Celebrating Inclusion of Children with Disabilities by Sharing Their Stories

Inclusive Stories Introducing Wonderful Artists Who Draw

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:58:54 GMT

This inclusive nonfiction booklist introduces readers to artists who draw or paint. Each artist's contribution has made our world a more beautiful place. With this booklist, Finding My Way Books celebrates diversity in art and representation in books.

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Inclusive Titles for National Sibling Day

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 20:37:34 GMT

National Sibling Day is April 10th, 2023. It's a special day to appreciate your own siblings and to think about all the different siblings there are in this world. This list includes older sisters, younger sisters, older brothers, younger brothers, foster siblings, adopted siblings, incarcerated siblings, siblings with disabilities, transgender siblings, donor siblings, homeless children who feel like siblings, and siblings of many races and cultures. Have a Happy Sibling Day from Finding My Way Books!

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Inclusive Nonfiction Reads for Celebrating Piano Day

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 21:40:20 GMT

Piano Day is March 29th. This celebration is on the 88th day of the year because there are 88 keys on the piano. Finding My Way Books created this inclusive nonfiction children's book list to celebrate all those interested in pianos, including listeners, performers, composers, builders, tuners, and movers.

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Finding Friends in Inclusive Fiction

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 14:29:59 GMT

New friends are a gift! Teaching children to be open to welcoming friends who differ from them makes the gift of friendship even more wonderful. Finding My Way Books encourages inclusive reading with this new list of fiction titles.

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Inclusive Children’s Books for International Day of Acceptance

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 18:52:18 GMT

The International Day of Acceptance is January 20, 2023. Siblings Annie and Steve Hopkins established this date to promote the love and acceptance of individuals with disabilities. Finding My Way Books offers a list of recently published children's books highlighting children with disabilities plus wonderful abilities. Together, let's celebrate this important day!

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Please join Finding My Way Books in celebrating Inclusive Schools Week December 5-9, 2022!

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 14:57:35 GMT

Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc. , which is held each year during the first full week in December. The Week provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children.

This year, the Inclusive Schools Week’s theme is “ Unity Within Our Community .”

Check out these free resources to help you celebrate:

Onika Wants to Help is an example of Inclusion in Action

Inclusive Multicultural Winter Children’s Book List

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 14:50:09 GMT

We celebrate this winter season with a wonderful selection of diverse, endearing stories. Happy season to ALL from Finding My Way Books.

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K-12 Book List Celebrating World Kindness Day

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 16:16:17 GMT

November 13th, 2022, is World Kindness Day! We filled this book list with wonderful stories about kindness plus ways for everyone to become kinder so we can together make our world a better place to live. Finding My Way Books promotes inclusion through the diversity offered within this book list.

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Book Review for Reese Has a Halloween Secret

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 16:07:17 GMT

Finding My Way Books is pleased to share a new book review of "Reese has a Halloween Secret." To view the review, please us this link:

https://olebbooks.com/children-with-disabilities-can-celebrate-halloween-too/

A Guide For Building Safe & Supportive Learning Environments

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 16:10:39 GMT

Created by Inclusive Schools Network, Changing Perspective, and Finding My Way Books

Finding My Way Books supports school safety and supportive learning through our message of inclusion. Our nonfiction stories celebrate the inclusion of children with disabilities. We spotlight their representation and encourage all students to become inclusive readers.

Through this guide, we hope you gain the understanding that by honoring diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, you will make our world a safer and better place to live and grow.

Guide

Wonderfully Inclusive K-12 Biographies for National Inclusion Week

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 01:31:44 GMT

Finding My Way Books invites you to celebrate National Inclusion Week through this new book list filled with wonderful stories about amazing people creating a more inclusive world for us all! By reading about how different people find a path to inclusion, students can learn to dig deep within themselves to discover what they can contribute to making their school and community more inclusive. Also, they may discover new ways to fit in and welcome others.

Download List for Sharing

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Finding My Way Books now included on Piper's Key

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 15:47:59 GMT

Finding My Way Books is now included in this wonderful organization. Piper's Key is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that gifts inclusive books to children with disabilities that represent their unique selves in a positive light.

Piper's Key is unlocking representation through literacy for every child! The books they gift are written by individuals with disabilities, family members/parents of children with disabilities, or professionals working with children with disabilities. Piper’s Key believes in providing the disability community with a voice for future generations!

New marketplace for Finding My Way English titles

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 15:42:26 GMT

TranslationRights.com is a public rights marketplace where international rights buyers can discover books with translation rights available for licensing and where authors and publishers can list their books for potential licensing opportunities. Finding My Way English titles are now included in this new marketplace.

Book List: Children’s Books to Celebrate ADA in 2022

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 13:53:59 GMT

This Finding My Way K-12 book list teaches the importance of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, introduces amazing people who have advocated for disability rights, and gives voice to children and adults living with disabilities who thankfully have stories they want to share.

Download List for Sharing

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A Summer Guide to Inclusive Play

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 15:58:50 GMT

Finding My Way Books, in collaboration with The Inclusive Schools Network and Changing Perspectives , is pleased to share Understanding Ourselves and Others: A Summer Guide to Inclusive Play. Designed for K-8 students, the guide provides parents, caregivers, camp counselors, and others with strategies and activities to build student confidence and encourage belonging during the summer months.

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Children’s Books Featuring Inclusion in Summer Activities

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Wed, 25 May 2022 14:37:17 GMT

These stories introduce children of all ages to individuals with disabilities who are like everyone else, doing amazing and ordinary things as they take part in their summer and family activities. They offer a new perspective on how fun life can be during the summer.

Download List for Sharing

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K-12 Reading for an Inclusive World Welcoming Refugee

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 15:17:37 GMT

Being inclusive means you welcome others into your life! Refugees are without a home and are searching for others to welcome them. Finding My Way Books presents this book list to help students gain an understanding of how it feels to be a refugee and to have hope for a more inclusive world that welcomes everyone.

Booklist Link

International Day of Acceptance: Inclusive K-6 Reading

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 19:29:15 GMT

International Day of Acceptance on Janmuary 20, 2022, honors Annie Hopkins. Annie created the wheelchair-heart logo, which represents a message of love and acceptance of people with disabilities. Her brother Stevie Hopkins helped create the International Day of Acceptance to celebrate people around the world like Annie, who have abilities they want to share.

Please encourage children to read these wonderful books about kids with disabilities and join Finding My Way Books in celebrating this important day!

Booklist Link

FREE Children's Book list: Discover listening on World Listening Day

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 19:50:52 GMT

World Listening Day is a wonderfully inclusive celebration! This year's theme is the Unquiet Earth. Raquel Castro created the theme and shared, "Listening as activism encourages us to question our attitudes as listeners as we aim to construct a more inclusive and empathic new world. Join the unquiet revolution!" Finding My Way Books offers this book list to help children learn to be world listeners.

Great Selection of Inclusive Gardening Picture Books

findingmywaybooks@gmail.com (Jo Mach) — Fri, 07 May 2021 15:45:22 GMT

Diversity, equity, and inclusion all bloom in this inclusive book list about gardening and much more! Gardening, food and farming and much more. Download the book list .

Inclusive Stories to Celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, March 21st

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 15:35:01 GMT

March 21, 2021 is a date for inclusion and for recognizing that our differences are something to appreciate. Finding My Way Books wants to help you Celebrate World Down Syndrome Day by viewing this carefully selected group of books sharing stories of individuals and characters with Down syndrome. They are books to be read and enjoyed rather than books about living with Down syndrome or raising a child with Down syndrome.

Download List for Sharing

View Booklist on Bookshop.org

Finding My Way Books supports the inclusion of all people, especially those with disabilities. We celebrate the gifts they have to offer us all!

Check out some of our other books lists.

Americans Opening Doors to Inclusion - K-12 Book List

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 14:52:56 GMT

I recently compiled a list of books that celebrates famous people who have taken on a role to open doors for others. The list is called; " K-12 Book List: Government of the People - Americans Opening Doors to Inclusion ."

The list starts with our new president, Joe Biden, who states that he believes his cabinet should look like America. The list also includes names like Thurgood Marshall, Kamala Harris, Colin Powell, Sonia Sotomayor and others.

Download Booklist for Sharing

Use this link to review the list on Bookshop.org .

Finding My Way Books supports the inclusion of all people, especially those with disabilities. We celebrate the gifts they have to offer us all!

K-12 National Inclusion Month Booklist

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 15:05:47 GMT

Let’s celebrate inclusion! It's a great time to hear the voices of people we don't know. By reading their stories we can welcome them into our hearts. This booklist includes stories from children who are often excluded. They are of many different races, immigrants, homeless, LGBTQ, and children with disabilities.

Download Booklist

Stories about how helpful guide dogs are to the people the live with.

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 18:35:11 GMT

Valuable Guide Dog Book List

Celebrate National Guide Dog month with some great books featuring stories that include guide dogs. Reading good stories is a fun way to learn about how helpful guide dogs are to the people who have them in their lives.

For more information about guide dogs check out this website .

Be an inclusive reader! Discover wonderful people who are different from you. September is a great month for kids and adults to discover great stories that include guide dogs.

Guide Dog Stories Booklist link .

Disability Resources for Families

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 22:02:05 GMT

25 Amazing Inclusion Books for children

The website, Don't IEP Alone: A Day In Our shoes, provides a wealth of disability resources for families . The website recently posted a list of 25 Amazing Inclusion Books for children. The Finding My Way book, Marco and I Want to Play Ball, is included in this list. Thank you "A Day in Our Shoes." Please check out the article and the website .

American's With Disabilities Act - K-12 Booklist

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 14:18:03 GMT

Booklist teaches the importance of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act

In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act stated there should be equal opportunities and equal rights for people with disabilities. We want to celebrate the societal changes that have occurred in the 30 years since ADA became law in 1990. This K-12 Booklist teaches the importance of ADA, introduces amazing people who have advocated for disability rights, and gives voice to children and adults living with disabilities who thankfully have stories they want to share.

We at Finding My Way Books celebrate the value of inclusion that is being realized through the publication of all these titles during the last five years!

Download our Booklist

Reading: How to Make It Fun for You & Your Autistic Child

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 13:56:11 GMT

I want to thank Autism Connect for giving Finding My Way Books the opportunity to celebrate celebrate Autism Awareness Month.

I want to introduce a video of our recent webinar that deals with how to prepare for a reading session with your child and how to make the reading time fun and educational.

Here are some of the topics explored in the video.

Encouraging engagement when you're reading with your child who is nonverbal.
Isolation challenges of today.

Then you we see a demonstration of these techniques while I read one of our books.

Enjoy the video

Multicultural Children’s Book Day Yields 4 Wonderful Reviews of "Waylan Wants to Jam."

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 17:15:34 GMT

A Book By Finding My Way Books

Everyone at Finding My Way Books was very excited to receive four awesome book reviews of one of our inclusion books titled, "Waylan Wants to Jam." This was in conjunction with Multicultural Children’s Book Day on January 31, 2020. The following book reviewers were kind enough to offer their feedback. We appreciate there words and their time.

Discovering My Way of Learning to Read

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:53:59 GMT

Books supporting different reading strategies

Have you ever closed your eyes and tried unsuccessfully to understand what someone is saying to you? I have that problem. I’m a visual learner and it helps me to see who is talking to me. Others close their eyes, absorb what they hear and love all they are learning. Another group likes to be moving around when they learn. They need to ‘feel’ the new information. They are kinetic learners. We all have our way of learning and learning to read.

Rianna Facey’s book, I Have Big Dreams : Rianna dreams of competing in the Olympics, is bubbling over with action. A young reader could do a somersault and then practice reading about Rianna’s somersaults. Page by page Rianna shows how she is working on her dream. Her story would be a wonderful way to learn to read while moving. Tips for helping kinetic learners how to read .

Malina’s Farm Adventure is a very unique book. The text is in a special font created for children who are dyslexic. Malina’s story shares how confusing it can be for children who are dyslexic to learn to read. The author, Keith Fechtman, has written a very fun story about visiting a farm.

Auditory learners and readers love the sounds of the words they are reading. Rhyme is very fun and catchy to read. Jingles the Elephant Saves Christmas by Erik Island has great rhythm and rhyme. It also has fun with the words, ‘jingle, jingle, jingle elephant’ repeated throughout the story. Tips for helping auditory learners learn to read.

Our book, Neema Wants to Learn , shares a true story of a young girl who has learning disabilities. Neema demonstrates how she learns by watching others. She’s a perfect example of a visual learner. She’s also a wonderful role model for children struggling to learn. Neema loves to learn and wants to become a teacher someday. Tips for helping visual learners learn to read

Teach Caring Through Unexpected Communication

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:37:38 GMT

Three books showing three possibilities

There’s so much talking going on! 24 hour TV and streaming galore! Yet, there’s much more to communication than talking. Let’s look at some books and discover some wonderful ways to teach caring through communication.

Pamela Rice’s book, The Painting Speaks , shares a gentle understanding of how a picture can communicate a message. I think it must be true because our world is filled with art museums sharing incredible stories. Going to a museum, or even walking around your home and looking at what is on your walls, offers an opportunity to have a conversation about what you ‘hear’ based on what you see. Find the feelings within each message.

Another way to explore visual communication is through color. What do colors mean? What messages do they portray? Ask your children to look at the colors they are wearing and identify feelings they could be communicating with their clothing.

Yara My Friend From Syria by Alham Rahimi is an incredibly sweet story. Yara is a little girl who knows three languages, but not one of them is English. She shares her deepest feelings by showing her new friends what is in a little box. What are those feelings? What if you had a little box to fill? What would you or your child put in it?

Sometimes people communicate by placing items in a time capsule . What would your family want to include to tell people in the future about what is important to you? Kaitlyn in Kaitlyn Wants to See Ducks has Down syndrome and uses very few words. Her true story shows how she uses her body language to communicate how she feels. Everyone communicates with body language if you take the time to observe them. Kaitlyn’s twin sisters also use sign language as another way of communicating. Learning a few very basic signs could be useful and fun.

Taking the time to communicate in new ways opens up your heart to caring about others in new ways.

Three Books, Three Ways to Build Empathy

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 19:59:33 GMT

Tips on connecting with children who are differently sight-abledTips on connecting with children who are differently sight-abled

The google dictionary defines empathy as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” To be able to empathize with others you need to include them in your life and get to know them. One way to do this is through books. They are a great way to ‘meet’ new people who are different from the reader.

Sabrena Bishop’s book, I May Not Be Like You, But We Could Be Friends, is an delightful introduction to meeting others in a book. It encourages conversation about people in your child’s world whom they may not know but may see in their community.

Our book, Claire Wants a Boxing Name , shares a fun true story of an adult who is differently sight abled. She is a boxer who is blind. Vivian uses her other senses to teach a young girl how to pay attention so she can also become a boxer. Vivian shows Claire how to stay focused. Claire demonstrates how she interacts with Vivian and her guide dog, Catcher. A child reading this book, or other books with a main character who is blind, learns that individuals who are blind can do amazing things. They just do them a different way because they are differently sight abled.

Here are a few tips to help you when you meet a child or an adult with limited vision:
1. Speak in a normal voice.
2. Tell them your name so they know who they are talking to.
3. Provide extra information about where things are that you are talking about.
4. Tell then when you are leaving.

If you are reading to a child who has limited vision you can use these strategies to help them ‘see’ the story:
1. Before reading each page describe the picture on the page.
2. Use extra emotion in your voice to add drama to the story.
3. Provide the child with an object they can touch that is related to the story.

For more information check out: http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/strategies/reading-aloud-children-visual-impairment

If you are raising a child with limited vision you can follow these guidelines to prepare them to be a successful braille reader as they grow up:
1. Make reading time as relaxing as possible.
2. Bring out real objects to match the content of the story.
3. Highlight other senses used in the story which they can relate to such as what something smells like. Justin's pumpkin patch adventure by Tamika L. Prince is a great example of a story filled with wonderful descriptions.

For more information check out: http://www.wonderbaby.org/articles/strong-braille-readers

New Website Launch Continues Connections with Those Passionate About Inclusion

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 15:16:49 GMT

Inclusive Education is replacing Special Education. Inclusion is becoming more meaningful.

It’s been over a month since we launched our new Finding My Way Books website highlighting our passion for promoting the inclusion of children with disabilities. Vera and I were sitting down having lunch almost exactly eight years ago when the idea to work together and write children’s books was born.

Inclusion is finally starting to burst into our world after slowly creeping into it for decades. Today Inclusive Education is replacing Special Education. Inclusion is becoming more meaningful. Recently, Ali Stroker became the first person using a wheelchair to win a Tony Award.

During this first month of our new website, we’ve connected with three wonderful women advocating for inclusion. Paula Kluth is an inclusion specialist. Here’s her reaction to our website:

“The site is gorgeous and the books look fantastic!

I'm posting on FB immediately and I'll be sure to let folks know about these great resources-- what a wonderful contribution to the field.

Thank you for letting me know about these materials!!

Jennifer Sommerness , Executive Director of Inclusive Schools for Kids Included Together (KIT) responded to our outreach and asked for book samples to share on her on-site visits:

“Thank you for reaching out! This sounds wonderful. We are always looking for new and creative ways to support teachers meaningfully.”

Karen Dobyns, an Occupational who completed her doctoral project on researching the use of children’s books to promote inclusion of children with disabilities and differing needs, shared her reaction to our website: “ WOW, soooo cool!”

We’re hoping to continue to connect with many others who are passionate about inclusion. Together we can help educators make inclusion meaningful.

It’s very exciting to see how inclusion is changing our world. Poppin’ Joe, (Pictured above) from our book I Want to Be Like Poppin’ Joe, in NYC Times Square because of his exceptional work. Now that’s a positive change!