hands-on library focused on people with developmental disabilities. It features items including tablet computers, musical instruments, toys and gadgets.

Kim Galpin, who works at centre in Montague, takes care of a nine-year-old boy with autism on the weekends. The new library has become an important part of their routine.

"He'll come in, he'll give a little happy scream, and grab this, and we'll play a little game of it," said Galpin.

The boy's toy of choice looks like a placemat. It's covered with gel pockets, and you push a little ball through a maze. It's one of dozens of educational games in the library. There are relatively inexpensive tactile items, and some more expensive gadgets as well: an iPad and an Xbox Kinect.

"We have some electronics, we have some musical items, educational to adaptive to tactile, and we're still building," said centre manager Nancy MacCormac.

MacCormac said most families don't have the funds to buy these kinds of things.

"This is to ease that hardship," she said.

Kim Galpin said the library is a big improvement on the improvising she was previously doing with shoe boxes and other ad hoc craft supplies.

The library, developed with the support of the United Way, cost $17,000 to put together.