Volunteer Computer Tutors Needed
At Special Needs Library

Computer Assisted Literacy in Libraries (CALL), a program of the Special Needs Library, needs volunteers with basic computer skills to tutor people with disabilities.

Since 1986, the CALL program has given people with disabilities access to adaptive computers - to improve reading and writing skills, develop vocabulary, and more recently, get on the Internet and use e-mail. The need for this service is so great that there is a long list of students waiting for tutors.

The Special Needs Library, a branch of Montgomery County Public Libraries, is a countywide information resource for people with disabilities, their family members, and service providers. It is located in the Davis Library, at 6400 Democracy Blvd. in Bethesda.

The prime qualifications for CALL volunteers are patience, imagination, and persistence. Volunteers should be able to use the Windows operating system and be over the age of 14 (Student service Learning credits apply).

Each tutor is trained to use the software available at the Special Needs Library computer lab and matched with a student. Tutors are asked to commit to one hour a week for a minimum of one year. The tutor and student can meet at a mutually convenient time during library hours: Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m.- 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

To request a volunteer application, call the Special Needs Library at 240-777-0960 (voice), 301-897-2217 (TTY).