Disability Pride Month

This book list highlights books about disability that are instructive, own voices (written by people who have disabilities), or that have disability representation that isn't from the abled gaze (i.e. disability is not just a plot point to overcome, a curse, a punishment, or a sign that a character is evil or strange).

Disability pride is about embracing people with disabilities as fully human. Being proud to be disabled isn’t about liking your disability. It isn’t about pretending that disability doesn’t present challenges. Rather, claiming disability pride is a rejection of the notion that disabled people should feel ashamed their bodies or their disabilities. It’s a rejection of the idea that disabled people are less able to contribute and participate in the world.

Every July, the city of Lake Oswego, Oregon recognizes Disability Pride Month with events throughout the city.

Updated July 12, 2023
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Lake Oswego Public Library
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https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/impacts/oregon.html
Percentages and characteristics of adults with disabilities in Oregon compared to national estimates.
https://www.pbs.org/articles/disability-pride-month-and-the-disability-rights-movement/
Watch documentaries about the history of the disability rights movement and meet artists and families whose stories examine their disability experiences.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/07/22/observing-disability-pride-month-july
I only recently learned that July is Disability Pride Month. Although not yet officially recognized in the United States, since 2004 Disability Pride Month has been celebrated with parades in cities including New York, Chicago, Madison, and Los Angeles.
A quiet kind of thunder
Barnard, Sara
Paper Book
A girl who can't speak and a boy who can't hear go on a journey of self-discovery and find support with each other in this gripping, emotionally resonant novel from bestselling author Sara Barnard. Perfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Jandy Nelson. Steffi doesn't talk, but...
El deafo
Bell, Cece
Paper Book
The beloved #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor winning graphic novel memoir from Cece Bell   Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf....
Shouting won't help : why I - and 50 million other Americans - can't hear you
Bouton, Katherine
Paper Book
For twenty-two years, Katherine Bouton had a secret that grew harder to keep every day. An editor atThe New York Times, at daily editorial meetings she couldn't hear what her colleagues were saying. She had gone profoundly deaf in her left ear; her right was getting worse. As she once put...
The courage to compete : living with cerebral palsy and following my dreams
Curran, Abbey
Paper Book
A remarkable memoir by Miss Iowa USA Abbey Curran about living with cerebral palsy, competing in Miss USA, and her inspiring work with young women who have disabilities. Abbey Curran was born with cerebral palsy, but early on she resolved to never let it limit her. Abbey made...
Deaf utopia : a memoir-- and a love letter to a way of life
DiMarco, Nyle
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A heartfelt and inspiring memoir and celebration of Deaf culture by Nyle DiMarco, actor, producer, two-time reality show winner, and cultural icon of the international Deaf community Before becoming the actor, producer, advocate, and model...
No spring chicken : stories and advice from a wild handicapper on aging and disability
Falk-Allen, Francine
Ebook
2022 Foreword Indies Finalist in Travel As we age, we all begin to have physical difficulties to contend with. In No Spring Chicken, Francine Falk-Allen--a polio survivor who knows a thing or two about living with a disability--offers her own...
The sign for home : a novel
Fell, Blair
Paper Book
Longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize When a young DeafBlind man learns the girl he thought was lost forever might still be out there, he embarks on a life-changing journey to find her--and his freedom. Arlo Dilly is young, handsome, and...
How to be human : an autistic man's guide to life
Fleming, Jory
Paper Book
An unforgettable, unconventional narrative that examines the many ways to be fully human, told by the first young adult with autism to attend Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. As a child, Jory Fleming was wracked by uncontrollable tantrums, had no tolerance for...
Ten steps to Nanette : a memoir situation
Gadsby, Hannah
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Multi-award-winning Hannah Gadsby broke comedy with their show Nanette. Now they take us through the defining moments in their life and their powerful decision to tell the truth--no matter the cost. Don't miss Hannah Gadsby's...
We're not broken : changing the autism conversation
Garcia, Eric
Paper Book
"This book is a message from autistic people to their parents, friends, teachers, coworkers and doctors showing what life is like on the spectrum. It's also my love letter to autistic people. For too long, we have been forced to navigate a world where all the road signs are written in another...
You're welcome, universe
Gardner, Whitney
Paper Book
A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti. When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up...
The silence between us
Gervais, Alison
Paper Book
"The Silence Between Us is eminently un-put-down-able." (NPR) Schneider Family Book Award, Best Teen Honor Book 2020 "This is a great YA contemporary (clean) romance that follows Maya as she navigates a new school and plans for her future. The addition of...
Haben : the deafblind woman who conquered Harvard Law
Girma, Haben
Paper Book
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. Haben grew up spending summers with her family in the enchanting Eritrean city of Asmara. There, she...
The autistic brain : helping different kinds of minds succeed
Grandin, Temple
Paper Book
A cutting-edge account of the latest science of autism, from the best-selling author and advocate When Temple Grandin was born in 1947, autism had only just been named. Today it is more prevalent than ever, with one in 88 children diagnosed on the spectrum. And our thinking about it has...
So lucky
Griffith, Nicola
Audiobook
Being Heumann An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist
Heumann, Judith.
Paper Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for Nonfiction "...an essential and engaging look at recent disability history."-- Buzzfeed One of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her personal story of fighting...
Get a life, Chloe Brown a novel
Hibbert, Talia
Paper Book
Thunder dog : the true story of a blind man, his guide dog, and the triumph of trust at Ground Zero
Hingson, Michael
Paper Book
Faith.  Trust.  Triumph. "I trust Roselle with my life, every day. She trusts me to direct her. And today is no different, except the stakes are higher." ?Michael Hingson First came the boom'the loud, deep, unapologetic bellow that seemed to erupt from the very...
The bride test
Hoang, Helen
Paper Book
Khai Diep has no feelings. Well he can't feel big emotions like love. He thinks he's defective. His mum knows that his autism means he just processes emotions differently, and goes to Vietnam to find him a wife. As a mixed race girl living in Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place,...
The kiss quotient
Hoang, Helen
Paper Book
From the author of The Bride Test comes a romance novel hailed as one of The Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Fiction in 2018 and one of Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2018! "This is such a fun read and it's also quite original and sexy and sensitive."--Roxane Gay,...
A curse so dark and lonely
Kemmerer, Brigid
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! "Has everything you'd want in a retelling of a classic fairy tale." - Jodi Picoult In a lush, contemporary fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, Brigid Kemmerer gives readers another compulsively readable romance...
Count us in : growing up with down syndrome
Kingsley, Jason
Paper Book
Two young men with Down syndrome talk frankly about careers, friendships, school, sex, marriage, politics, and independence. Recipient of seven national awards, including the EDI Award from the National Easter Seal Society. Foreword by Joan Ganz Cooney.
Demystifying disability : what to know, what to say, and how to be an ally
Ladau, Emily
Paper Book
An approachable guide to being a thoughtful, informed ally to disabled people, with actionable steps for what to say and do (and whatnotto do) andhow you can help make the world a more inclusive place ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR- NPR, Booklist . "A candid,...
Disfigured : on fairy tales, disability, and making space
Leduc, Amanda
Ebook
A CBC BOOKS BEST NONFICTION OF 2020 AN ENTROPY MAGAZINE BEST NONFICTION 2020/21 A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOK OF THE DAY (07/23/2022) Fairy tales shape how we see the world, so what happens when you identify more with the Beast than Beauty? ...
Always only you
Liese, Chloe
Audiobook
Sick kids in love
Moskowitz, Hannah
Paper Book
An ALA Sydney Taylor Award Honoree A Junior Library Guild Selection Isabel has one rule: no dating. It's easier-- It's safer-- It's better-- --for the other person. She's got issues. She's got secrets. She's got rheumatoid arthritis....
A disability history of the United States
Nielsen, Kim E.
Paper Book
The first book to cover the entirety of disability history, from pre-1492 to the present Disability is not just the story of someone we love or the story of whom we may become; rather it is undoubtedly the story of our nation. Covering the entirety of US history from pre-1492 to...
The oracle code : a graphic novel
Nijkamp, Marieke
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp and artist Manuel Preitano unveil a graphic novel that explores the dark corridors of Barbara Gordon's first mystery: herself. After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed below the waist, Barbara Gordon undergoes physical and...
Unbroken : 13 stories starring disabled teens
Nijkamp, Marieke
Paper Book
This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of...
True biz : a novel
Novic?, Sara
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * A "tender, beautiful and radiantly outraged" (The New York Times Book Review) novel that follows a year of seismic romantic, political, and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf,...
Neurotribes : the legacy of autism and the future of neurodiversity
Silberman, Steve
Audiobook
Fortune Favors the Dead A Novel
Spotswood, Stephen.
Paper Book
A wildly charming and fast-paced mystery written with all the panache of the hardboiled classics, Fortune Favors the Dead introduces Pentecost and Parker, an audacious new detective duo for the ages. "Razor-sharp style, tons of flair, a snappy sense of humor, and all the most...
Sitting pretty : the view from my ordinary resilient disabled body
Taussig, Rebekah
Paper Book
A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most. Growing up as a paralyzed girl...
A time to dance
Venkatraman, Padma
Paper Book
Padma Venkatraman's inspiring story of a young girl's struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of...
Something to talk about
Wilsner, Meryl
Paper Book
Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet and the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn't come at a worse time - threatening Emma's promotion and Jo's new movie. The gossip starts to affect all areas of their lives; paparazzi are...
Disability visibility : first-person stories from the Twenty-first century
Wong, Alice
Paper Book
The much-anticipated follow up to the groundbreaking anthology Disability Visibility: another revolutionary collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience, and intimacy in all its myriad forms. What is intimacy? More than...

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