10 Books in Honor of International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Published on 14 December 2023 at 14:38

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed each year on December 3rd. Initiated by the United Nations in 1992, this observance is built on the foundational belief that disability inclusion is a vital part of protecting human rights and creating a sustainable future for everyone. The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy was launched in 2019 as a way of approaching all work done by the UN in a way that is inclusive of the disability community. According to the United Nations, roughly one billion people currently live with a disability. 80% of people with disabilities live in a developing country and 10% of children have a disability. Learn more about the United Nations and it's work in favor of disability justice and equity by clicking the links below. Scroll down to find 10 books written by people with disabilities. To see what other people are saying about International Day of Persons with Disabilities, follow the hashtag, #IDPWD.

Learn about the United Nations' work for disability justice.

Image Description: A person with shoulder-length blond hair and a black and white polka-dot shirt travels down the bike lane using a motorized wheelchair. A pair of red and silver forearm crutches hang off the back of the wheelchair. Three pedestrians cross the street in the background. Trees line the sidewalks.

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10 Books by Authors with Disabilities

  1. Black Disability Politics (Sami Schalk): The intersection between disability and Black identity is an important one, but one that is often overlooked. In this book, Schalk digs into the differences and similarities between Black disability politics and activism and the mainstream disability rights movement which is often dominated by the voices and perspectives of White activists. Learn more about the author, this book, where to buy it, and how to read it for free by visiting the author's website.
  2. Crip Kinship: The Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid (Shayda Kafai): This nonfiction book highlights the work of Sins Invalid, a performance troup based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Through this text, the author examines the intersections of disability, race, gender, gender expression, and queer identities. Learn more about Sins Invalid here. This book is available for purchase through Arsenal Pulp Press or use LibraryLink or WorldCat to see if this book is available at a library near you.
  3. Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally (Emily Ladau): This book by disability activist, Emily Ladau, is a guide for becoming a better, more informed ally to the disability community. It is written by a person with a disability for people who have never experienced a disability. Learn more about the author, the book and where to buy it on Ladau's website.
  4. Give Me a Sign (Anna Sortino): A young adult romance, Give Me a Sign centers a protagonist with hearing loss. She becomes a camp counselor who works with deaf and blind campers so that she can get more practice communicating in American Sign Language. Learn more about this book and where to buy it here. Use LibraryLink or WorldCat to search for this book at a library near you.
  5. Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You (Sonia Sotomayor): Well known for being the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Justice Sotomayor also has type 1 diabetes. She wrote this children's book as a way to offer representation of chronic illness. While not every person with a disability wants strangers to ask about their disabilities, this book helps open the door for healthy and respectful conversation about disability. This book is available for purchase on Amazon. Use LibraryLink or WorldCat to see if this book is available at a library near you.
  6. Sensory: Life on the Spectrum: An Autistic Comics Anthology (edited by Bex Ollerton): Originating with the hashtag, #ASDTakeover, this book is an anthology of comics by autistic creators. It is designed to help autistic readers feel seen and represented and for non-autistic folks to get a glimpse of the perspectives of actually autistic people. Learn bore about Bex Ollerton's work on the author website here. Learn more about this book and where to buy it here. Use LibraryLink or WorldCat to search for this book at a library near you.
  7. Stairs and Whispers: D/deaf and Disabled Poets Write Back (edited by Sandra Alland, Khairani Barokka & Daniel Sluman): According to Sluman, this book is the first poetry anthology written by people with disabilities to hit major UK markets. This book is comes with an array of videos and audio recordings available online to increase access for all consumers of this book. Learn more about this book and where to buy it here. Use LibraryLink or WorldCat to see if this book is available at a library near you.
  8. To Sweeten Bitter (Raymond Antrobus): This book of poems is written by is written by the author of The Perseverance. The title is meant to indicate tenderness and hope. His writings often touch on disability and his Jamaican British identity. He is also the author of children's books like Can Bears Ski? Learn more about the author, his work, and where to purchase it through Antrobus' website. Use LibraryLink or WorldCat to see if this book is available at a library near you.
  9. We've Got This: Stories by Disabled Parents (edited by Eliza Hull): Finding representation and resources for parents with disabilities can be tricky, but We've Got This answers the call. Edited by Eliza Hull, each essay was written by disabled parents for disabled parents. Learn more about this book by reading this review by Laura Pettenuzzo. Use LibraryLink or WorldCat to search for this book at a library near you or buy it from Barnes & Noble.
  10. What Happened to You? (James Catchpole): Written for children, this book teaches young readers that not all people with disabilities want to talk about their disabilities with with strangers and that building inter-abled friendships comes from play, conversation, and inclusion and doesn't require probing questions, especially if they are questions that the disabled person doesn't want to answer. This book is available for purchase from Barnes & Noble. Use LibraryLink or WorldCat to search for this book at a library near you.

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