Disability Biography

People around the world have fallen in love with Penguin the Magpie, a global social media sensation, and her adventures with her human family. But there is far more to Penguin's story than meets the eye. It all begins when Sam, Cameron Bloom's wife, suffers a near fatal fall that leaves her paralyzed and deeply depressed. One of their three sons, reeling from the tragic accident, discovers an injured magpie chick abandoned after she had fallen from her nest. The boys name the bird Penguin, for her black-and-white plumage.

Jeremy Schreiber was on top of the world—athletic, newly married, successful. And then something went terribly wrong. In this moving memoir, he shares his journey after he received a terrifying diagnosis: ALS. As the devastating disease robbed him of movement and speech, he was abandoned by his wife and betrayed by a society that shuns people with disabilities. But it’s not all doom and gloom. He found love, support, and a powerful purpose. While fighting for his independence and then for his life, Jeremy gave his all to the ALS and disability communities.

"If you can dream it, you can do it!" - das ist bei Oliver Brünner keine Floskel. Dabei sah im Leben des heute erfolgreichen Speakers eigentlich alles ganz anders aus. Noch während seiner Geburt zieht sich die Nabelschnur seiner Mutter wie eine Schlinge um seinen Hals, weswegen er fortan mit einer spastischen Tetraparese lebt. Doch Oliver trotzt den vermeintlichen Widrigkeiten und kann heute auf einen Lebensweg zurückblicken, den dem schon früh als "Sorgenkind" titulierten Jungen wohl niemand zugetraut hätte. Seine Geheimwaffe: das Träumen.

When Bryan Silman was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, hospice gave him two weeks to live. What followed defied every medical prediction—and became a story no one saw coming. I Am Warrior is the true account of one man’s refusal to die. Written in collaboration with Misty McConnel and Maryam Farooq, this powerful narrative blends raw memoir, emotional psychology, and lived philosophy.

In Queen of Hearts: Born a Lemon, Nova tells on herself; candidly, unapologetically, and often hilariously. She takes you through the surgeries, the setbacks, the sarcastic remarks that got her through, and the signs that kept showing up to remind her that she was never as alone as she felt.

In the fall of 1961, a young girl eagerly anticipates the arrival of her baby brother, Ricky. But when he's born, the joy she expected is overshadowed by the unexpected tension that fills their home. Her mother, once lively and full of warmth, becomes distant, struggling to care for two children-especially a newborn with special needs. Raising Ricky is the poignant story of a family transformed, as a sister steps into a role far beyond her years to protect and care for her brother.

In this unique and exhilarating autobiography, Allan Jones - Canada’s first blind diplomat - vividly describes how an untreatable eye disease slowly decimated his visual world, most challengingly during his postings in Tokyo and New Delhi, and how he discovered and took to heart the revelatory Indian philosophy that changed his life.

Bárbara Anderson narra con brutal franqueza el día a día de tener un hijo con discapacidad: los retos dentro y fuera de casa, las complicaciones de salud y de vida; los cambios de prioridades; el Everest de cada día al tener un hijo con - hasta ahora - un diagnóstico irreversible como es la parálisis cerebral infantil.

With humility and candor, artist activist Mary Fisher inspires us when, in her eighth decade, she creatively takes on disease, poverty, hunger, injustice, racism and the role of women. Uneasy Silence tells her story of speaking truth to power while living with AIDS, journeying through cancer and surviving a near-death experience. Her steady concern for The Other enables her to find the strength to stand up, speak up and make a difference, inspiring us to do the same.

The spoiler is that Platinum, the shiny precious metal we may associate with glamour and wealth, was an ingredient in one of the chemo compounds. In this context, it functioned as a poison, carrying out the bizarre miracle of chemotherapy where death and life meet. Tracing through the paradoxical tensions of treatment, healing from treatment, succumbing to medicine and claiming autonomy, Hannah Kate guides us through essential components of the journey. There are material resources that will support you—yet much of what is needed requires connecting with the fundamental elements of life.

"Det var inget jag hade valt, detta att inte höra ihop med dem. Det var bara så att jag inte gjorde det. Jag kunde inte ändra på det och jag visste inte vad en människa var meningen att vara. Inuti kände jag mig ledsen. Varför blev de alltid så arga? Varför begrep de inte?". Redan i tidig ålder insåg Gunilla Gerland att hon inte var som alla andra. Hon ville gärna röra vid saker som var böjda, undvek helst att tugga maten och hade ett stort behov av att få vara ifred.

Lorenzo Amurri non nasce come scrittore, lo diventa in seguito a un tragico incidente di sci che, a soli 26 anni, frantuma la strada artistica sulla quale viaggiava sin da giovanissimo: chitarrista rock, produttore musicale. Un ragazzo dinamico e trasgressivo senza mezze misure. Dall'incidente e dalla sua nuova condizione segnata dalla tetraplegia e dall'impossibilità di stringere ancora tra le braccia la sua chitarra, Lorenzo rinasce. Nel 2008 decide di affidare al suo blog Tracce di ruote "riflessioni, denunce e cronaca della sua seconda vita".

As a new mother to three nonverbal, profoundly autistic children, Christine Slack Roach felt lost and alone. There were resources about autism and about raising children with disabilities. But she couldn’t find anything that resonated with what she was experiencing with her own children. As her three children approach adulthood, Christine feels compelled to share the miracles, joys, pain and unending love she has experienced learning about and raising her kids so that other parents in a similar situation will know that they are not alone, and there are resources out there.

What do you do when multiple sclerosis knocks you on your ass, tells you your rap career is over, and dares you to stay down? You write a new story — and this one’s real as hell. Myelin My Shoes is the raw, unfiltered, punch-in-the-gut memoir from underground hip-hop artist Robert “B-Cide” Cardillo II, who turned pain into power and built something real in a world full of fake. From rocking shows with legends to dodging shady promoters, from touring the country to being forced into a wheelchair by multiple sclerosis — this is the story of a man who refused to tap out. No ghostwriters.

Growing up with Autism is hard enough. Growing up with Autism when you're a little gay weirdo is almost impossible. Greatest Hits of my Childhood Trauma is the story of a boy fighting to exist in a world that would rather throw him away. From overly religious mothers to prison sentences, drug overdoses, psychiatric facilities, bizarre sexual encounters, and queer high school romance, this tale of 90s middle America is heartbreaking, hilarious, and hard to put down. Alex Dark takes us through the darkest parts of his life with a charm that will keep you coming back for more.

Most people encounter disability at some point in their lives, either in their own bodies or through a friend or loved one. Faith leaders, sacred texts, and members of religious communities frequently offer religious teachings and metaphors as explanation for the presence of disability, but rarely do we hear the voices of people living with disabilities reflecting on their experiences of God, faith, or religious life.

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.

Stroke of Love is the life story of a young stroke survivor from Texas named Hether Flanigan. It is a story of resilience, determination, strength, and love. A story about the human spirit, the will to live life to the fullest, the power of the human mind, and the love that surrounds us.

In the depths of despair, contemplating suicide, I gazed out a rain-streaked window in Maryland, where blurred colors in a parking lot mirrored my shattered soul. The shame of being sexually abused haunted me with recurring nightmares and PTSD, leading to a life cloaked in a complex facade of military titles and untold secrets. In this powerful memoir, published poet and author Adam Volant shares his raw and inspiring testimony of overcoming unimaginable brokenness to achieve success.

Wie können wir Inklusion endlich umsetzen? Eine so persönliche wie politische Geschichte. 2016 wird Hadija Haruna-Oelker Mutter eines behinderten Kindes. Immer wieder trifft sie auf Barrieren und trennende Systeme, die seit Jahrzehnten bekannt sind: Bürokratie, pseudoinklusive Schulen oder unhinterfragte Diskriminierungen und Abwertungen im Alltag.