VISIT THE DISABILITY RIGHTS AND INCLUSION (DRI) BOOTH, WHERE YOU CAN:
- Take the pledge to support disability rights and inclusion. This involves raising awareness of disability etiquette, advocating for reasonable accommodations and inclusive decision-making, taking action to remove barriers, and ensuring full participation and success for all individuals with disabilities.
- Snap a selfie with disability rights activist Helena Donato-Sapp, who will be at the booth before RA activities begin and during lunch on July 4th and 5th. Helena is promoting the importance of inclusive cultures in schools, including books that promote disability perspectives.
- Amplify your voice by sharing your selfie with Helena on social media with #NEARA, inspiring others to join the journey toward justice for disability rights.
- Receive a book from NEA's searchable booklist of titles featuring diverse disability perspectives, curated to help librarians and educators build more inclusive collections. The first 500 participants to take the pledge and snap a selfie with Helena will receive one of the July Read Across America selections promoting inclusivity or one of Helena's favorite books from NEA's curated booklist.
- Learn more about NEA Disability Rights and Inclusion initiatives and programs.
BOOKS TO UPLIFT PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES OF DISABILITY
Why are Books with Disability Perspectives Important?
Books with disability perspectives in school libraries promote inclusivity and understanding. They create a welcoming environment, challenge stereotypes, and foster positive attitudes toward differences. Libraries aim to provide equal access to diverse, accessible materials for all, including those with disabilities. Centering disability narratives helps break barriers, fosters inclusion, and promotes diverse perspectives.
NEA Searchable Booklist and Resources
To address this need, NEA has curated a searchable booklist of around 150 titles to help educators and librarians expand their collections with high-quality books featuring disability perspectives. This resource empowers them to identify books encompassing these perspectives. NEA is also providing a book justification resource and a checklist for identifying high-quality disability-focused books.
To help spread the word about the importance of disability representation, disability activist Helena Donato-Sapp has shared four engaging book talks to encourage integrating books from the booklist into school classrooms and libraries.
You can access the book talks, downloadable booklist, and resources here.
Mini-grants Available to Purchase Books from Booklist
NEA acknowledges the funding challenges facing school libraries and offers mini-grants to procure books from the booklist. School librarians, media specialists, and educators are eligible to apply. Successful grant recipients will be asked to demonstrate how they promoted the books, including providing a book talk or video showcasing how the books raised awareness of disability perspectives.
Grant amounts vary based on the size of your local affiliate. Maximum grant amounts are:
- $500 grants to small locals (< 200 members)
- $1250 grants to medium locals (201-500 members)
- $2500 to large locals (500+ members)
Applications for the mini-grants are now open and can be accessed on the NEA.org/disabilities site Books to Uplift Perspectives and Experiences of Disability.
NEA CURRICULUM TO HELP EDUCATORS CHALLENGE DISABILITY BIAS
NEA is pleased to announce a new professional learning series on disability rights and inclusion. The curriculum was co-developed with researchers in disability studies and member experts. This curriculum will help build the professional knowledge base around disability inclusion that is crucial to guiding the multitude of daily decisions that educators must make to ensure equitable opportunities for students with disabilities.
Three 5-hour asynchronous courses are available in this series:
- Disability Representation: Historical Perspectives and the Impact of Media—In this course, participants will examine the exclusion of people with disabilities in civil rights movements, explore the role of media in shaping views of people with disabilities, and build an understanding of how educational practices can support disability visibility in education settings. Sign up now.
- Foundational Concepts: Ableism, Models of Disability, and Intersectionality—In this course, participants will explore the implications of different disability models on educational practices, examine ways to challenge ableist stereotypes and biases, and the effects of intersectionality on multiply-minoritized people with disabilities.
- Creating Inclusive and Affirming Environments—In this course, participants will learn about the concept of presuming competence, consider the capacity of students with disabilities as viewed through an asset-based lens, and how language shapes perceptions.
VIRTUAL SCREENING OF “THE RIDE AHEAD”
As part of the 2024 Back-to-School Webinar Series on Disability Rights and Inclusion “Inclusive Education Unveiled,” NEA will host a virtual screening of Samuel Habib’s documentary “The Ride Ahead.”
Mark your calendars and us on for the screening and question and answer session with Samuel and Dan Habib on: September 28, 2024, 2:00 -4:15 pm ET.
