Book Studies
Disability Acceptance Through Literature
The Arc of PA’s Include Me program is excited to present “Disability Acceptance through Literature,” a virtual book study for students. Books selected by our facilitators provide opportunities to learn about the many aspects of disability through the perspective of school age protagonists.
Discussions center on understanding, acceptance, presuming competence, and friendship. Values like compassion, honesty, authenticity and diversity steer the ship, and we love when conversations are led by students’ interests. These book studies are an innovative way to provide students interested in reading with a structured opportunity to connect with other students across Pennsylvania. We strive to make the book studies accessible, with:
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- audio recordings of each chapter,
- vocabulary resources,
- engaging visual content for discussions, and,
- by providing copies of the book to families as the book studies gear up.
These four or eight week book studies make room for silliness and curiosity, and we’re proud of the stigma-blasting power of the program (and that of the students themselves!).
Include Me connects each book study and accompanying lessons to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards.
For more information, contact: cmorrison@includemepa.org or jmacsisak@includemepa.org
SEE OUR Spring 2024 BOOK STUDIES!
(click on an area below to view)
Children Ages 8 - 12 ; Thursdays at 6:00 pm, beginning July 11, 2024
Title: A Blind Guide to Stinkville, by Beth Vrabel
Group: Kids 8-12 years old
Day/Time: Thursdays, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Dates: July 11 – August 29, 8 weeks
Join us Thursdays at 6:00 PM beginning July 11 for our new middle years pick for Disability Acceptance through Literature! The group (8 to 12 year-olds and our Include Me facilitators) will meet weekly via Zoom. All learners ages 8-12 are welcome!
Registering will save your child a seat. Include your mailing address so we can send you the book! Before our first meeting, you will receive an email detailing how to log in to the google classroom, and the Zoom link we’ll use to join in every week. Audiobook recordings will be available.
“Before Stinkville, Alice didn’t think albinism—or the blindness that goes with it—was a big deal. Sure, she uses a magnifier to read books. And a cane keeps her from bruising her hips on tables. Putting on sunscreen and always wearing a hat are just part of life. But life has always been like this for Alice. Until Stinkville.
For the first time in her life, Alice feels different—like she’s at a disadvantage. Back in her old neighborhood in Seattle, everyone knew Alice, and Alice knew her way around. In Stinkville, Alice finds herself floundering—she can’t even get to the library on her own. But when her parents start looking into schools for the blind, Alice takes a stand. She’s going to show them—and herself—that blindness is just a part of who she is, not all that she can be.”
Register Here
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.
Teens Ages 12-17; Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, beginning July 10, 2024
Title: A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Group: ‘Teens’ 12-17 years old
Day/Time: Wednesdays 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Dates: July 10 – August 14 (6 weeks)
Join us Wednesdays at 6:00 pm for our newest pick for the ‘Teen’ DATL book study crew! The group and our facilitators meet weekly via Zoom.
Registering will save you a seat! Include your mailing address so we can send you the book. Before our first meeting, you will receive an email detailing how to log in to the Google classroom and the Zoom link we’ll use to join in every week. Audio recordings of each chapter will be available.
“Ever since Ms. Murphy told us about the witch trials that happened centuries ago right here in Juniper, I can’t stop thinking about them. Those people weren’t magic. They were like me. Different like me.
I’m autistic. I see things that others do not. I hear sounds that they can ignore. And sometimes I feel things all at once. I think about the witches, with no one to speak for them. Not everyone in our small town understands. But if I keep trying, maybe someone will. I won’t let the witches be forgotten. Because there is more to their story. Just like there is more to mine.”
Register Here
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.
Young Adults Ages 17+; Mondays at 6:30 pm, beginning July 8, 2024
Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
Group: Young adults age 17 and up
Day/Time: Mondays 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Dates: July 8 – August 5 (5 weeks)
Join us Mondays at 6:30 pm for our new young adult+ pick for Disability Acceptance through Literature! The YA group and our facilitators meet weekly via Zoom. Participants aged 17 and up are welcome to join; our conversations will be inclusive and honest. Registering will save you a seat! Include your mailing address so we can send you the book box. Before our first meeting, you will receive an email detailing how to log in to the Google classroom and the Zoom link we’ll use to join in every week. Audio recordings of each chapter will be available in the Google Classroom.
“Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.” Read more about the book here.
Register Here
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.
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