Skip to main content
  • Tags: disability
Fighting for yes! The story of disability rights activist Judith Heumann
Cocca-Leffler, Maryann
Judy Heumann always hears NO from a young age. She is not allowed to attend public school because she is in a wheelchair. Then after she goes to a special school with special education students, she attends college to become a teacher. But even the New York Board of Education says NO to her becoming a teacher after she earns her teaching degree. Judy joins several other disability rights activists to ensure Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 could be signed into federal law. Their work lays the foundation for the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a living advocate for herself and others, Judy tells her story of civil rights for which she fought tirelessly. By leading and working together with others to fix problems and make changes, disabled people now have less discrimination against them.

Dancing hands: A story of friendship in filipino sign language
Que, Joanna//Marquez, Charria
The new neighbors do not use their voices to speak. Their hands move in a rhythm to express their thoughts and feelings. Mai teaches her friend to communicate using her "hands to dance". The girls share their dreams and their aspirations for careers. Sam and Mai become best friends.

The crippled lamb
Lucado, Max
A little lamb named Joshua has one leg that doesn't work well so he always limped when he walked. His best friend, Abigail, was an old cow who encouraged Josh with her voice in a kind and friendly way. Abigail also told Josh about God who has a special place for those who feel left out. When all the other sheep are moved to a new meadow, a shepherd tells Josh to go back to the stable and spend the night. Josh gains companions when a young woman with her baby, Jesus, is born in that stable. Even shepherds come to the door to see God's son.

Silent days, silent dreams
Say, Allen
Bob shares the life story of his Uncle Jim, a deaf artist with immense talent and determination to find ways to communicate. During his childhood, Uncle Jim’s parents were unsupportive of his passion for art and they sent him to the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind with his sister. Bob never learned to speak, read, write, or use sign language. Ultimately, Bob went to art school where he shared his Uncle Jim’s work which was displayed in a gallery and sold to the public.

Different: Just like me
Mitchell, Lori
The visit to Grammie's house is a week away, and April can't wait! She comes across different people who look differently, sense differences, and move differently. Regardless of their differences, April can find ways she is like these other people. Finally, it is time to visit Grammie. Grammie's flowers from her garden are all different, and April is not allowed to pick her favorite flower. April realizes this is like all things and people. She learns to appreciate the differences in all things and people.

Crickwing
Cannon, Janell
Crickwing is different from all the other cockroaches. He likes to create sculptures and has a twisted wing. Crickwing is tired of being bullied by the bigger animals in the forest and mistakenly takes his anger out on the leaf-cutter ants, learning a valuable lesson in return.

How Willy got his wheels
Mohler, Diana & Turner, Deborah
As a homeless and handicapped dog, Willy never finds true happiness until he is rescued from the animal hospital and given a home and family. However, Willy lacks the ability to walk on his own and his owner Deborah tries several attempts to help Willy. Finally, Willy is given a wheel chair which enables him to finally be free and live his life to its fullest.

Hunter bunny saves Easter
Weaver, Alexis Rae
Hunter Bunny, made fun of because of his limp leg, meets Clark, the duck who has trouble seeing and the two become best friends. The night before Easter, the two find the Easter bunny lying on the ground and it is now up to them to deliver the baskets around town. After successfully saving Easter, the return to the forest to find all the animals praising and cheering for them.

Hunter bunny learns to ski
Weaver, Alexis Rae
Hunter Bunny is eagerly awaiting for winter to arrive and is determined to take part in all the activities that come along with it. He visits his fellow animal friends who teach him to ski, skate and snowboard, but with Hunter Bunny's shorter leg, he is unable to be successful. With the help of his best friend Clark, the two find a way for Hunter to be able to ski in the animal ski race. Determined to win, Hunter Bunny practices day and night for the big competition and it pays off in the end when he brings home the first place ribbon.

Junk pile!
Borton, Lady
When Jamie Kay helps her dad in their magical junk yard, Robert Haines and other kids make fun of her. Jamie Kay has to find a way to show the kids that her junkyard is magical. But most of all, Jamie has to find a way to make a friend.

Memorial day surprise
Golding, Theresa Martin
Marco and his mother are off to see the Memorial Day parade! Today, mother is in a hurry because she has a special surprise for Marco. She is in such a hurry that they don't have time to see Marco's grandfather. Once they reach the parade, Marco sees his two best friends which he believes is the surprise. Yet, they are not the surprise his mother has in store for him. Neither is the marching band, fire engine, Statue of Liberty, or candy. Marco could never imagine the surprise in store for him at the end of the parade!

My pal, Victor
Bertrand, Diane Gonzales
Dominic and Victor have a special friendship in spite of Dominicメs disability. They laugh, tell jokes, and do many fun things together on the baseball field, at the amusement park, and during sleepovers.

The storm
Harshman, Marc
A young boy confined to a wheel chair because of an accident, doesn't like the way people see and talk about him. He wants people to see past the wheelchair and see him. A tornado comes through Indiana and he shows how strong and able he truly is.

Girls a to z
Bunting, Eve
Here's a new twist on the alphabet, just for girls. For each letter of the alphabet, read a girl's name and her career matching that letter.

Let's play as a team!
Halliman, P. K.
Kids like to play as a team no matter what they do -- football, soccer, baseball and all kinds of sports. When they're done playing, it doesn't matter who wins or loses as long as they all had a great time while they were playing. Join these kids in their fun-filled day of teamwork.

Wilma unlimited
Krull, Kathleen
As a young girl, Wilma Rudolph contracted polio. Through hard work, she is able to walk without her leg brace. She plays basketball in high school, goes to college on a track scholarship, and wins three gold medals in the 100, 200, and 4x100 meter dashes.

I'm the big sister now
Emmert, Michelle
Nine year old Michelle describes the joys, loving times, difficulties, and other special situations involved in living with her older sister. Her sister, Amy, has cerebral palsy.

The little fir tree
Brown, Margaret Wise
A fir tree is cut down to be used as a Christmas tree for a boy with a handicap. After the holidays, the tree is replanted in the forest. Every year, the boy's father digs up the tree to be decorated. One year, the boy goes to the forest by himself to decorate a tree.

A special trade
Wittman, Sally
When Nelly was a baby, Bartholomew would push her in her stroller and tell her stories. Now that he is in a wheelchair and she is older, she pushes him around.

The little blind goat
Wahl, Jan
Casimiro, the hero, overcomes his disability in this tale of perserverance. The world is not always kind to our disabled friends, but with a little hard work anything can be overcome.

Elfwyn's saga
Wisniewski, David
A blind girl is born in the northern valley. Because she cannot see, she is blind to the curse in a great crystal. She destroys the crystal and restores her village from the curse.

A very special sister
Levi, Dorothy Hoffman
Laura has a new baby coming to her family and she's very excited. However, because Laura is deaf, she is worried that if the new baby can hear, her mother will love it more.

Thumbs up, rico!
Testa, Maria
Rico, a boy with Downs Syndrome, overcomes many obstacles. See how he does it in three different stories.

Otto learns about his medicine: A story about medication for children with ADHD
Galvin, Matthew
Otto has trouble paying attention in school. He is a young car who honks his horn during class, races away from the gas pumps causing a spill, and several other hyperactive behaviors. His parents take Otto to visit a special mechanic in order to get medicine to help control his behavior.

Taking seizure disorders to school: A story about epilepsy
Gosselin, Kim
Jamie is a girl who has a seizure disorder. Jamie explains what happens when she has a seizure and shares how others can help her.

Dad and me in the morning
Lakin, Patricia
A young boy talks about going to watch the sunrise with his dad. He shares all the ways they can communicate with one another.

A special kind of sister
Smith, Lucia B.
Sarah has a five year old brother who is mentally challenged. She has trouble coping with him, but loves him very much.


Howie helps himself
Fassler, Joan
Howie is confined to a wheelchair. He must overcome many barriers. He has one thing he wants to do - be able to move his wheelchair all by himself. He succeeds.


The seeing stick
Yolen, Jane
A blind princess learns to see the world through her fingertips from an old blind man.

Apt. 3
Keats, Ezra Jack
Sam searches for the blind harmonica player in his apartment complex. They eventually get acquainted and take a walk together through the neighborhood.

Nick joins in
Lasker, Joe
Nick, confined to a wheelchair, is going to school for the first time. He is anxious and scared. Nick overcomes his feelings and makes friends at school.

Through grandpa's eyes
MacLachlan, Patricia
John's grandfather is blind. John spends the day with him and tries to look at things in the same way his grandfather does.

Words in our hands
Litchfield, Ada B.
Gina, Diane, and Michael's parents are all deaf. Communication isn't easy, especially when they move to a new town. Soon the family finds some new friends at a school where people know sign language.

Miss Bindergarten gets ready for kindergarten
Slate, Joseph
An alphabet of animal students get ready for kindergarten and so does their teacher Miss Bindergarten. There are many activities and tasks for each student to do before arriving at school to hear Good morning, Kindergarten!

Be good to eddie lee
Fleming, Virginia
As Christy and Jim Bud approach the pond to search for frog eggs, they realize Eddie Lee, a neighbor with Down's Syndrome, has followed them. Christy's mother has always told her to be good to Eddie Lee. Christy is kind, but Jim Bud is not. As the story evolves, Eddie Lee shares the best discovery of all with Christy.

Lucy's picture
Moon, Nicola
Lucy's blind grandpa is coming to visit today, and she wants to make him a special collage. Lucy gathers many different materials to make the collage that her grandpa can see with his hands. She uses sticks and leaves to make a tree, sand to make a path, and her own hair to make a dog with fur.

A beautiful pearl
Whitelaw, Nancy
The feelings of three generations are shared through the loving story of a girl and her grandmother who has Alzheimer's Disease.

Brian's bird
Davis, Patricia
Brian receives a bird for his birthday. The two quickly become friends after Brian overcomes his fear. When Brian's brother Kevin carelessly lets the bird escape, Brian becomes upset. Will he ever see Scratchy again?

Beginnings: How families come to be
Kroll, Virginia
Parents tell their children how they became a family. There are birth families, adoption families, single-parent families, two parent families, and different ethnic families.

Jamie's turn
DeWitt, Jamie
Eleven year old Jamie helps his stepfather, Butch, pick corn one autumn day. When the corn picker becomes plugged up, Butch attempts to climb off the tractor but gets caught and is seriously injured. Jamie saves Butch's life by turning the corn picker off and running for help. Jamie keeps the farm running while Butch recovers from the accident.

Princess jessica rescues a prince
Brooks, Jennifer
A young princess with a pure heart plays with three gnomes who are handicapped. She is kind and accepting to her new friends. In turn, she gains another friend.

Eagle eyes: A child's view of attention deficit disorder
Gehret, Jeanne
A child struggles through life with Attention Deficit Disorder. He goes to the doctor and learns several things that makes life easier.

A rainbow of friends
Halliman, P.K.
A vision of harmony celebrates differences among people. These vibrant pictures and rhymes help portray the notion that uniqueness in individuals is what makes each of us so special.

How smudge came
Gregory, Nan
A developmentally challenged girl named Cindy finds love and companionship in a puppy she names Smudge. However, the home where Cindy lives does not allow pets, so the puppy is taken away. With the help of her friends at Hospice, a perfect solution is thought of so that Smudge is taken care of and everyone can benefit from his companionship.

Copycat sam: Developing ties with a special child
Stefanik, Alfred T.
Freddie thinks his new neighbor, Sam, is annoying. Freddie does not understand that Sam has Down's Syndrome, and he needs a friend.