On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, and July is now known as Disability Pride Month. To celebrate, we’ve curated a list of inspiring reads that showcase the voices and experiences of people with disabilities.
These stories shed light on misunderstood conditions, challenge stereotypes and explore the complexities of how our abilities shape our identities.
“Disability Visibility,” edited by Alice Wong
One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent, but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. In this anthology, activist Alice Wong brings together an urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people. These stories give a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting their passions, talents, and everyday lives.
“Get a Life, Chloe Brown” by Talia Hibbert
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan and a list. After almost — but not quite — dying, she’s come up with six directives to help her “Get a Life,” and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next item? Do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad. When Chloe enlists Redford “Red” Morgan, a handyman heartthrob by day and secret artist by night, she learns things that no one could teach her, like why he resents Chloe’s wealthy background and why he never shows his art to anyone. And what lies beneath his rough exterior…
“The Sign for Home” by Blair Fell
Arlo Dilly is young, handsome and eager to meet the right girl. He also happens to be DeafBlind, a Jehovah’s Witness and under the strict guardianship of his controlling uncle. His chances of finding someone to love seem slim to none. And yet, it happened once years ago; at a boarding school for the Deaf, Arlo met the love of his life. But tragedy struck and their love was lost forever. After years of trying to heal his broken heart, he begins to wonder if the hearing people he was supposed to trust have been lying to him all along. Despite the many forces working against him, Arlo will stop at nothing to find the girl who got away and experience all of life’s joyful possibilities.
“Travelling to Infinity” by Jane Hawking
Professor Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous and remarkable scientists of our age. In this compelling memoir, his first wife, Jane Hawking, relates the inside story of their extraordinary marriage. As Stephen’s academic renown soared, his body was collapsing under the assault of a motor neuron disease. Jane’s candid account of trying to balance his 24-hour care with the needs of their growing family reveals the inner strength of the author, while the self-evident character and achievements of her husband make for an incredible tale presented with unflinching honesty.
“Disfigured” by Amanda Leduc
In fairy tales, happy endings are the norm — as long as you’re beautiful and walk on two legs. By examining the ways that fairy tales have shaped our expectations of disability, “Disfigured” will point the way toward a new world where disability is no longer a punishment or impediment but operates, instead, as a way of centering a protagonist and helping them to cement their own place in a story, and from there, the world. Throughout the book, Leduc ruminates on the connections we make between fairy tale archetypes and tries to make sense of them through a 21st century disablist lens.
“Haben” by Haben Girma
Born with deaf-blindness, Haben Girma grew up with enough vision to know when someone was in front of her and enough hearing to know when someone close to her was talking. However, she had difficulty reading facial features or distinguishing people in group conversations. Relying on her own problem-solving skills, Girma overcame roadblocks while simultaneously obtaining her undergraduate and then law degree. In the process, she developed new methods of communication and found her calling in advocating for the deaf and blind communities in more accessible communication, education and employment opportunities.
“Always Only You” by Chloe Liese
Ren has known Frankie Zeferino was a woman worth waiting for since the moment they met. But as long as Frankie’s the team’s social media manager, she’s off limits. Maybe in the past, Frankie would have gone for a guy like him, but since being burned too many times by people who learn about her diagnoses and see a problem, not a person, she’s wised up. After waiting years for the right time to make his move, Ren learns Frankie plans to leave the team to pursue a new career. But what he didn’t anticipate was how hard he’d have to work to convince her to let him have his shot at winning her heart.
Ashlee Conour is the marketing specialist at Naperville Public Library.