Bookshelf Essentials: Supporting Different-Ability Awareness
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PSN Team 
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Support Different-Ability Awareness this October. Share these books with your community. : )
Ben’s Adventures: A Day at the Beach
by Elizabeth Gerlach
A heartwarming children’s book series about a little boy who demonstrates the power of his imagination.
In this fun, first adventure in the Ben’s Adventures children’s book series, you’ll smile as you join Ben on his first adventure to the beach. He uses a wheelchair but shows he is just like any other child.
Can I Play Too?
Mo Willems
This storyline is about an Elephant and Piggie learning to play with others who are differently abled.
Just Because
Rebecca Elliott
In Just Because, a boy describes all the things that his sister, who is strapped into a wheelchair, enjoys or does not enjoy. After each item, he explains, “Just because.”
He doesn’t use her disability as an excuse or a reason, he simply accepts her for who she is.
“Deserves a place on every bookshelf” – Jacqueline Wilson
When My Worries Get Too Big
Kari Dunn Buron
When My Worries Get Too Big is a helpful tool that gives young children an opportunity to explore their feelings with parents or teachers as they react to events in their daily lives.
Many kids with stress and anxiety disorders worry about what might happen if they lose control.
The Sibling Survival Guide: Indispensable Information for Brothers and Sisters of Adults With Disabilities
Don Meyer, Emily Holl
If you’re a teenaged, or adult, brother or sister of someone with a disability, then this book is expressly for you. It offers a sense that you’re not alone, tips on how to talk to your parents about plans for your sibling, and a crash course in guardianship, medical & legal issues, and government benefits if you’re already caring for your sib.
Views from Our Shoes: Growing Up with a Brother or Sister with Special Needs
Donald Joseph Meyer
In Views From Our Shoes, 45 siblings share their experiences as the brother or sister of someone with a disability. The featured essays here are from the siblings of youngsters with a variety of special needs including autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delays, ADD, hydrocephalus, visual and hearing impairments, Down and Tourette syndromes.
Their personal tales introduce young siblings to others like them, perhaps for the first time, and allow them to compare experiences. A glossary of disabilities provides easy-to-understand definitions of many of the conditions mentioned.
Parenting an Adult with Disabilities or Special Needs: Everything You Need to Know to Plan for and Protect Your Child’s Future
Peggy Lou Morgan
Offers practical advice for parents of adult children with disabilities, discussing vocational programs, government and private funding, residential options, power of attorney, and working on transitional plans
I’m Like You, You’re Like Me: A Book About Understanding and Appreciating Each Other
Cindy Gainer
“It’s fun to find ways I’m like you and you’re like me. It’s fun to find ways we’re different.” In this colorful, inviting book, kids from preschool to lower elementary learn about diversity in terms they can understand: Hair that’s straight or curly, families with many people or few, bodies that are big or small. With its wide-ranging examples and fun, highly detailed art, I’m Like You, You’re Like Me helps kids appreciate the ways they are alike and affirm their individual differences
Mrs. Gorski, I Think I Have the Wiggle Fidgets
Barbara Esham
Written for young grade-school aged children, “Wiggle Fidgets” tells the story of David and his struggle with ADHD in school.
Additional Resources
Kids’ Books Essentials: Supporting Different-Ability Awareness
List and Explanation of Disabilities for Disability Awareness Month
Disabilities Shouldn’t Define Individuals Awareness and Dialogue Promote Acceptance
Sister & Children’s Author Aims to End Discrimination
