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

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.

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.