July is Disability Pride Month

Did you know 13.2% of Americans had some kind of physical or mental disability in 2019? Since the passing of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) in 1990, Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July. The Americans with Disabilities Act helps protect the rights of people with disabilities in five important areas:

1. employment
2. state and local government facilities and services
3. public accommodations
4. telecommunications
5. transportation.

Unfortunately, many people with disabilities still face discrimination and stigma. In light of this reality, it is even more crucial for us to promote Disability Pride Month. As someone with multiple disabilities, I really appreciate reading books with characters or real-life people who I can relate to.

Here are five books I recommend that honor and embrace having disabilities of all kinds (including those that are invisibile!).

A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age With Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley: Henley shares what it was like to grow up with Crouzon Syndrome, both physically and socially.

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.

One for All by Lillie Lainoff: A gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers  in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love.

The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me by Keah Brown: Brown discusses what it means to grow up as a member of multiple marginalized communities: she's Black, she's a woman, and she has cerebral palsy.

The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging by Hannalora Leavitt: This nonfiction book for teens provides a history of disability, describes types of disabilities and examines the challenges faced by people living with disabilities.