Nisonger Center’s partnership with JPMorganChase has opened the path for our students to get internships in the industry. Jeff Cowgill has been a great support in this process and we are excited to see him win an Outstanding Diversity Champion Award as a 2025 Diversity in Business Honoree. This award recognizes his commitment to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in 2025.
Thank you Jeff for all you do!
“We take all comers!” This is a phrase that Next Chapter Book Club (NCBC) Founder Dr. Tom Fish is fond of saying. It means that all people are welcome in our book clubs, regardless of reading ability.
This sets NCBC apart from most other book clubs. Rather than reading the book at home, club members and facilitators take turns reading aloud during meetings. While some members are skilled readers, others need more support. Volunteer facilitators are trained to provide individualized support using a variety of strategies.
It is also important to note that NCBC is not a reading instruction program. Members are not necessarily learning to read; they are reading to learn. And reading looks different and sounds different from person to person, which is a phrase I am fond of saying.
For NCBC members who need help with most or all of the words on the page, we use a technique called Echo Reading. The facilitator reads a word (or short phrase) and the member echoes it back. Facilitators are encouraged to point to the words as they read and allow members to try shorter “sight words” on their own.
When each word is being said twice, it can slow down the pace and affect comprehension for some. So, we suggest limiting the amount of Echo Reading per member to a couple of paragraphs, or a page at most. After the member finishes their turn, it is also a good idea to quickly summarize what was read. More on comprehension strategies to come!
The Echo Reading technique is not about correct pronunciation or accuracy. It is about giving everyone the opportunity to participate in the reading… which just looks and sounds different from person to person.
Echo Reading in a Next Chapter Book Club meeting
On January 13th 2025, we here at the Nisonger Center held a housing information session. This session highlighted off-campus options and resources along with our housing partners. Here are some of the resources we discussed :
Students are actively participating in biweekly meetings with our disability career specialists – Emily and Stevie – to research and find internships and jobs that will provide them with valuable work experience while pursuing their long-term career goals! We are in the process of reaching out to businesses to set up job previews for our students at places like JP Morgan Chase and Crimson Cup coffee shop. Students currently work all over campus in spaces like the RPAC and dining halls. We hope to give eager students an accessible opportunity to gain work experience!
The first night of the Aspirations Caregiver Group session this Spring was on January 21st and was a lovely time.
Here are a few words about the experience from Bella, our OT Student Intern :
Welcome back to our book review series!
The first book review of 2025 comes to us from one of the original Next Chapter Book Clubs, which has been gathering weekly for over 19 years!
Book: The Lightening Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Please tell our readers a little about your book club.
Co-facilitator Brittany shares, “First and foremost it’s a highlight of the week where we can catch up. It’s a great social opportunity. We really just enjoy getting together.”
There are five core members in this Friday morning book club, including Lance who says, “I enjoy it.” Also in this book club are Lucas, Matthew, Avery, and Chris.
When asked about his book club, Avery shares, “We had a Halloween party, and I was Frankenstein, and a Christmas party and hot chocolate. Oh yeah, I had fun”
Chris says, “We have fun, we read, we talk about our week. It’s a lot of fun, we have [facilitators] Mak, Brittany, and Jeff.”
For almost 19 years, Jeff has been a champion for this book club. He shares, “We socialize and read together and enjoy each other’s company. The purpose is to make everybody feel a part of the group.”
Jeff continues, “Members come in each week and the public gets to know them and they are treated like every other customer.”
From left to right: Jeff, Chris, Avery, Lucas, Colton, Brittany, Lance, Mak; Missing from photo: Matthew
Co-facilitator Mak shares, “We’re a little community. We always make sure everyone feels included, regardless of where they are. We don’t just go around and read, we provide some background and talk about the Greek gods, in the case of Percy Jackson.” Speaking of Percy Jackson…
What is The Lightening Thief about?
Chris summarizes the book. He says, “It’s about a boy who gets in trouble at school and has to fight all these monsters and goddesses. His name is Percy Jackson, and his mom has gone missing, and now they have to find his mom and fight Zeus and the Olympians.”
In The Lightening Thief, someone has stolen Zeus’s master lightning bolt, and Percy is the main suspect. As Chris said, Percy and his friends fight gods and monsters and solve riddles to try to find the real Lightening Thief. To learn more about the Percy Jackson series, click HERE.
How easy is this book to understand?
There are mixed opinions on how easy it is to understand The Lightening Thief. Lance and Avery say the book is easy to understand. However, Lucas shares that parts of the book are “difficult.”
Colton, Avery’s Direct Support Professional, says it “changes from chapter to chapter,” and the group talks about parts of the book that have been more challenging.
Mak shares, “I think it’s been pretty good overall. It does a good job of introducing the Greek myths, but there are some things we need to look up in order to give the background.”
Jeff adds, “There’s also a New York slant to it,” noting that much of the story is set in New York. In fact, the mythical home of the gods Mount Olympus is set high above New York City in this book.
What do you like about the book?
Lance shares with a smile, “We like Percy.”
Chris says, “I like that it talks about food and a casino. In one of the chapters they went to a casino.”
“Lotus was the casino in Las Vegas,” Avery adds.
Were there any parts you don’t like? If so, what are they?
While Jeff enjoys his time in book club, he shares that this particular book isn’t his favorite. He says, “It brings back memories of learning Greek mythology in grad school, and I didn’t like it.”
Brittany shares, “The part I think is challenging are some of the name pronunciations. I don’t have any background in Greek mythology.” Club members agree that many of the names in The Lightening Thief are difficult to pronounce.
However, Brittany adds, “The good part of reading it in a group is that we can do it together.”
If another Next Chapter Book Club was thinking about reading this book, what would you tell them?
Avery says, “I think it’s a good book to read.”
Colton adds, “It’s fun to read and fun to discuss. It’s cool that it’s set in America and we recognize the places. It’s more fun that way.”
“It’s action packed!” Brittany says.
Chris adds, “I would tell them that the book has humor and a three-headed dog.”
Mak shares that this is one of her favorite series of books. For the most part, the club seems to be enjoying The Lightening Thief and all the colorful characters. Though, perhaps it’s not everyone’s favorite. Read on to find out which books have been favorites!
What book (or series) that you’ve read in book club has been your favorite so far?
Please rate The Lightening Thief on a scale from 1 to 5 stars.
The group gave this book an average of 4.33 out of 5 stars.