July is Disability Pride Month, a time to reflect on and interrogate our neurotypical and able-bodied structures, educate oneself, spark discussions and imagine how things could be different, and support the voices of persons with disabilities.
According to a global report by the World Health Organization done in 2023, one in six people experience significant disability. Our world was not designed for people with disabilities, but every time we reimagine our designs and practices to accommodate and include those who are often excluded, we all benefit. Think subtitles (I can’t even watch anything without them now), electric toothbrushes, and automatic doors. The typewriter was originally created for a non-sighted woman. Curb cuts, where the sidewalk slopes to meet the road, were originally designed to allow for wheelchair access, but also accommodate strollers, wagons, luggage, bikes, and pedestrians, to name a few.
The books we’ve curated below come from authors who experience disabilities. Real, first-hand, lived experience. Through poetry, recipes, memoirs, anthologies, and fiction, witness the words, plights, humour, and resilience in their stories, and learn how to support and care for those with disabilities.
Poetry
The Wonder Wander by Diane Driedger (Caitlin Press)
In The Wonder Wander, Diane Driedger explores her identity as a Mennonite girl, and later as disabled activist woman. Interspersed throughout the collection are short rhyming poems that respond to and subvert childhood rhymes.
Diane has fibromyalgia. She has been involved in the disability rights movement in Canada and internationally for many years.
New release
Save Your Prayers – Send Money by Jónína Kirton (Talon Books)
Kirton delves into disability politics through the lived experience of a seventy-year-old Métis woman and recovering New Ager. A hybrid collection that moves fluidly between prose and poetry, Save Your Prayers – Send Money weaves intergenerational trauma and its impact on health through the daily realities of chronic pain and illness.
Out now
th book uv lost passwords 1 by bill bissett (Talon Books)
a novel uv pomes threding thru each othr th main charaktrs langwage n all uv us hedding off in all direksyuns ths book asks is langwage lost wev had creativ langwage almost 7 thousand yeers we still dont undr stand each othr veree well dew we want 2 thru th mysteree loves n rapturs speek
This collection was longlisted for the Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize.
Out now
Nonfiction
In It Together: Navigating Depression with Partners, Friends, and Family by JoEllen Notte (Thornapple Press)
JoEllen Notte challenges the preconceived ideas that keep us from showing up for each other in a meaningful way and offers strategies for supporting each other and ourselves when depression comes calling. Challenging the notions that tell us “that’s not my business” or “they probably don’t want to talk about that,” In It Together equips readers to navigate depression alongside the people they care about.
Out now
Hidden Flowers by Keiko Honda (Heritage House)
An illuminating memoir of one woman’s journey through motherhood, loss, disability, and the transformative power of artistic self-expression exemplified by the Japanese concept of “Hidden Flowers,” which emphasizes the beauty of unexpected moments.
Out now
All About Us: 20 True Tales of Courage and Disability by Hannalora Leavitt (Orca Book Publishers)
This collection of biographies introduces middle-grade readers to a diverse range of inspiring kids and adults from around the world living with disability today, including a Paralympian, a NASA scientist and a TikTok star.
The author lives with vision loss and has been immersed in the culture of disability and advocacy. She interviewed each person profiled in All About Us. This is her second book on disability.
New release
Fallosophy: My Trip through Life with MS by Ardra Shephard (Douglas & McIntyre)
A memoir based on columnist, fashion-show TV host, podcaster and MS advocate Ardra Shephard’s award-winning blog, Tripping on Air. Twenty-three-year-old Ardra is sleeping with the wrong guy, living in a crappy apartment, and spending money she doesn’t have on designer shoes, boozy brunches and weekends in NYC. She hates her office job, but it pays for the lessons she needs to make it as an opera singer. She isn’t thrilled about her current situation, but she isn’t panicked. She knows she’s got time! But then when a doctor tells Ardra she has MS, those two letters split her life into a Before and After.
Out now
Fiction
Delta Oblivion by Elizabeth J.M. Walker (Orca Book Publishers)
In this sci-fi adventure, sixteen-year-old Tallie must find a way to connect with her new mechbot copilot if they hope to participate in the Mech Battles, a hugely popular sport that pits giant fighting robots against each other.
The high-octane fight sequences, combined with the thoughtful discussions of autism, pressure, loyalty and friendship, make for a satisfying read.
Out now
Cookbook
Crip Up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips and Recipes for the Disabled Cook by Jules Sherred (Touchwood Editions)
A comprehensive guide and recipe collection that brings the economy and satisfaction of home cooking to disabled and neurodivergent cooks.
Out now