National AccessAbility Week

In 1996, poet Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha ran away from America with two backpacks and ended up in Canada, where she discovered queer anarcho punk love and revolution. Through it all, she works her way through the personal and the political of intersectionality as she comes to identify as a mixed-race person and queer femme of colour, as a disabled person grappling with chronic illness (she has suffered from fibromyalgia since 1998) and as an abuse survivor. This passionate and riveting memoir is a mixtape of dreams and nightmares.

Women with disabilities face a double set of prejudices, based on gender and disability. The world too often sees them in terms of stereotypes: childlike, dependent, incompetent, asexual, unable to take on the role of worker, sexual partner, or mother. As a result, women with disabilities are left confused about who they are, and who they can become. In this exploration into the lives of ten women with disabilities, Rousso hopes to remedy this confusion. To some degree, all of the successful, adult women profiled in this book have faced these same prejudices about their potential at school, at work, or in their social lives. But they have found ways to make satisfying choices for themselves despite the barriers, and they invite women of all ages to draw upon their experiences to do the same. Rousso encourages and charges women with disabilities to make choices which go beyond society's streotypes and reflect their own unique talents, interests, and dreams, while at the same time taking into account their real limitations and needs.

In this searing and seriously funny memoir, Dorothy Ellen Palmer falls down, a lot, and spends a lifetime learning to appreciate her disability. Born with two very different, very tiny feet, she was adopted as a toddler by an already wounded 1950s family. From childhood surgeries to decades as a feminist teacher, mom, improv coach and unionist, she tried to hide being different. But now, standing proud with her walker, she's sharing her journey. Navigating abandonment, abuse and ableism, she finds her birth parents and a new chosen family in the disability community.

In October 2013, Scott Jones was leaving a bar in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, when he was attacked, stabbed in the back, and left paralyzed from the waist down. In the months following his attack, Scott Jones's story garnered international attention, not only for its brutality, but also for his uncommonly early decision to forgive his attacker. Furiously researching restorative justice practices and success stories, Jones sits down to ask himself the hardest question he's ever had to answer: Does he have it in him to not just forgive his attacker, but to accept his new life as a disabled man? Based on the incredible true story, I Forgive You explores the complexities of forgiveness, privilege, recovery, and self-love in Scott's own words backed by a live children's choir performing the music of legendary Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

i heard a crow before i was born. i heard tsó:ka'we before i was born. i heard a crow before i was born opens with a dream-memory that transforms into a stark, poetic reflection on the generational trauma faced by many Indigenous families. Jules Delorme was born to resentful and abusive parents, in a world in which he never felt he belonged. Yet, buoyed by the love shown to him by his tóta (grandmother) and his many animal protectors, Delorme gained the strength to reckon with his brutal childhood and create this transformative and evocative memoir. Across chapters that tell of his troubled relationships, Delorme unwraps the pain at the centre of his own story: the residential schools and the aftershocks that continue to reverberate. In this stunning testament to the power of storytelling -- to help us grieve and help us survive -- Delorme tells the story of his spirit walk as he embraces the contradictions of his identity. As he writes, "i heard a crow before i was born is a man looking back, and dreaming back, and seeing that life, in whatever form it takes, however harsh it might seem, is beautiful."

Jules Delorme is a neurodivergent Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) author who grew up on the Akwesasne Reserve near Cornwall, Ontario. He is of Kanien’kehá:ka and French heritage. When Delorme was twelve, his abusive parents moved the family to Toronto, where he continued to suffer bullying and abuse at home and at school.

Midwest Book Review 2023 Silver Book Award (Nonfiction - Religion/Philosophy) "A convincing case for all Christians to do more to meet access needs and embrace disabilities as part of God's kingdom. . . . Inclusivity-minded Christians will cheer the lessons laid out here."--Publishers Weekly "A book the church desperately needs."--Sojourners Much of the church has forgotten that we worship a disabled God whose wounds survived resurrection, says Amy Kenny. It is time for the church to start treating disabled people as full members of the body of Christ who have much more to offer than a miraculous cure narrative and to learn from their embodied experiences. Written by a disabled Christian, this book shows that the church is missing out on the prophetic witness and blessing of disability. Kenny reflects on her experiences inside the church to expose unintentional ableism and cast a new vision for Christian communities to engage disability justice. She shows that until we cultivate church spaces where people with disabilities can fully belong, flourish, and lead, we are not valuing the diverse members of the body of Christ. Offering a unique blend of personal storytelling, fresh and compelling writing, biblical exegesis, and practical application, this book invites readers to participate in disability justice and create a more inclusive community in church and parachurch spaces. Engaging content such as reflection questions and top-ten lists are included.

"Meet Enid: a lesbian who's a serial dater and deaf in one ear. She works at The Space Agency as an information architect, and when she's not obsessing over true crime podcasts, she's managing her crippling phobia of bald people. While she tries not to think about her teenage years, she can't seem to stop obsessively watching her childhood YouTube channel. But as Enid fumbles her way through her first serious relationship and navigates a new family life with her estranged half-sisters, she starts to worry that someone is following her. As her paranoia starts to take over her life, and the personal growth she's worked to achieve, she gradually discovers the one thing she can't outrun - herself. Brimming with Emily Austin's signature style, charming characters, and irresistible humor, Interesting Facts about Space will remind you to treasure the relationships you hold most dear, and will offer hope to those who seek to connect in ways they never thought to be possible."

Progressive, untreatable nerve and muscle diseases transformed the author's life from having been a college athlete to needing a wheelchair and special equipment for day-to-day activities. While dealing with his own conditions, he was faced with the unique challenge of being the sole caregiver for his wife who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He has written this experience-based book to help people with life-altering medical conditions and those dealing with challenging caregiving responsibilities. Comprehensive in scope, it covers topics including grief, finances, safety and end-of-life planning. This is a resource book containing many references aimed at helping the reader overcome their challenges, maintain their independence and have happy, fulfilling lives.

This collection brings together the diverse voices of women with various disabilities, both physical and mental. The women speak frankly about the societal barriers they encounter in their everyday lives due to social attitudes and physical and systemic inaccessibility. They bring to light the discrimination they experience through sexism, because they are women, and through ableism, because they have disabilities. For them, the personal is definitely political. Here, Canadian women discuss their lives in the areas of employment, body image, sexuality and family life, society's attitudes, and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. While society traditionally views having a disability as "weakness" and that women are the "weaker" sex, this collection points to the strength, persistence and resilience of disabled women living the edges.

Updated and expanded- A new edition of the inspiring memoir by one of Canada's most unusual, successful, and socially conscious business people. "I am different. I have always been different. I grew up scared of being found out, scared of my natural inability to fit in, to conform, to look and sound and dress and behave 'normal.' I was always drawn to the different ones, and I observed them with fascination--but the thought of being even a little bit like them mortified me. I was desperate to fit in. . . ." --From Misfit Andreas Souvaliotis was raised at a time when being on the autism spectrum wasn't easily diagnosed or even discussed. Minds like his were simply considered odd. He also knew from an early age he was gay, and it terrified him as he was growing up with openly homophobic parents in one of Europe's least tolerant societies. Andreas's differences made him an outsider, right through to his mid-forties. And then suddenly, everything changed. Misfit is the extraordinary memoir of a man who realized there was strength in his strangeness, that it could be used as a force for good. "It all happened in a flash. On a beautiful spring morning in 2007, sitting in my backyard and licking my wounds from a spectacular career derailment, I came up with a big idea--and I found myself contemplating the most daring and unconventional pursuit of my life." The weird kid from Greece was on his way to making his world, and everyone's world, a better place. Andreas Souvaliotis's inspiring story shows us that everyone has what it takes to trigger positive change, and that none of us should see our differences and quirks as handicaps. The author is donating all of his proceeds from this book to 6 Degrees, a global charitable initiative that promotes inclusion, diversity, belonging, and citizenship. 6degreesto.com

In My Body is Distant, Paige Maylott writes about her life - both virtual and IRL - as she explores her authentic self and sexuality through dream-like virtual worlds. While Paige dances in online BDSM clubs and hurls spells on virtual battlefields, she is swept into a fairy tale romance that pushes her into discovery mode: How can she transcend her carefully curated computer universe and manifest that happiness in the real world? As she discovers the person she is meant to be, Paige contends with a cancer diagnosis and an imploding marriage while struggling to convert an online love story into reality. When a humiliation at work provides the necessary push to transition, Paige finds the freedom to explore her new self. Part trans woman's coming-out story and part heartfelt romance, My Body Is Distant follows Paige from a childhood obsession with the 1980s game Zork, through a health crisis and divorce to, ultimately, an affirmation of authenticity and self-love.

A church has built an accessibility ramp and perhaps refitted its restrooms to accommodate a wheelchair. Now what? This new resource by a noted author of several books on people with disabilities offers a theological and practical approach for congregations, with clear, targeted strategies for full inclusion of all members, recognizing and using the gifts that each member brings to the congregations life together.

An approachable guide to being a thoughtful, informed ally to disabled people, with actionable steps for what to say and do (and what not to do) and how you can help make the world a more inclusive place. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR- NPR, Booklist. "A candid, accessible cheat sheet for anyone who wants to thoughtfully join the conversation . . . Emily makes the intimidating approachable and the complicated clear."-Rebekah Taussig, author of Sitting Pretty- The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body People with disabilities are the world's largest minority, an estimated 15 percent of the global population. But many of us - disabled and nondisabled alike - don't know how to act, what to say, or how to be an ally to the disability community. What are the appropriate ways to think, talk, and ask about disability? Demystifying Disability is a friendly handbook on the important disability issues you need to know about, including: Recognizing and avoiding ableism (discrimination toward disabled people). Practicing good disability etiquette. Ensuring accessibility becomes your standard practice, from everyday communication to planning special events. Appreciating disability history and identity. Identifying and speaking up about disability stereotypes in media. Authored by celebrated disability rights advocate, speaker, and writer Emily Ladau, this practical, intersectional guide offers all readers a welcoming place to understand disability as part of the human experience. Praise for Demystifying Disability: "Whether you have a disability or are non-disabled, Demystifying Disability is a MUST READ. Emily Ladau is a wise spirit who thinks deeply and writes exquisitely."-Judy Heumann, international disability rights advocate and author of Being Heumann. "Emily Ladau has done her homework, and Demystifying Disability is her candid, accessible cheat sheet for anyone who wants to thoughtfully join the conversation. A teacher who makes you forget you're learning, Emily makes the intimidating approachable and the complicated clear. This book is a generous and needed gift."-Rebekah Taussig, author of Sitting Pretty- The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body

Never before have the civil rights of people with disabilities aligned so well with developments in information and communication technology. The center of the technology revolution is the Internet, which fosters unprecedented opportunities for engagement in democratic society. The Americans with Disabilities Act likewise is helping to ensure equal participation in society by people with disabilities. Globally, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities further affirms that persons with disabilities are entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of fundamental personal freedoms. This book is about the lived struggle for disability rights, with a focus on Web equality for people with cognitive disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities, autism, and print-related disabilities. The principles derived from the right to the Web - freedom of speech and individual dignity - are bound to lead toward full and meaningful involvement in society for persons with cognitive and other disabilities.

In most Canadian provinces, people with severe physical disabilities are simply warehoused in nursing homes, where many people, especially in the age of homecare, are in the final stages of their lives. It is difficult for a young person to live in a home geared for death; their physical assistance needs are met, but their social, psychological, and emotional needs are not. Jen Powley argues that everyone deserves to live with the dignity of risk. In Making a Home, Powley tells the story of how she got young disabled people like herself out of nursing homes through developing a group home for adults with severe physical disabilities. This book makes a case for living in the community and against dehumanizing institutionalization.