Disability Memoir

Paralyzed from polio at 18 months, Judy Heumann began her struggle for equality 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, to leading the section 504 sit-in that led to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Judy's actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people around the globe.

The author describes in detail all the insanity, disturbing behaviors, oppressive symptoms, and various feeling associated with the mental battles within her own mind. The author suffers from clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and borderline personality disorder. She struggles with suicidal thoughts and attempts, self-mutilating behaviors, mania, paranoia, anxiety, and psychosis with intense hallucinations of all five of her senses, and multiple delusions, including the belief that she is the "second-coming of Christ".

Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you identify more with the Beast than Beauty? Amanda Leduc looks at fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm to Disney, showing us how they influence our expectations and behaviour and linking the quest for disability rights to new kinds of stories that celebrate difference.

What does it mean to think differently in a world that wasn't built for your mind? Jake Didinsky is autistic, queer, non-binary, and Jewish. They've spent their life building an operating system to survive—a framework for navigating ethics, systems, and human connection when the default settings keep crashing. The Architecture of Uncertainty is part memoir, part philosophy, and entirely honest.

I am not trying to be a role model, just a possibility. There are obstacles, and people may not always treat you properly, but there is progress. My story is one of many that doesn't choose death over paralysis. It's just a story that doesn't get told often enough.

Amanda Harris presents her inspiring autobiography. Travel with her as she shares her life experiences from diagnosis of a visual impairment, at only a few weeks old, to becoming a successful business owner and motivational speaker. An honest, moving and funny story highlighting transformation from the only disabled child in the playground to a strong independent woman.

Inclusion isn’t always about grand gestures. Sometimes, it can begin in the smallest of moments. Inclusion Moments is a collection of short stories and reflections drawn from the lived and professional experience of the author, Poggy Murray Whitham, from the world of engineering and beyond, seen through their perspective as a Black, Queer, Disabled, and Autistic person.

A breast cancer diagnosis changes everything in an instant. Fear rises, and the future can feel uncertain. In Don't Fear the Storm, triple negative breast cancer survivor Janet Fisher shares her honest and faith-filled journey through diagnosis, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and recovery—offering Christian encouragement and hope while revealing how relying on God's presence shaped her response to every challenge.

I know this sounds a bit cliche, but life truly is a journey. It evidences as a unique sojourn for every individual person. This is the story of a child born seventy years ago. It is a story of triumph and setbacks, of joy and sorrow, of weakness and strength. But most of all, it is a story of courage. Brian J. Woznicki was born with cerebral palsy. He was dealt a very difficult hand in life.

Hülya wird mit einem Gendefekt geboren, ihre Hände und Beine sind nicht voll funktionsfähig. Trotzdem lässt diese starke Frau sich nicht unterkriegen und meistert ihr Leben mit all seinen Hindernissen. Hülyas Lebens- und Liebesgeschichte zeugt von ihrem unerschütterlichen Glauben an das Gute. Mit ihrer warmherzigen Art berührt sie die Menschen überall, wo sie hinkommt.

From being a little girl in a village in China with polio to a tech executive at Apple, Libo Cao Meyers has had quite a journey in life—a journey steeped in rich family legacy and powered by determination, growth, and love. Over the years and the miles, she’s embraced her differences and has allowed no one—including herself—to set limitations on what she’s able to accomplish. But just because she’s been successful doesn’t mean it’s been easy. Not by a long shot.

When you hear the word “disability”, what comes to mind? Cheryl Schiltz tells her story of being introduced to disability. She shares her journey from a silent world to one that encased her in constant anxiety. Her life as she knew it had disappeared. It became one of a continuous fight between psychological and physical change. Noise. From her childhood, you’ll find yourself traveling with her as she discovers the power to gain control. She shares her story openly and honestly, raw and sensitive.

In "You're Not Doing It Right," Ellen Patnaude bravely opens the door to the haunting reality of Lewy body dementia (LBD) and unravels its profound impact on families. One of the most common types of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, LBD is marked by fluctuations in cognition, hallucinations, and motor symptoms. The journey begins with subtle warnings of small changes in her mother's behavior that worry Patnaude's father, but go unnoticed by the author and her sibling.

Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, best-selling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian Isis Holt.

As a boy, severely disabled after contracting polio as a baby in working class Liverpool, Bert Massie found himself wondering why disabled people were expected to adapt to the world around them, and not the other way round. In his teens, he began to campaign for rights for disabled people, and having battled his way through prejudice and the education system to become a Bachelor of Arts and a qualified social worker, he became a prominent figure in the fight for fair treatment for disabled people leading to the ground breaking Disability Discrimination Act.

This is a seminal work that allows you to see the world from the eyes of a person with muscular dystrophy. It's important to keep your eyes open as you put this book down and start today by making a contribution to those with disabilities so that they too can live life to the fullest. Evin lived his whole life knowing that his days were numbered and that every single event or activity could possibly be his last. I want you to deeply imagine the mental pressures these types of thoughts can cause.

Dietetics practitioners are food and nutrition experts who help people live healthier lives. They work in a variety of settings—from hospitals and research to sports, schools, nursing homes, and the food industry. Yet, despite the diversity of the populations they serve, the dietetics profession is predominantly female, white, and able-bodied. Only 2% of dietetics practitioners have a disability compared to 29% of US adults. There is an urgent need to diversify the field—especially by including practitioners with disabilities.

In 2004, Mindy begins hearing a voice in her head, someone she calls "Joe," and sees signs everywhere that hold mysterious clues only for her. What she doesn't know at the time is that she is experiencing her first schizophrenic episode. For the next decade, she oscillates between two worlds -- a normal life and a secret voice-filled one -- until she begins the journey of merging her two worlds back into one. Becoming Whole documents her onset of schizophrenia and the subsequent years spent learning about it and how to live with it. It is her journey to find solace.

At once heartbreakingly honest and strikingly witty, Holding On by Letting Go is the unforgettable true story of one woman's journey through despair to acceptance and hope. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of the light that can be found in the darkest of times.

A collision with a moose on a dark highway left Susan Mockler with an incomplete spinal injury, suddenly compromising her ability to walk and to care for herself. She spent months in a rehabilitation facility learning how to adjust to her new reality, and though her body partially recovered, every aspect of her life changed.