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NEA Activity

Virtual Book Club Supporting Disability Rights and Inclusion

As part of NEA’s Disability Rights and Inclusion Work (DRI), NEA is facilitating member-led virtual book clubs to engage members in a DRI journey, raising awareness about the perspectives of people with disabilities and building understanding of the environmental, social, and attitudinal barriers that encumber true inclusivity and accessibility.
A teenage boy in a wheelchair browses books in a school library
By: National Education Association
Published: September 2023
This resource originally appeared on NEA.org

Join the Club

Over the course of the 2023-2024 school year, NEA will host three virtual book clubs on the following books. Note: Registration for the virtual book clubs is only available to active NEA members. Unable to join the book club? While the online book club is only available to the first 100 NEA members who sign up, for members who did not meet the registration cutoff, and for non-members, reading guides will be available for download with the corresponding books below. We encourage those who are purchasing books to consider buying from minority- and disability-owned vendors.
Demystifying Disability Book Cover

Book 1: Demystifying Disability by Emily Ladau

When: October – December 2023; Registration is now closed.
Download the reading guide Watch: Librarian Elaine Johnson previews Demystifying Disability
Cover of The Pretty One book

Book 2: The Pretty One by Keah Brown

When: January – March 2024; Registration is now closed.
Download the reading guide Watch: Librarian LaToya Morgan previews The Pretty One
What Matters Book Cover

Book 3: What Matters: Reflections on Disability, Community, and Love by Janice Fialka

When: April – June 2024; Registration is now closed.
Download the reading guide

Continue Your Disability Justice Journey

Our vision is to promote the importance of including disability perspective books and that school libraries begin to include more books that represent the perspectives of the 20 percent of our population with either apparent or non-apparent disabilities. This work is critical in ending ableism—discrimination against those with disabilities—by educating readers about what living with a disability is like and countering misinformation. Make sure to ask your school librarian about including books with positive disability perspectives for both students and educators!

There is additional information available here to help you along your journey of ensuring authentic accessibility and inclusion within and beyond their classrooms for all individuals with disabilities.

Lead Your Own Book Club

If you are interested in facilitating your own book club, check out this video by Federal Education Association librarian Anthony Devine on how to facilitate your own book club.

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All students deserve an education that sparks their curiosity and desire to learn. Special education fits our most vulnerable students’ unique needs.
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Our Association is a remarkable blend of union and professional organization, with a proud history of serving Rhode Island. Since its inception in 1845, our members have been at the center of every struggle to advance the finest of American dreams: the promise of a quality public education for every child. One in every 100 Rhode Islanders is a member - chances are, you know us already!
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