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 July 15
Theme: “Friends Embracing Differences”, a Disability Acceptance Story Series
Group: Kids 5-8 years old
Day/Time: Wednesdays, 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Dates: July 15 – July 29 (3 weeks)
Join us Wednesdays at 5:30PM starting July 15 for a Summertime 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 in 2023-24. Kindly check to see if you’ve read these stories with us before signing up to maximize joy.
Lineup for our Summer 2026 Story Tour includes:
– This Way, Charlie!, by Caron Levis and Charles Santoso
– Awesomely Emma, by Amy Webb and Merrilee Liddard
– We Move Together, by Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire & Eduardo Trejos
Click here to register. (Registration opens at 12:00 pm on May 1)
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org
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
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
FAQ
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org
Click here to view/download a pdf copy of the FAQ
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