Shares perspectives that are too often missing from such decision-making about accessibility. --The Washington Post

According to the last census, one in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some are visible, some are hidden--but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together an urgent, galvanizing collection of personal essays by contemporary disabled writers.There is Harriet McBryde Johnson's Unspeakable Conversations, which describes her famous debate with Princeton philosopher Peter Singer over her own personhood. There is columnist s. e. smith's celebratory review of a work of theater by disabled performers. There are original pieces by up-and-coming authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma. There are blog posts, manifestos, eulogies, and testimonies to Congress.

Taken together, this anthology gives a glimpse of the vast richness and complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own assumptions and understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and past with hope and love.

One woman's decades-long journey to a diagnosis of autism, and the barriers that keep too many neurodivergent people from knowing their true selves

Marian Schembari was thirty-four years old when she learned she was autistic. By then, she'd spent decades hiding her tics and shutting down in public, wondering why she couldn't just act like everyone else. Therapists told her she had Tourette's syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sensory processing disorder, social anxiety, and recurrent depression. They prescribed breathing techniques and gratitude journaling. Nothing helped.

It wasn't until years later that she finally learned the truth: she wasn't weird or deficient or moody or sensitive or broken. She was autistic.

Today, more people than ever are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Testing improvements have made it easier to identify neurodivergence, especially among women and girls who spent decades dismissed by everyone from parents to doctors, and misled by gender-biased research. A diagnosis can end the cycle of shame and invisibility, but only if it can be found.

In this deeply personal and researched memoir, Schembari's journey takes her from the mountains of New Zealand to the tech offices of San Francisco, from her first love to her first child, all with unflinching honesty and good humor.

A Little Less Broken breaks down the barriers that leave women in the dark about their own bodies, and reveals what it truly means to embrace our differences.

What is intimacy? More than sex, more than romantic love, the pieces in this stunning and illuminating new anthology offer broader and more inclusive definitions of what it can mean to be intimate with another person. Explorations of caregiving, community, access, and friendship offer us alternative ways of thinking about the connections we form with others--a vital reimagining in an era when forced physical distance is at times a necessary norm.

But don't worry: there's still sex to consider--and the numerous ways sexual liberation intersects with disability justice. Plunge between these pages and you'll also find disabled sexual discovery, disabled love stories, and disabled joy. These twenty-five stunning original pieces--plus other modern classics on the subject, all carefully curated by acclaimed activist Alice Wong--include essays, photo essays, poetry, drama, and erotica: a full spectrum of the dreams, fantasies, and deeply personal realities of a wide range of beautiful bodies and minds. Disability Intimacy will free your thinking, invigorate your spirit, and delight your desires.

A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most.

Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling.

Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn't fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life.

Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.

At the age of four, Joshua Miele was blinded and badly burned when a delusional neighbor poured sulfuric acid over his head in a crime that shocked New York. It could have ended his life, but, instead, Miele--naturally curious and a born problem solver--not only recovered but thrived, finding increasingly inventive ways to succeed in a world built for the sighted. At first reluctant to even think of himself as blind, he eventually embraced his blindness and became a committed advocate for disability and accessibility. Along the way, he grappled with drugs and addiction, played bass in a rock band, worked for NASA, became a guerilla activist, married the love of his life, and had two children.

Miele introduces us to an extraordinary cast of characters, from his lovingly quirky family, to his rock-and-roll buddies and romantic loves, to the devoted teachers and brilliant colleagues whose encouragement and collaboration supported him. He also chronicles the development of revolutionary accessible technologies and his role in shaping them, including screen readers, tactile maps, and audio description. Connecting Dots delivers a captivating first-person perspective on blindness and disability as incisive as it is entertaining and, ultimately, triumphant; in 2021 Miele won a MacArthur Genius award for his work. His story demonstrates the normality of blindness as he lives, loves, invents, raises a family, and takes pride in his blind identity. Interweaving tales of invention and independence with humor, struggle, and achievement, this is the story of one ordinary blind life with an indelible impact.

At the age of fifteen years old, while playing the sport that he loved, Scott suffered a debilitating injury that left his future in doubt. Through hard work, determination, and the support of family, friends, and community, Scott persevered, living a life full of excitement and happiness. Enjoy his ride!

After a diagnosis of a degenerative eye disease, John Samuel's life-and his chance at success-started to vanish.

In a world systemically unequipped for accessibility, disability inclusion is often left out of conversations about diversity. For people with disabilities, it can feel impossible to adapt and thrive when you're already set up for failure.

A more accessible world is possible-when we see the amazing opportunities in our differences.

From traveling the world and hiking mountains to finding love and raising a family, Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions shares Ablr CEO and cofounder John Samuel's inspirational journey against his inevitable blindness as he searched for acceptance. A powerful story for both professionals with disabilities and individuals working to create an inclusive culture at any organization, this memoir will empower you to accept yourself and others, break down barriers, and rebuild a world where everyone belongs.

You'll discover

• A heartfelt, insightful perspective of someone who is visually impaired and his day-to-day challenges.
• How to embrace your diagnosis or disability as an advantage for achieving your dreams.
• The incredible value those with disabilities can bring to organizations, no matter the business or industry.
• How anyone can be an ally and help remove organizational, digital, and performance barriers in the workplace.
• How to plan and implement a disability inclusion strategy within your company.

Embracing disabilities can lead to the greatest triumphs. Get Don't Ask the Blind Guy for Directions and start seeing acceptance as a powerful resource for change.

FOREWORD BY NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBER CAL RIPKEN, JR.

On a September night in Montreal in 1993, Curtis Pride got his first Major League hit, prompting a long, emotional standing ovation from the crowd of 45,757 fans. Profoundly deaf since birth, Pride couldn't hear their thunderous applause. But as the cheers grew louder and more insistent, he realized he was feeling those vibrations within his chest--an undeniable acknowledgment of an extraordinary achievement.

Pride went on to play in 420 more major-league games over eleven different seasons with the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and New York Yankees. He was then hired as head baseball coach at Gallaudet, the world's leading university for deaf and hard of hearing students and was also named Major League Baseball's Ambassador for Inclusion. Pride has received countless national and local awards for his achievements and his service in inspiring and educating others.

With candor, warmth, and humor, Pride writes from the heart in I Felt the Cheers. From the first time he played T-ball at age six and got a couple of hits, he dreamed of playing in the major leagues. No matter how unlikely it seemed, or how much skepticism he faced from teammates or coaches, Pride stayed resolute. Far from it being a disadvantage, he came to see that his deafness could sometimes be a secret weapon, forcing him to use senses that other players take for granted.

Curtis's personal journey is unique, but his message is a powerful, universal one, sure to resonate deeply with everyone who has faced difficult challenges. I Felt the Cheers is living proof that dreams can come true, no matter how impossible they seem.

In the summer of 2019, journalist Melissa Blake penned an op-ed for CNN Opinion. A conservative pundit caught wind of it, mentioning Blake's work in a YouTube video. What happened next is equal parts a searing view into society, how we collectively view and treat disabled people, and the making of an advocate. After a troll said that Blake should be banned from posting pictures of herself, she took to Twitter and defiantly posted three smiling selfies, all taken during a lovely vacation in the Big Apple:

I wanted desperately to clap back at these vile trolls in a way that would make a statement, not only about how our society views disabilities, but also about the toxicity of our strict and unrealistic beauty standards. Of course I knew that posting those selfies wasn't going to erase the nasty names I'd been called and, the chances were, they would never even see my tweet, but that didn't matter. I wasn't doing it for them; I was doing it for me and every single disabled person who has been bullied before, online and in real life. When people mock how I look, they're not just insulting me. They're insulting all disabled people. We're constantly told that we're repulsive and ugly and not good enough to be seen. This was me pushing back against that toxic, ableist narrative.

For the first time, I felt like I was doing something empowering, taking back my power and changing the story.

Her tweet went viral, attracting worldwide media attention and interviews with the BBC, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, PEOPLE magazine, Good Morning America and E! News.

Now, in her manifesto, Beautiful People, Blake shares her truths about disability, writing about (among other things):

• the language we use to describe disabled people
• ableism, microaggressions, and their pernicious effects
• what it's like to live in a society that not only isn't designed for you, but actively operates to render you invisible
• her struggles with self-image and self-acceptance
• the absence of disabled people in popular culture
• why disabled people aren't tragic heroes

An inspiring story of hearing loss and hope from The Bachelor's first deaf contestant

Abigail Heringer made her television debut as an instant fan-favorite on season 25 of The Bachelor. Stepping out of the limousine, she approached her bachelor with a playful declaration: she would be staring at his lips all night for two compelling reasons--her profound deafness since birth and because he had some nice lips!

But Abigail's journey wasn't always marked by such confidence. Growing up deaf and introverted, she dreaded being the center of attention, fearing her disability would burden those around her. Among her hearing peers, she felt like an outsider, simply labeled as the deaf girl. And after receiving a cochlear implant at the age of two, she subsequently struggled to find her place in the Deaf community too. Caught in between two worlds and grappling to define her identity as a deaf woman, Abigail felt like she belonged in neither.

Supported by her family, particularly her deaf older sister Rachel, Abigail has come to understand that while being deaf is part of her identity, it doesn't define her. Throughout her journey, marked by challenges and adversity, Abigail has grown into her own strongest advocate, discovering a new voice that is confident, fearless, and empowered--a voice that enables her to proudly reclaim the title of the deaf girl she once resisted and rewrite it as a testament to her resilience and strength.

Hopeful, vulnerable, and uplifting, The Deaf Girl shares Abigail's journey of navigating life with a profound hearing loss and her transformation from merely accepting her disability to embracing it wholeheartedly. This memoir serves as an inspiring reminder for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider or struggled to embrace their differences, showcasing that every voice is worthy of being heard.

Gleason is a symbol of resilience, hope and optimism. --The New York Times - Steve Gleason has changed the world. -Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner - An extraordinary book...A Life Impossible will change the way people cope, think, and live. -Mike Lupica, co-author with James Patterson of 12 Months to Live

In 2011, three years after leaving the NFL, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease that takes away the ability to move, talk, and breathe. Doctors gave him three years to live. He was thirty-three years old. As Steve says, he is now ten years past his expiration date.

His memoir is the chronicle of a remarkable life, one filled with optimism and joy, despite the trauma and pain and despair he has experienced. Writing using eye-tracking technology, Gleason covers his pre-ALS life through the highs and lows of his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, where he made one of the most memorable plays in Saints history, leading to a victory in the first post-Katrina home game, uplifting the city, making him a hero, and reflected in a nine-foot bronze statue outside the Superdome. Then came his heartbreaking diagnosis. Gleason lost all muscle function, he now uses Stephen Hawking-like technology to communicate, and breathes with the help of a ventilator. This book captures Gleason and his wife Michel's unmatched resilience as they reinvent their lives, refuse to succumb to despair, and face his disease realistically and existentially.

This unsparing portrait argues that a person's true strength does not reside solely in one's body but also in the ability to face unfathomable adversity and still be able to love and treasure life.

You don't want others to see you as a victim. But what if you see yourself as a victim? I often picture myself as a physically-able person. Every time I do, I ask myself countless questions like: What would I be doing today if I didn't have dystonia? Would I be married? Where would I live? What kind of experiences would I have had by now? How would I be spending my days? If I focus on those thoughts for too long, I find myself chasing could've or would've statements into a deep whirlpool of emotions that can take me down for days or weeks at a time. One question leads to another, and before I know what is happening, I am stuck in resentment. I know that asking God questions isn't a bad thing, but I also know He may never answer some of the questions I have. Every disability has its challenges, and all of them require faith and persistence. But moving from resentment to resilience is the greatest challenge of all. The hard part is remembering that God is good. Even when some days aren't.

...an essential and engaging look at recent disability history.-- Buzzfeed

One of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and just be human.

A story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn't built for all of us and of one woman's activism--from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington--Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann's lifelong battle to achieve respect, acceptance, and inclusion in society.

Paralyzed from polio at eighteen months, Judy's struggle for equality began early in life. From fighting to attend grade school after being described as a fire hazard to later winning a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher's license because of her paralysis, Judy's actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people.

As a young woman, Judy rolled her wheelchair through the doors of the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in San Francisco as a leader of the Section 504 Sit-In, the longest takeover of a governmental building in US history. Working with a community of over 150 disabled activists and allies, Judy successfully pressured the Carter administration to implement protections for disabled peoples' rights, sparking a national movement and leading to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Candid, intimate, and irreverent, Judy Heumann's memoir about resistance to exclusion invites readers to imagine and make real a world in which we all belong.

Diary of a Young Naturalist chronicles the turning of a year in Dara's Northern Ireland home patch. Beginning in spring--when the sparrows dig the moss from the guttering and the air is as puffed out as the robin's chest--these diary entries about his connection to wildlife and the way he sees the world are vivid, evocative, and moving.

As well as Dara's intense connection to the natural world, Diary of a Young Naturalist captures his perspective as a teenager juggling exams, friendships, and a life of campaigning. We see his close-knit family, the disruptions of moving and changing schools, and the complexities of living with autism. In writing this book, writes Dara, I have experienced challenges but also felt incredible joy, wonder, curiosity and excitement. In sharing this journey my hope is that people of all generations will not only understand autism a little more but also appreciate a child's eye view on our delicate and changing biosphere.

Winner of the Wainwright Prize for UK nature writing and already sold into more than a dozen territories, Diary of a Young Naturalist is a triumphant debut from an important new voice.

For far too long, I was told I was just like everyone else. But knew it couldn't be true. Living just seemed so much harder for me. This wasn't okay. This wasn't normal. This wasn't functioning. And it certainly wasn't fine.

Paige Layle was normal. She lived in the countryside with her mom, dad, and brother Graham. She went to school, hung out with friends, and all the while everything seemed so much harder than it needed to be. A break in routine threw off the whole day. If her teacher couldn't answer why in class, she dissolved into tears, unable to articulate her own confusion or explain her lack of control.

But Paige was normal. She smiled in photos, picked her feet up when her mom needed to vacuum instead of fleeing the room, and earned high grades. She had friends and loved to perform in local theater productions. It wasn't until a psychiatrist said she wasn't doing okay, that anyone believed her.

In But Everyone Feels This Way, Paige Layle shares her story as an autistic woman diagnosed late. Armed with the phrase Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Paige challenges stigmas, taboos, and stereotypes while learning how to live her authentic, autistic life.

Confessional and often hilarious, in Normal Sucks a neuro-diverse writer, advocate, and father offers a radical message of acceptance and empowerment.

Jonathan Mooney blends anecdote, expertise, and memoir to present a new mode of thinking about how we live and learn. As a neuro-diverse kid diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD who didn't learn to read until he was twelve, the realization that he wasn't the problem--the system and the concept of normal were--saved Mooney's life. Here, he explores the toll that our narrow conception of normal takes on kids and adults both. But, he argues, if we can reorient the ways in which we think about diversity and disability, we can start a revolution.

Mooney has been inspiring audiences with his story for nearly two decades. Now he's ready to share what he's learned from parents, educators, researchers, and kids in a book that is both a survival guide and a call to action. Whip-smart and inspiring--and movingly framed as a letter to his own young sons--this book will upend what we call normal and empower us all.

Content includes events that are traumatic and emotionally triggering for victims of abuse and trauma.

Haben defines disability as an opportunity for innovation. She learned non-visual techniques for everything from dancing salsa to handling an electric saw. She developed a text-to-braille communication system that created an exciting new way to connect with people. Haben pioneered her way through obstacles, graduated from Harvard Law, and now uses her talents to advocate for people with disabilities.

Haben takes readers through a thrilling game of blind hide-and-seek in Louisiana, a treacherous climb up an iceberg in Alaska, and a magical moment with President Obama at The White House. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating memoir is a testament to one woman's determination to find the keys to connection.
This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit. -- O Magazine
A profoundly important memoir. -- The Times
** As featured in The Wall Street Journal, People, and on The TODAY Show ** A New York Times New & Noteworthy Pick ** An O Magazine Book of the Month Pick ** A Publishers Weekly Bestseller **

While society called his disability an obstacle and limitation, Neil argued that his flourishing dystonia allowed him to think, explore, and create art in a way most people cannot. True to his words, Neil embraced every opportunity to experience life to its fullest, from navigating the Alaskan wilderness in a wheelchair to commanding the spotlight on stage.

In this deeply personal account, Neil invites readers into his world as he remembers adventures and escapades, triumphs and disappointments. Through it all, Neil's humor and wisdom reminds us to rethink labels and look beyond the obvious.