Children’s Books for Disability Pride Month

July is Disability Pride Month. This month commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA, a major milestone in the path towards equal rights for Americans of all abilities, was signed into law in July of 1990. At Kids Co., we welcome and celebrate kids of all different abilities. We also believe it is vital to share stories that introduce kids to differently-abled individuals. As part of our Disability Pride Month series, we are highlighting a selection of books to share with your kids. We hope these stories help spark conversations about inclusion and acceptance throughout July and beyond.

Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You! by Sonia Sotomayor

This award-winning book by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor presents a kind and warm story about the differences that make each of us unique. Based on her own experience living with Juvenile Diabetes, Sotomayor acknowledges that differences can often make people feel a little awkward. Her book encourages everyone to ask questions instead of making judgements and to celebrate the things that make us different.

 

 

 

 

 

We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, and Eduardo Trejos

This beautiful book explores human connection while presenting readers with a diversity of abilities, backgrounds, races, and family structures. It celebrates people of all different abilities and introduces some of the challenges and barriers they face in their daily lives. Fritsch draws on her own lived and professional experience for both the story and the resource section, which includes kid-friendly definitions and ideas to facilitate conversations about ableism, accessibility and more.

 

 

 

 

This Beach is Loud! by Samantha Cotterill

This story provides a glimpse into how neurodiverse kids, including those on the Autism spectrum, may experience the world. It also provides practical advice to help kids cope with new or challenging experiences, such as noisy places, schedule changes, and new foods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rescue & Jessica – A Life Changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes

This book endearingly addresses what it’s like when things turn out differently than planned. For Jessica, it is about learning to adjust to life as an amputee. For Rescue, her service dog, it’s about learning how to be of service to Jessica. Together they learn how to navigate this new life.. Kensky and Downes draw on their own experience with their service dog, Rescue, and provide resources about service dogs at the end of the book.

 

 

 

 

For more book recommendations, visit the links below:

We Are Teachers: 16 Shelf-Worthy Books about Disabilities for All Students

Teaching Expertise: The Best List of 18 Children’s Books about Disabilities

Read Brightly Picture Books to Help Kids Understand Physical Disabilities and Differences