Social Disabilities

From the early stages of childhood development, a child learns from adults about boundaries and self-expression. When a child is bullied in all ways, as well as sexually, their view of the world becomes distorted. At age four, those boundaries were cast aside and thus my view of relationships, women, and sex was forever altered. It set the scene for later life where I had multiple relationships, cybersex, experiences with promiscuous women.

While "freaks" have captivated our imagination since well before the 19th century, the Victorians flocked to shows featuring dancing dwarves, bearded ladies, "missing links", and six-legged sheep. Indeed, this period has been described by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson as the epoch of "consolidation" for freakery: an era of social change, enormously popular freak shows, and taxonomic frenzy. Victorian Freaks: The Social Context of Freakery in Britain, edited by Marlene Tromp, turns to that rich nexus, examining the struggle over definitions of "freakery".

The Underdogs tells the story of Karen Shirk, felled at age 24 by a neuromuscular disease and facing life as a ventilator-dependent, immobile patient, who was turned down by every service dog agency in the country because she was "too disabled". Her nurse encouraged her to tone down the suicidal thoughts, find a puppy, and raise her own service dog. Karen did this, and Ben, a German shepherd, dragged her back into life.

In 1959, the year Terry Galloway turned nine, the voices of everyone she loved began to disappear. No one yet knew that an experimental antibiotic given to her mother had wreaked havoc on her fetal nervous system, eventually causing her to go deaf. As a self-proclaimed "child freak," she acted out her fury with her boxy hearing aids and Coke-bottle glasses by faking her own drowning at a camp for crippled children

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. A disciple of Enlightenment thinkers, he was a devotee of reason, believed in the reliability of science, and lived by the dictum that an unexamined life is not worth living. That is, until his son August was born.

Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals, this book immerses listeners in Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson's point of view, allowing them to see the world through his disabling eye conditions.

Despite the progress of decades-old disability rights policy, including the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, threats continue to undermine the well-being of this population. The U.S. is, thus, a policy innovator and laggard in this regard. In Politics of Empowerment, David Pettinicchio offers a historically grounded analysis of the singular case of U.S. disability policy, countering long-held views of progress that privilege public demand as its primary driver.

In 2018, Joe Hammond, wrote a piece for the Guardian about the 33 birthday cards he was writing for his two sons. It was shared by thousands. In A Short History of Falling he tells the story behind that piece, about the experience of living with - and dying of - motor neurone disease (ALS). A Short History of Falling is not a lament. It is a deeply imaginative meditation on what it feels like to confront the fact that your family will persist through time without you.

The first significant book on the history and impact of the ADA - the "eyes on the prize" moment for disability rights. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the widest-ranging and most comprehensive piece of civil rights legislation ever passed in the United States, and it has become the model for disability-based laws around the world. Yet the surprising story behind how the bill came to be is little known.

Whistle is a heartfelt story blending family connections, personal growth, and the magical bond between a mother and her autistic daughter, Kennedy. Centered around the unique communication method of a whistle sound, the story narrates Kennedy’s experiences and how the whistle became a bridge to understanding her inner world. Through imaginative storytelling, the book captures Kennedy’s challenges and triumphs, the unwavering love of her family, and the lessons they learn about patience, acceptance, and connection.

From the Periphery consists of more than 30 first-person narratives of everyday people who describe what it's like to be treated differently by society because of their disabilities. The stories are raw and painful, but also surprisingly funny and deeply inspiring. The oral histories describe anger, independence, bigotry, solidarity, and love - in the family, at school, and at the workplace. From the Periphery will become a classic collection that increases understanding of the lived experiences of people with disabilities.

In just four months receive your SSDI benefits! This concise guide is a book written to show you how to protect your money and investments if you become ill or have an accident and have to apply for disability. It is explained in a simple version of how to apply and receive in four months.

Sentirsi disintegrati è una sensazione che chi lavora con la disabilità conosce bene: la favola dell'inclusione, del non lasciare indietro nessuno, sembra ancora ben lontana dal diventare realtà. A volte bisogna avere il coraggio di "lasciare": cambiare lavoro, direzione, idea. Per far questo è necessario "morire": abbandonare i nostri attaccamenti, i ruoli che ci gratificano, le proiezioni sugli altri, le conferme. Lasciare e andare avanti, aprendosi al nuovo: questo itinerario è difficile perché è perdere se stessi, sentirsi lacerati.

Macy is a girl who's a lot like you and me, but she's also quite different, which is a great thing to be. With kindness, grace, and bravery, Macy finds her place in the world, bringing beauty and laughter wherever she goes and leading others to find delight in the unique design of every person. Children are naturally aware of the differences they encounter at school, in their neighborhood, and in other everyday relationships.

In Banshee, Samantha Baxter - wife, mother, poetry professor - learns she has breast cancer and then ruins her own life. Tumbling through a catastrophic midlife crisis, she gives herself permission to partake in behaviors she's observed in her male colleagues, including having an affair with a student her daughter's age, ranting at board meetings, and telling her poetry students what she really thinks of their work. Underneath biting, witty narration lurks a childish, confused, and unrealized adult woman hell-bent on destroying her relationships and professional life.

When Emma Sasha Silver loses her eyesight in a nightmare accident, she must relearn everything from walking across the street to recognizing her own sisters to imagining colors. One of seven children, Emma used to be the invisible kid, but now it seems everyone is watching her. And just as she's about to start high school and try to recover her friendships and former life, one of her classmates is found dead in an apparent suicide. Fifteen and blind, Emma has to untangle what happened and why - in order to see for herself what makes life worth living.

Tommi, che si affloscia come una buccia senza la banana dentro, sa molto bene di essere diverso dagli altri bambini. Al mondo, infatti, non siamo tutti uguali, o meglio lo siamo, ma solo un po’. Lui, per esempio, da qualche tempo non parla, non cammina, insomma non riesce a fare un sacco di cose… Tutto per colpa di un drago ostinato che lo ha preso di mira: una malattia che neanche i dottori più bravi hanno saputo spiegare.

High school senior Jesse Alderman, or Sway as he's known, could sell hell to a bishop. He also specializes in getting things people want—term papers, a date with the prom queen, fake IDs. It's all business with Jesse. He has few close friends and he never lets emotions get in the way.

Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism, this topic-driven audiobook offers clear, concrete language to introduce the concept of disability. This audiobook celebrates all bodies and abilities, just as they are, and addresses the inequities and opportunities for change in today's world.

More the Same than Different: What I Wish People Knew About Respecting and Including People with Disabilities is a practical guide for anyone who may not have much experience interacting with people with disabilities and wants to feel more comfortable.