Disability Biography

In the face of a mysterious and terrifying illness, this is the story of a family trying to maintain some kind of togetherness. Torn between his commitment to keep Clarisa a part of Janir’s life and the threat she poses to that life, John acknowledges that he can care for his son in ways he never could for Clarisa. All who have experienced the wrench of mental illness in the family will recognize their own journey in this heartfelt story of fatherhood.

In October of 2008, I was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, TN, after a head-on collision with an SUV while riding a motorcycle. When I woke up, I was told I would never walk again or have full use of my hands. Seventy-eight screws, 13 plates, 25 units of blood, and more than 400 stitches and staples later, I became very familiar with physical pain and haven’t had a pain-free day since. That physical battle was harder than I could even begin to explain, but it doesn’t really come close to the one that I went through inside of myself over the years that followed.

Autism: The Fight Inside is an audiobook made to educate young men and young women of the dangers that form from gangs. It was made to help young people make better choices with their lives.

Pulling back the veil of disability, the family’s journey offers insights and understanding about the inherent complexities of daily life. With a son labelled "disabled", the family is committed to fostering a “good life” for Matthew. Standing against ingrained societal tendencies that patronize and marginalize people with disabilities, they reject segregated approaches.

My neurologist stunned me when she said, “You have multiple sclerosis, and looking at your MRI, you are a walking time bomb. You may not have symptoms today, but it’s just a matter of time.” As the MS tightened its grip on my body, I plunged deep into a myriad of strange feelings—denial and depression for over a year.

Public Hostage, Public Ransom starts with the autobiographical story of William Bronston, the activist physician whose early professional California training steels him with a deep moral, professional, and cultural bond to the huge 6,000-person disabled population he encounters incarcerated in Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, NY, on whose behalf he daily battles to humanize and ultimately catalyze a federal class action lawsuit against the state to close the death-making institution.

Love for a Deaf Rebel introduces listeners to a vivacious Canadian woman who was born into a silent world and with the foundation for schizophrenia. With pathos and nostalgia, the author recounts his roller-coaster ride with Pearl, a vivacious deaf maverick, who, unknown to him, had paranoid schizophrenia. We follow their encounters through actual notes written before Derrick learns sign language; we go on their motorcycle ride to Mexico and Guatemala; we watch as the happy couple moves to Bowen Island, a British Columbia community with just three paved roads.

Are You Two Sisters? is Susan Krieger's candid, revealing, and engrossing memoir about the intimacies of a lesbian couple. Krieger explores how she and her partner confront both the inner challenges of their relationship and the invisibility of lesbian identity in the larger world. Using a lively novelistic and autoethnographic approach that toggles back and forth in time, Krieger reflects on the evolution of her 40-year relationship. She describes building a life together, from sharing pets and travels to getting married.

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.

Before a surfing accident caused thirty-three-year-old Devon Raney to lose all but 15 percent of his vision, he had already lived an extraordinary life. Time and again he'd gone against the grain to maximize time for his passions--surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding--bringing him into the...

From two-time National Book Award nominee Melissa Fay Greene comes a profound and surprising account of dogs on the front lines of rescuing both children and adults from the trenches of grief, emotional, physical, and cognitive disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Underdogs tells...

An unflinching and luminous memoir that explores a father’s philosophical transformation when he must reconsider the questions what makes us human? and whose life is worth living? Before becoming a father, Chris Gabbard was a fast-track academic finishing his doctoral dissertation at Stanford...

Alex Reegan's incredible story of healing and growth is your call to look within and live as your most authentic self.As a trans man born into an evangelical Christian family that prevented his true identity from emerging, Alex spent years struggling with depression, anxiety, and addiction...

One afternoon, Emma Nadler gets a call from her daughter's doctor that changes her life forever. Faced with the realities of raising a child with a rare genetic condition, Nadler must confront her preconceptions of motherhood and her perfectionistic beliefs. Nadler—who also happens to be a psychotherapist—offers a rare window into the unconventional ways she and her family adapt to their improbable path. Every relationship in her life—with herself, her husband, children, friends, and even clients—is reimagined as she navigates the heartbreak and hilarity of her daily life.

Discover Linda Hoopes’ inspiring journey of resilience and triumph over macular degeneration in Co-Creating A Meaningful Life With Macular Degeneration. From fear to determination, her story will captivate your heart and empower you to embrace life’s challenges. Join her on this transformative path and find the strength to overcome obstacles, live fully and cherish every moment. Hoopes honestly shares the physical, emotional and spiritual transitions necessary to not only meet difficult challenges but how to thrive in spite of them.

This is my story. After a lifetime of trying to help everyone else get their lives together, I have finally figured out how to get mine together. I am now 72 years old, semi-retired from a business I created to help young adults with autism function in the world. I live in Mexico with my loving partner. I have fulfilling relationships with my adult children and grandchildren.

Many people give up on God. It’s easy to trust in his goodness and strength when life is easy. But how do we persevere in our faith when life gets hard? Few people can show us how to do that better than Allan Schwartz.

Le destin de Simone s’est écrit le jour de sa naissance. Son premier cri, elle le pousse en partie à cause d’un arrachement du plexus brachial qui paralyse son bras droit. Comme dans 80 % des situations, son handicap est invisible. Pourtant, à force de volonté et de courage elle embrasse une carrière de handballeuse, jusqu’à atteindre le très haut niveau.

Ada d’Adamo est danseuse. Elle a passé sa vie à rechercher la grâce, la perfection du geste. Lorsqu’elle met au monde Daria, rien ne l’avait préparée à devenir la mère d’une enfant lourdement handicapée, qui jamais ne pourra voir ni marcher. Elle commence alors à écrire et penser cet amour hors du commun qui la lie à Daria, où tout est sans cesse à inventer. Mais une dizaine d’années plus tard, Ada découvre qu’elle-même est malade.

Es ist Nicoles zweiunddreißigster Geburtstag, als sie unter der Dusche steht und sich auf die Feier mit ihren zwei kleinen Kindern und ihrem liebevollen Mann freut. Abrupt wird sie aus ihren Gedanken gerissen, als sie einen Knoten in ihrer Brust ertastet. Eine Welt bricht für sie zusammen. Später stellen die Ärzte die Diagnose, dass in Nicoles Körper nicht nur ein hochaggressiver Tumor wächst, sondern dass sie außerdem dieselbe genetische Vorbelastung wie Angelina Jolie hat. Selbst nach erfolgreicher Therapie, bleibt die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer erneuten Erkrankung enorm hoch.