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
SEE OUR UPCOMING BOOK STUDIES!
(click on an area below to view)
Children Ages 5 - 8; Wednesdays at 5:30 pm, beginning October 21
Theme: “The Community Garden”, A Disability acceptance story series
Group: Kids 5-8 years old
Day/Time: Wednesdays, 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Dates: October 21 -November 4 (3 weeks)
Join us Wednesdays at 5:30PM starting October 21 for this fall’s DATL Story Tour! Story tours are our Disability Acceptance through Literature program for 5- to 8-year-olds. The group will meet weekly for 45 minutes via Zoom. We’ll read a different children’s book aloud each week and talk a bit about the story together. All learners are welcome!
Registering will save you a seat. Register with your mailing address and we will send a copy of each book for your household to share. Before our first meeting, you will receive an email with the zoom link we’ll use to join in every week. *Spots are limited! Registering means you’re committing to join us for the full virtual story tour. If your availability changes, please let us know ASAP before the program begins. *Please note: this story tour will repeat some favorite book selections that we included the first few story tours back in 2023-24. Kindly check to see if you’ve read these stories with us before signing up to maximize joy. We’re excited about this particular series, as our team has been facilitating DATL in classrooms across PA using these same beloved titles.
Lineup for our Fall 2026 Story Tour includes:
– The Mixed Up Chameleon, by Eric Carle
– The Big Orange Splot, by Daniel Pinkwater
– Just Ask!, by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Rafael López
Click here to register. (Registration opens at 12:00 pm on Aug 7)
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org
Registration closed? Book study full? Use this form to get on the waitlist; we’ll contact you about the next opportunity or let you know if a spot opens before books are shipped.
Children Ages 8 - 12
Disability Acceptance through Literature programs will return for kids ages 8-12 in 2027! To stay up to date on student facing virtual programs, subscribe to Include Me’s quarterly newsletter here.
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org
Registration closed? Book study full? Use this form to get on the waitlist; we’ll contact you about the next opportunity or let you know if a spot opens before books are shipped.
High School Age (Grades 9 - 12) Group - Mondays at 6:00 pm, beginning October 5
Title: Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults) edited by Alice Wong
Group: High school students (9th-12th grade)
Day/Time: Mondays 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm;
Dates: October 5 – November 23 (8 weeks)
Join us Mondays at 6:00 pm for a special edition of Disability Acceptance through Literature for high school students with and without disabilities! Starting October 5, the group (high school age students & facilitators from the Include Me team) meet weekly via Zoom. We will focus on one essay each week in this Fall edition of our inclusive book study. Access features including printable AAC support, and plain language translations will be available to all participants. **This book contains difficult topics, including institutionalization. These topics will be facilitated with care and honesty. The book contains a wide ranging collection of essays from a diversity of contributors. See below for a summary, and feel free to email us for more context as you decide if you’d like to join in!
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 with info about the access tools available to participants, as well as the Zoom link we’ll use to join every week.
“Disabled young people will be proud to see themselves reflected in this hopeful, compelling, and insightful essay collection, adapted for young adults from the critically acclaimed adult book, Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century.”
Click here to register. (Registration opens Aug 7 at 12PM)
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org
Registration closed? Book study full? Use this form to get on the waitlist; we’ll contact you about the next opportunity or let you know if a spot opens before books are shipped.
Adults' Book Study: Professionals, Educators, Advocates, Family members-- Thursdays at 6:00 pm, beginning October 15
Title: Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults) edited by Alice Wong
Group: Adults: Professionals, educators, advocates, family members
Day/Time: Thursdays 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm;
Dates: October 15 – November 19 (6 weeks)
Join us Thursdays at 6:00 pm for the second of two special editions of Disability Acceptance through Literature! Starting October 15, an adults’ group– professionals, educators, advocates, family members– and our Include Me staff facilitators will meet weekly via Zoom. This book study will include opportunities for connection and resource sharing! Access features will be made available to all participants, including a plain language translation and links to audiobook recordings. We’ll focus on a selection of essays from the book. **Disability Visibility Adapted for Young Adults contains difficult topics like institutionalization. These topics will be facilitated with care and transparency. It’s a wide-ranging collection of essays from a diversity of contributors.
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 with info about the access tools available to participants, as well as the Zoom link we’ll use to join every week.
Click here to register. (Registration opens Aug 7 at 12PM)
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org
Registration closed? Book study full? Use this form to get on the waitlist; we’ll contact you about the next opportunity or let you know if a spot opens before books are shipped.
FAQ
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org
Click here to view/download a pdf copy of the FAQ
Want to stay up to date on the Include Me Program? Click here to subscribe to our IM News and Tools newsletter!