“I wish for a world that views disability, mental or physical, not as a hindrance but as unique attributes that can be seen as powerful assets if given the right opportunities.” -Oliver Sacks
July is Disability Pride Month, which only officially started in 2015. This year marks the 31st anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but more progress lies ahead!
Disability can be physical or mental, common or rare, visible or invisible, or learning disabilities. Most disabilities are invisible!
Are you interested in learning more about living with disabilities? Check out these books below:
- The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me by Keah Brown: Keah Brown loves herself, but that hadn't always been the case. Born with cerebral palsy, her greatest desire used to be normalcy and refuge from the steady stream of self-hate society strengthened inside her. But after years of introspection and reaching out to others in her community, she has reclaimed herself and changed her perspective.
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The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais: Moving halfway across the country to Colorado right before senior year means Maya will be leaving Pratt School for the Deaf. She's been a student there for years; to attend Engelmann High, a hearing school, is a shock. When Beau Watson, Engelmann's student body president starts learning ASL to converse with her, Maya thinks he has a hidden agenda. But she can't deny it's nice to sign with someone. When Maya passes up a chance to receive a cochlear implant she sees it as being true to herself, but Beau doesn't understand why Maya wouldn't want to hear again.
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Love from A to Z by S K Ali: Eighteen-year-old Muslims Adam and Zayneb meet in Doha, Qatar, during spring break and fall in love as both struggle to find a way to live their own truths.
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(Don't) call me crazy : 33 voices start the conversation about mental health edited by Kelly Jensen: To understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. This collection explores a wide range of topics, from the authors' personal experiences with mental illness and understanding how our brains are wired, to exploring the do's and don'ts of talking about mental health.
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Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp: This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators.
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The reason I jump : the inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with autism by Naoki Higashida: Written by a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, this is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine.
The image attached is of the Disability Pride flag, which was designed by Ann Magill, a disabled woman.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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