People with Disabilities

When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unraveling, relocates to El Paso, Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at the county hospital....

In 2011, three years after leaving the NFL, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease that paralyzes the entire body. Doctors gave him three years to live. He was thirty-four years old. As Steve says, he is now ten years past his expiration date....

A moving account of resilience, hope, fear, and mortality and how these things resonate in our lives, by actor and advocate Michael J. Fox....

Paige Layle was normal. She lived in the countryside with her mom, dad, and brother Graham. She went to school, hung out with friends, and all the while everything seemed so much harder than it needed to be. A break in routine threw off the whole day....

In a memoir that is as wildly funny as it is emotionally shattering, Selma Blair tells the captivating story of growing up and finding her truth....

From the author of the groundbreaking anthology Disability Visibility comes another revolutionary collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience, and intimacy in all its myriad forms....

We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades....

Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits had earned him the label "social deviant"....

A story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn't built for all of us and of one woman's activism - from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington - Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann's lifelong battle to achieve respect....

This intimate memoir reveals the woman inside one of autism’s most prominent figures, Jennifer O'Toole. At the age of 35, Jennifer was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and for the first time in her life, things made sense....

Ido in Autismland opens a window into non-verbal autism through dozens of short, autobiographical essays each offering new insights into autism symptoms, effective and ineffective treatments, and the inner emotional life of a severely autistic boy....

They all thought he was gone. But he was alive and trapped inside his own body for ten years....

Diagnosed with pathological demand avoidance (PDA) in his teenage years, Harry Thompson looks back with wit and humour at the ups and downs of family and romantic relationships, school, work and mental health, as well as his teenage struggle with drugs and alcohol....

Thousands have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five have survived quadruple-amputee injuries. This is one soldier's story....

The incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her amazing journey from isolation to the world stage....

The Christian classic detailing the remarkable events surrounding the 1967 diving accident that left Joni Eareckson Tada paralyzed. This special 45th anniversary edition of Joni commemorates the worldwide impact of her life story to people living with disabilities....

So begins Chloé Cooper Jones’s bold, revealing account of moving through the world in a body that looks different than most. Jones learned early on to factor “pain calculations” into every plan, every situation.

From political wunderkind and former army intelligence officer Jason Kander comes a haunting, powerful memoir about impossible choices—and how sometimes walking away from the chance of a lifetime can be the greatest decision of all....

In this honest and open account of life with her PDA daughter, Sasha, Steph Curtis reveals the everyday struggles and explores the milestones of raising a child diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance....

Follow Michael and his guide dog, Roselle, as their lives are changed forever by two explosions and 1,463 stairs. In this harrowing story of trust and courage, discover how blindness and a bond between dog and man saved lives and brought hope during one of America’s darkest days....

In this hilarious and poignant memoir, Greg Marshall grapples with family, disability, and coming of age in two closets—as a gay man and as a man living with cerebral palsy....

Before becoming the actor, producer, advocate, and model that people know today, Nyle DiMarco was half of a pair of Deaf twins born to a multi-generational Deaf family in Queens, New York....

Oksana Masters, the United States’ most decorated winter Paralympic or Olympic athlete, tells her story of triumphing over extraordinary Chernobyl disaster-caused physical challenges to create a life that, by example, challenges everyone to push through what is holding them back....

Inspirational, humorous, and thought provoking, Noah Galloway's Living with No Excuses sheds light on his upbringing in rural Alabama, his military experience, and the battle he faced....

Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits had earned him the label “social deviant”....

What would you do if it happened to you? If you awoke one day when you were twelve years old to be informed that your life was suddenly over? Well . . . Here is what I did. If you became the wealthiest person you would ever know just three and a half years later? What would that be like? Well, this is what it was like when it happened to me.

But You Look So Normal is the inspiring story of a life affected, but not defined, by an invisible disability. It is a journey through family, loss, shame, identity, love, and healing as Claudia finally, joyfully, finds her place in the world.

In this raw, intimate and honest memoir, Greenlee shares the surprising lessons and adventures she encountered after the devastation of her sudden and profound loss of vision. She takes the reader past the gates of Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California, and into the 28 days of intensive training required to graduate with a guide dog. Surrounded by supportive community of staff and students, Greenlee faces the bondage of her Confucian upbringing and finds freedom far beyond mobility with a guide dog.

Friends and family expected Ken Cruickshank to continue playing sports, traveling, engaging in mischief, and raising an active brood after marrying his soulmate, Karen. Indeed, all proceeded to plan until an invisible enemy strengthened its grip on his body and mind. Goals, abilities, and many dreams grew forever affected by progressive disease. After an accident crumpled his weakened body, the author dug deep to rediscover the optimism and hope he'd once considered his essence. Ken realized that the illness he blamed for stealing his identity was also the path to wisdom and a life of ...

Born deaf and discovering encroaching blindness at the age of 16, Anthony Lawton’s future appeared to be full of locked doors. Prejudice. Delayed education. Distorted speech. Limited sight. But when benign strangers intercede and inner gifts reveal themselves the opportunity to pursue a childhood dream of speaking and participating in mainstream society become a realisable vision. He would need to do this before the consequences of dual sensory loss would again close the doors.

UNDER THE SECOND RIDICULE: A Philosophical Fable of Perseverance and Creativity is a thought-provoking exploration of the challenges faced by artists and creators in their quest for self-expression and originality. This philosophical fable delves into the idea that creativity often comes with a price - the price of being ridiculed and criticized for one's work. The title refers to the notion that it is not enough to withstand ridicule once, but that one must be prepared to endure it again and again to truly persevere in their artistic pursuits. Through a series of vivid and imaginative ...

Splendid Agony is an informative, illuminating, and encouraging book that offers valuable insights for people with dyslexia, parents and teachers of people with dyslexia, and anyone who wants to know more about what it's like to go through the American educational system with dyslexia.

In "How I Survived and Thrived with ADHD," author Anais Fournier offers a heartfelt and insightful journey through her life as a 19-year-old college student with ADHD. With a refreshing and empathetic approach, Anais shares her experiences, thoughts, and reflections about living with ADHD, aiming to redefine how we perceive neurological disorders and, ultimately, ourselves.

DEMENTIA and OUR LOVE, Caregiving as spiritual practice, is the story of Gary and Heather's love that sustained them through an unusual and courageous life across continents, including tending Gary and his onset of dementia at 73 years. The story helped them remember their love and use this energy to move through the hard times. We will always remember us this way, a song by Lady Gaga, was pivotal in keeping Heathers focus.

How do you build a life when all that you know is changing? How do you conceive of love when you can no longer recognise those who mean the most to you? A phenomenal memoir, Somebody I Used to Know is both a heart-rending tribute to the woman Wendy Mitchell once was, and a brave affirmation of the woman dementia has seen her become.

In 2011, three years after leaving the NFL, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease that paralyzes the entire body. Doctors gave him three years to live. He was thirty-four years old. As Steve says, he is now ten years past his expiration date. His memoir is the chronicle of a remarkable life, one filled with optimism and joy, despite the trauma and pain and despair he has experienced.

What is intimacy? More than sex, more than romantic love, the pieces in this stunning and illuminating new anthology offer broader and more inclusive definitions of what it can mean to be intimate with another person. Explorations of caregiving, community, access, and friendship offer us alternative ways of thinking about the connections we form with others—a vital reimagining in an era when forced physical distance is at times a necessary norm.

After the Flames is about one of the world's most famous burn victims: his incredible survival, his nightmarish path to recovery that helped revolutionize medical treatment for burn victims worldwide, the fame thrust upon him after he was declared a hero from the media, and the tumultuous years that followed, most of which were spent under the microscope of an unforgiving public eye.

A journey from darkness to acceptance is a raw and compelling memoir chronicling one woman's harrowing personal struggle with mental illness. When a severe psychotic break abruptly derails Elisa's stable life as a wife and mother, she finds herself plunged into an unpredictable world ruled by the terrifying whims of her mind. This powerful personal account traces Elisa's odyssey through the fragmented mental health system, oscillating from psychiatric holds to outpatient programs and back again as doctors struggle to control her volatile mood cycles.

This collection of autobiographical tales answers many readers' questions regarding the lives of those needing service dogs. What sorts of challenges do the legally blind face? How does one go about obtaining a guide dog? How can disabilities affect relationships? How does one cope with being diagnosed with a chronic and degenerative condition? Can an animal really become a dear friend? Not only are these stories engaging and heartwarming, but 100% of the profit from each purchase will be donated to Guide Dogs for the Blind in order to raise funds for those who need a canine companion. ...