Mikayla’s Voice, Nazareth, a local nonprofit organization founded to empower children of all abilities to educate others about diversity and inclusion is partnering with several local and state organizations and corporations to ensure people with disabilities aren’t left out of the social justice discussion.
According to a Mikayla’s Voice press release, true cultural change must start with kids, and books are an ideal way to begin or continue important conversations with children.
Books that accurately portray people with disabilities can have a positive influence on the self-esteem of children with disabilities and build bridges of understanding with their peers.
They share commonalities that make us similar but also help celebrate our unique traits that enrich the world.
In response to current events and world challenges, this year Lehigh Valley Reads has focused on building children’s home libraries with diverse books celebrating all people in our communities.
When students see their own identities in the material they read, they are more engaged in the learning process.
Equally important is the need for books that help children understand and appreciate people who are different from themselves, encouraging their growth into adults who to continue to advocate for inclusion, so Mikayla’s Voice was excited to partner on this initiative.
Mikayla’s Voice has published three books about having a friend with a disability written and illustrated by kids for other kids.
Mikayla was born with a brain injury, Jeffrey has Down syndrome, and Brady is challenged by autism, but the books are about more than the main characters or their disabilities.
They are about friendship. And kindness.
Lehigh Valley Reads has added the three titles to their suggested booklist.
Committed to creating diversity and equity in our community, Just Born Quality Confections has gifted Our Friend Mikayla for all first graders, High Fives and A Big Heart for second, and Super Brady – Always on the Move! for students in third grade at Marvine Elementary School, Bethlehem.
This initiative will be continued each year, allowing students to receive a new book as they move through the grade levels, building diverse libraries in hundreds of homes across Bethlehem.
Pennsylvania Department of Developmental Disabilities recently awarded Mikayla’s Voice a Community Response Grant to gift 267 free annual subscriptions to their new enrichment website to families with a child with a disability.
“Mikayla’s Bookshelf” includes all three books in a fun, page-turning electronic format, as well as enrichment lessons related to the themes of inclusion, kindness and friendship, each aligned to state standards, and addressing Social and Emotional Learning competencies.
They include Universal Design for Learning strategies, with direct links to supplemental support information such as: text to speech, speech to text, word banks, passive assistance, and hand under hand, with further technical assistance if required.
Mikayla’s Bookshelf is part of the year-long inclusive programming provided to educators in school districts through a grant with the Pa. Department of Education-Bureau of Special Education.
Dedicated to its continued development, this month they have developed a list of outstanding children’s books featuring characters with disabilities.
The character with the disability doesn’t need to be the main subject of the book, nor should the focus have to be on their disability.
They are simply looking for interesting stories that include people with different abilities and represent them in a positive way – mirroring what they want children to learn.
The characters should be treated with respect and kindness, in a fair and equitable way. No more. No less. Accepted for who they are, valued friends.
Contributed article