BISBEE — Hundreds of children’s books touching on disability issues will help raise ideas of awareness and acceptance among young readers following a donation by Premier Alliances, Inc. to several local libraries.
In celebration of its 60th Anniversary of working to achieve its mission of Improving the Lives of People with Disabilities, nonprofit organization Premier Alliances reached out to the Bisbee Copper Queen Library and the Cochise County Library District about a donation of more than 300 children’s books, each of which focuses on or draws inspiration from disability-related themes.
The books were selected by Copper Queen Library Manager Jason Macoviak.
“The Copper Queen Library is thrilled to offer this new collection from Premier Alliances to our patrons. We feel that these books will expand our Children’s Library and offer children and their families new resources to help them expand their understanding of themselves and the people that live in our community,” Macoviak said.
He added, “Representation in children’s literature is very important and gives children of all abilities a chance to see themselves in the stories that they read, which can promote positive attitudes and build self-confidence.”
The majority of the books will go to the Cochise County Library District’s five branches, located in Bowie, Elfrida, Portal, Sunizona, and Pearce.
“We’re really thrilled to get these for the rural branch libraries because representation is so important. Having all kinds of kids to be able to see themselves in books is wonderful, but also having all kids to be able to see kids of differing abilities in books is huge,” said Amadee Ricketts, director of the Cochise County Library District.
Amadee added that highlighting inclusion and diversity in children’s books has been an ongoing effort in the district, and this donation will have a significant impact on those efforts, particularly for the rural branches.
“Their budgets for the whole year are so limited, that a collection like this makes a big difference in terms of what families see on the shelves,” she said.
This effort follows a similar donation by Premier Alliances of books and low-vision reading equipment to the Copper Queen Library in 2019.
John Charley, CEO of Premier Alliances, said this latest donation was part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to advocate for people with additional needs.
“Libraries have really become the new community centers, so we see this as part of our ongoing educational efforts in the community about disability issues and perspectives,” Charley said. “Introducing young readers to the notion that people with disabilities are no different than they are will help them develop empathy, understanding, and acceptance of everyone, regardless of their abilities.”
Premier Alliances is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to Improving the Lives of People with Disabilities. 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the organization, which employs dozens of individuals with disabilities in Sierra Vista and Bisbee. For more information, visit www.premieralliances.org.
