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
Click on the areas below to read about the three upcoming FALL 2022 Book Studies
AGES 5 - 8; Tuesdays 5:30pm - 6:15pm, beginning December 6th, 2022
Theme: Embracing Differences: A Disability Acceptance Story Tour
Group: 5 to 8 year-olds
Day/Time: Tuesdays 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Dates: December 6– December 20 (3 weeks)
11/18/2022 – REGISTRATION FOR THIS BOOK STUDY IS CLOSED.
Join us Tuesdays at 5:30 pm starting December 6th, 2022 for new “story tours”, a 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. Include your mailing address so we can send you the books/activity box. Before our first meeting, you will receive an email with the Zoom link we’ll use to join in every week.
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.
AGES 8 - 16; Wednesdays from 6:30pm – 7:30pm; beginning January 11th, 2023
Title: “Out of My Mind” by Sharon M Draper
Group: 8 – 12 and 12 -16 year olds
Day/Time: Wednesdays from 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Dates: January 11, 2023– March 1, 2023 (8 weeks)
Join us Wednesdays at 6:30 pm starting January 11th, 2023 for our newest middle years pick for Disability Acceptance through Literature! The groups will meet weekly via Zoom. All learners ages 8 – 16 are welcome! Registering will save you a seat. Include your mailing address so we can send you the book/activity 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 will be available in the Google Classroom.
Questions? Contact Celia at cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.
AGES 17 and up; Tuesdays at 6:30pm - 7:30pm; beginning January 10th, 2023
Title: Good Kings, Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum
Group: Young adults ages 17 and up
Day/Time: Tuesdays 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Dates: January 10 – February 7 (5 weeks)
Join us Thursdays at 6:30 pm for our new young adult pick for Disability Acceptance through Literature! The YA group will meet weekly with our facilitators via Zoom. Mature learners 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 with the zoom link we’ll use each week and instructions for logging in to the Google Classroom. Audio recordings of each chapter will be available in the Google Classroom.
**Please note! This book is for mature readers. It contains heavy themes including institutionalization and sexual abuse. It also contains themes including autonomy, self-determination, and consent for young adults with disabilities. If you have questions about this content, you can check out a summary of the book here. You may want to research further to see if there are potential triggers for you/the participant. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have specific questions about this book study. We will have accommodations for any reading level. Thank you for your careful consideration.
Questions? Contact Celia cmorrison@includemepa.org and Jennifer at jmacsisak@includemepa.org.