First Kids' Book on Visitability
A children's book on Visitability has just been launched. This is the first book of its kind and will help educate children on how to interact with friends who may be in a wheelchair. Eleanor Smith (out-going director of Concrete Change and housing rights worker) and Nadeen Green (teacher and writer on the topic of fair housing) have co-written this book.
Libby and the Cape of Visitability is the diary of Libby, a KWD (Kid with Disability). Written for children ages 8-13, this book raises awareness of the exclusion created when houses are not built with simple features that allow mobility-impaired people to visit or live in them. For those grownups (teachers, parents and others) who engage in meaningful dialogue with children, this book provides not only a captivating story and relatable characters, but a Reader's Guide with discussion questions and resources as well.
Libby, Aria and Benjamin have been best friends since they were babies. Now Aria has moved to a new house. Libby, who uses a wheelchair, doesn't get invited to Aria's birthday party because the new house has barriers. Hurt feelings follow.... Then the kids meet Everett, an adult wheelchair athlete, who tells them how the disability rights movement gained successes through years of public demonstrations and pressing for laws. Everett shows them a photo from the 70's showing people with disabilities blocking inaccessible buses. The kids are inspired to create their own version of public action to achieve the goal of a step-free entrance and wide bathroom doors in every new house. Learn how the kids get on the front page of their hometown paper, as their method gets them in trouble--and how they achieve a sweet victory.
You can find and order the book for your Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, iPad, etc. in numerous online outlets, including AuthorHouse, Amazon for Kindles and Barnes and Nobles for Nooks. For those of you without e-readers, you can order and download the book to your computer by clicking on the free Kindle reading app at Amazon.
