If you’re searching for inspirational books with a huge focus on people with disabilities and their positive contributions to society, here’s our round-up of some exciting and recommended literature to read during your free time.
Take inspiration and learn some new insights from this collection written by Australian and international authors.
We have added some excerpts and summaries about each book too. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts after reading them…
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century (by Alice Wong)
“From original pieces by up-and-coming authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma, to blog posts, manifestos, eulogies, congressional testimonies, and beyond, this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites listeners to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love.” Source
Growing Up Disabled in Australia (by Carly Findlay)
“A rich collection of writing from those negotiating disability in their lives – a group whose voices are not heard often enough. Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, bestselling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian Isis Holt, poetry and graphic art, as well as more than 40 original pieces by writers with a disability or chronic illness.” Source
But You Don’t Look Autistic at All (by Bianca Toeps)
“In this book, Bianca Toeps explains in great detail what life is like when you’re autistic. She does this by looking at what science says about autism (and why some theories can go straight into the bin), but also by telling her own story and interviewing other people with autism. Bianca talks in a refreshing and sometimes hilarious way about different situations autistic people encounter in daily life. She has some useful tips for non-autistic people too: what you should do if someone prefers not to look you in the eye, why it is sometimes better to communicate by email, and, most important of all, why it is not a compliment if you say: But you don’t look autistic at all!” Source
People with Disabilities: Sidelined or Mainstreamed? (by Lisa Schur, Douglas Kruse, and Peter Blanck)
“This book provides an overview of the progress and continuing disparities faced by people with disabilities around the world, reviewing hundreds of studies and presenting new evidence from analysis of surveys and interviews with disability leaders. It shows the connections among economic, political, and social inclusion, and how the experience of disability can vary by gender, race, and ethnicity. It uses a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on theoretical models and research in economics, political science, psychology, disability studies, law, and sociology.” Source
Can You See Me? (by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott)
“Endearing, insightful, and warmly uplifting, Can You See Me? is a story of autism, empathy, and kindness that will touch readers of all ages.
Tally is eleven years old and she’s just like her friends. Well, sometimes she is. If she tries really hard to be. Because there’s something that makes Tally not the same as her friends. Something she can’t cover up, no matter how hard she tries: Tally is autistic.
Tally’s autism means there are things that bother her even though she wishes they didn’t. It means that some people misunderstand her and feel frustrated by her. People think that because Tally is autistic, she doesn’t realise what they’re thinking, but Tally sees and hears – and notices all of it. And, honestly? That’s not the easiest thing to live with.” Source
Ugly: My Memoir (by Robert Hoge)
“Robert Hoge was born with a giant tumour on his forehead, severely distorted facial features, and legs that were twisted and useless. His mother refused to look at her son, let alone bring him home. But home he went, to a life that, against the odds, was filled with joy, optimism, and boyhood naughtiness. UGLY is Robert’s account of that life, from the time of his birth to the arrival of his own daughter. It is a story of how the love and support of his family helped him to overcome incredible hardships. It is also the story of an extraordinary person living an ordinary life, which is perhaps his greatest achievement of all.” Source
The Shape of Sound (by Fiona Murphy)
“A vivid and essential memoir of deafness, disability, and identity. Blending memoir with observations on the healthcare industry, The Shape of Sound is a story about the corrosive power of secrets, stigma, and shame, and how deaf experiences and disability are shaped by
economics, social policy, medicine and societal expectations.” Source
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