We Want to Go to School!: The Fight for Disability Rights - Hardcover

Cocca-Leffler, Maryann; Leffler, Janine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807535184 ISBN 13: 9780807535189

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 2021

Synopsis

A Junior Library Guild Selection February 2022

The true story of the people who helped make every public school a more inclusive place.

There was a time in the United States when millions of children with disabilities weren't allowed to go to public school. But in 1971, seven kids and their families wanted to do something about it. They knew that every child had a right to an equal education, so they went to court to fight for that right. The case Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia led to laws ensuring children with disabilities would receive a free, appropriate public education. Told in the voice of Janine Leffler, one of the millions of kids who went to school because of these laws, this book shares the true story of this landmark case.

About this title

About the Authors

Maryann Cocca-Leffler has been a passionate disability rights advocate since the birth of her daughter Janine. Maryann is also an award-winning author and illustrator of over sixty books for children, including We Want to Go to School!, Same Way Ben, and Theo's Mood. She lives and works on the coast of Maine.

Janine Leffler is the cofounder of JaninesParty.com, a website dedicated to changing the public perception of children with disabilities. She has a BA in communications and works at a nonprofit community service organization that helps adults with disabilities. Janine loves Broadway plays, poetry, and life.

Reviews

K-Gr 3-The coauthors tell the story of the fight for equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities. Born with cerebral palsy, Leffler went to public school and received an education, as well as the additional support she needed, such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy. She explains that this wasn't always the case for many others and documents the fight for the right of every child to receive an education. Prior to the early 1970s, children with disabilities were usually denied a public school education, or when allowed to attend school, the education was often inferior. That all changed after 1971, when the families of seven children with disabilities decided to file a class action lawsuit, known as Mills v. Board of Education in the District of Columbia. In 1972, the case was decided in favor of children with disabilities, benefiting eight million kids in the United States. The coauthors primarily focus on the story of the lawsuit, but they also include additional information about the status of disability education rights in the U.S. and a time line detailing other important cases in the fight for the rights of individuals with disabilities. The lively, colorful illustrations depict racially diverse children with different skin tones. Additionally, some children are blind or shown in wheelchairs. VERDICT Recommended for all libraries. This will appeal to all children, providing them with an understanding of the history of disability rights while simultaneously empowering them to continue advocating for the rights of all individuals.-Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's Sch., Brooklynα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807535184
• ISBN 13: 9780807535189
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Cocca-Leffler Maryann
• Number of pages: 32