Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today

Product Description

Disabled young people will be proud to see themselves reflected in this hopeful, compelling, and insightful essay collection, adapted for young adults from the critically acclaimed adult book, Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century that “sheds light on the experience of life as an individual with disabilities, as told by none other than authors with these life experiences.” –Chicago Tribune, “Best books published in summer 2020” (Vintage/Knopf Doubleday edition).

The seventeen eye-opening essays in
Disability Visibility, all written by disabled people, offer keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, examining life’s ableism and inequality, its challenges and losses, and celebrating its wisdom, passion, and joy.
 
The accounts in this collection ask readers to think about disabled people not as individuals who need to be “fixed,” but as members of a community with its own history, culture, and movements. They offer diverse perspectives that speak to past, present, and future generations. It is essential reading for all.

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-The idea that storytelling is a powerful tool for creating community and fostering agency has been a driving force behind disabled activist Wong’s work. She founded the Disability Visibility Project (DVP), a project that records oral histories in partnership with StoryCorps. In 2020, Wong published Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This adaptation includes 17 of the original stories and opens a window into the rich and wide-ranging world that comprises the disability community. These first-person accounts are written by authors with diverse identities. For example, Keah Brown is a Black woman with cerebral palsy who writes about Black disabled joy. Sandy Ho is a queer, Asian American woman writing about the stigma of disability through an intersectional lens. Particularly powerful is Ariel Henley’s entry “There is a Mathematical Equation That Proves I’m Ugly: Or So I Learned in My Seventh-Grade Art Class.” The 17 selections are divided into four sections (Being, Becoming, Doing, and Connection) and each one includes content notes to let readers know about any potentially distressing content, such as bullying or suicidal ideation. VERDICT With one out of every five people in the United States living with a disability, this is essential reading. The disability community is vibrant and varied; their voices need to be amplified. A recommended first purchase.-Ragan O’Malley, Saint Ann’s Sch., Brooklynα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“…this is
essential reading.” —
School Library Journal, starred review

 
“…
uplifting anthology.” —
Booklist, starred review
 
“This is a wide-ranging collection presenting diverse and compelling voices.
Ardently, intimately political instead of passively inspirational: will galvanize young activists.” —
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This collection is
a powerhouse and vital reading.” —Bookriot.com

About the Author

Alice Wong is a disabled activist, media maker, and research consultant based in San Francisco. She is the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. From 2013 to 2015, Alice served as a member of the National Council on Disability, an appointment made by President Barack Obama. Alice is also the editor of
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, an anthology of essays by disabled people.

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