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| Image is of me, a white woman with brown eyes, looking over the top of the book Disability Visibility. The book has a white cover with multiple colors of overlapping triangles, and black text. |
It's difficult to find the proper words to explain the
intense emotions and wandering thoughts I have after finishing the book,
Disability Visibility. This book is more than a book; I could call it a
journey. While, I would already consider myself a pretty strong disability
advocate, this book has begun my journey to a new level of understanding and
acceptance; particularly acceptance of myself.
Disability Visibility is a collection of essays written by a variety of intersectional disabled voices. It is edited by the wonderful, engaging, Alice Wong. I was already a fan of Alice's work, prior to reading this book, but she really did a fantastic job assembling a beautiful variety of disabled individuals to share their thoughts and experiences.
It's really hard to pinpoint what I loved most about this
book, but if I had to choose, it would probably be the variety in the essays.
Each essay had its own unique voice and message. Too often, disabled individuals
are seen as less than human, as if they don't have their own narratives and
desires in this world. While, my own disabilities are more of the 'hidden'
kind, I've seen this behavior exhibited toward my son, who has more outwardly
visible disabilities. The essays all had the beautiful elements of humanity in
them. I could physically feel so many of those words and stories. It was like
they were alive inside of me, at times. That's one reason I chose to read this
book a little a time, so I could truly embrace and value every single essay.
Another incredibly valuable element of this book is the
intersectionality. Not only are the people who contributed to this book
disabled, but they are Black, Indigenous, Asian, LatinX, or other people of
color. They are LGBTQ+ and they are non-binary. Some people were born disabled,
and others acquired their disability later in life. Many had multiple
disabilities. There is just so much value in understanding journeys that walk paths different than your own.
If I had to describe this book with a single word, I would
probably call it empowering. Not
because it's some ableist trope of 'overcoming', but to me, empowerment is
about acceptance and embracing. It's about unlearning the ableist mindsets that
society drilled into you as a child, and realizing your own disability. I
really haven't called myself disabled, although I have embraced the term
Autistic, I've still struggled with the term 'disabled'. After living a life of
trying to hide my mental health differences, my processing differences, and
more, I'm ready to stop hiding and
letting society's false narrative control my own inner narrative. This book has
really helped me work on chipping down the internalized ableism in my heart and
mind, to help me better embrace and understand who I am.
I have also continued to learn more about supporting my fellow disabled individuals. I am a work in progress, but it is my goal to learn how to better provide accommodations, and help all disabled people be part of everyday life, as they should be.
I would recommend this book to anybody. From those who have
barely started unpacking ableism, to those who have already been advocating for
Disability rights and justice. You can find out more information on this book
on the website here: https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/book/
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