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Book Studies
Disability Acceptance Through Literature

 

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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:

    • 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 WINTER 2024-25 BOOK STUDIES!

(click on an area below to view)

Children Ages 5 - 8; Wednesdays at 5:00 pm, beginning January 15, 2025

Theme: “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”, A Disability Acceptance Story Series
Group: Kids 5 – 8 years old
Day/Time: Wednesdays, 5:00 pm – 5:45 pm
Dates: January 15 – 29, 2025 (3 weeks)

Join us Wednesdays at 5:00PM starting January 15, 2025 for a winter “Story Tour”, 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. Before our first meeting, you will receive an email with the zoom link we’ll use to join in every week.

 

Lineup for our Winter 2024-2025 Story Tour includes:

– A Day with No Words, by Tiffany Hammond, illustrated by Kate Cosgrove

– My Wandering Dreaming Mind, by Merriam Sarcia Saunders, illustrated by Tammie Lyon

– Aaron Slater, Illustrator, by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

 

Click here to register

 

Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.

Children Ages 8 - 12 ; Thursdays at 6:00 pm, beginning January 16, 2025

Title: Better with Butter, by Victoria Piontek
Group: Kids 8-12 years old
Day/Time: Thursdays, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Dates: January 16, 2025 – March 6, 2025 (8 weeks)

Join us Wednesdays at 6:00 PM beginning January 16 for our new middle grade 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 are welcome!

Registering will save your child a seat. Include your mailing address so we can send you the graphic novel! Before our first meeting, you will receive an email detailing how to connect, including the Zoom link we’ll use every week. Audiobook recordings, adapted chapter summaries and PODD pages will be available.

A girl with anxiety disorder finds an unlikely friend — and emotional support animal — in the form of an adorable fainting goat.

 

Register Here


Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.

Young adults ages 17 & up; Mondays at 6:30 pm, beginning January 13, 2025

Title: Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, by Kristen O’Neal
Group: Young adults age 17 and up
Day/Time: Mondays 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Dates: January 13, 2025 –  February, 10 2025 (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 mail you the book. Before our first meeting, you will receive an email detailing how to connect, including the Zoom link we’ll use every week. Audio recordings will be available

“Teen Wolf meets Emergency Contact in this sharply observed, hilarious, and heartwarming debut young adult novel about friendship, chronic illness, and . . . werewolves. Read more about the book here.

 

Register Here

 

Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.

FAQ

Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@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!

 

NEW Module Just Arrived - Trauma-Informed Care. Visit our E-Learning Module Series. This series provides information and strategies for teachers, families, and paras to support the education of all students.

The Arc of Pennsylvania’s Making Employment Work course is an ACRE Basic Certification Training. In order to receive certification, participants must attend a 3 day, in-person training and then complete a self-paced, online curriculum. Completing this certification course will qualify individuals to provide Supported Employment services with Pennsylvania’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Office of Developmental Programs. Our training combines lessons learned from traditional Supported Employment and Customized Employment techniques.

Arc Discovery Employment Transitions (ADEPT) is The Arc of Pennsylvania’s customized employment program. The Arc of Pennsylvania supports individuals with significant impact of disability to seek and maintain customized employment in their community. As a result, The Arc of Pennsylvania’s consultants are trained and nationally certified by Marc Gold & Associates, a national leader in customized employment, to provide Discovery, Customized Employment Job Development, and Systematic Instruction to individuals with disabilities in Pennsylvania who are seeking employment. In addition to providing customized employment services, The Arc of Pennsylvania hosts several certification courses with Marc Gold & Associates for individuals and organizations interested in national certification in Discovery, Job Development, and Systematic Instruction.

Include Me is a new model for inclusive education and gaining meaningful employment for Pennsylvania’s students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of Pennsylvania and Include Me believe all individuals with significant impact of developmental and intellectual disability deserve equal educational and competitive employment rights. Our mission, build and strengthen the inclusive education capacity for all public-school students, and discover meaningful employment opportunities meeting Pennsylvania employee and employer needs. Include Me strives to ensure all impacted students have equal access to all aspects of life and the community throughout their lifespan.

Include Me is an initiative that was part of the agreement on final terms between the plaintiffs and the Pennsylvania Department of Education in the Gaskin Settlement Agreement. We were initially assigned to work with school districts with the lowest inclusion rates. After the initial success, we have grown in reputation among school districts. Currently districts voluntarily chose our services, which are provided free of charge to the district. In addition to our School Age services, we offer transition-age services to help teams plan a path to customized employment for students transitioning from high school.

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Ongoing support is important to enabling projects to continue their work, so we encourage donors to continue to contribute to projects over time. But if you must cancel your recurring donation, please notify us.

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