Disability Memoir

Emily Owen was a highly intelligent teenager who was also athletic and a skilled musician. Tragically, in her late teens she was diagnosed as suffering from Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2). Since then, Emily has survived many complicated surgical procedures, been close to death, and seen the gradual erosion of all the abilities that defined her personality including the total loss of her hearing. Despite this, she has a remarkable sense of humor and has coped with everything she has been through due to her strong Christian faith, her supportive family, and indomitable personality.

Hiroshima was one of the great tragedies of WWII. But out of the devastation of the first atomic bomb, some survivors emerged, 25 courageous Japanese women who became part of a remarkable humanitarian epic. Victims of the atomic blast that ushered in the Nuclear Age, these women were brought to the United States in 1955, where they underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the ravages of the bomb. Schoolgirls when the bomb destroyed their futures, they began to remake their lives and re-create themselves. This is the compassionate, often bittersweet chronicle of the Hiroshima Maidens.

At the age of four, Joshua Miele was blinded and badly burned when a delusional neighbor poured sulfuric acid over his head in a crime that shocked New York. It could have ended his life, but instead, Miele—naturally curious, and a born problem solver—not only recovered, but thrived. Throughout his life, Miele has found increasingly inventive ways to succeed in a world built for the sighted, and to help others to do the same. At first reluctant to even think of himself as blind, he eventually embraced his blindness and became a committed advocate for disability and accessibility

Mit drei Jahren erlitt Ingrid Mundschin-Bohn eine Hirnhautentzündung, an der sie fast gestorben wäre. In Deutschland, wo sie als Tochter eines deutschen Vaters und einer Schweizer Mutter aufwuchs, war gerade der Krieg zu Ende gegangen, die Medikamente waren immer noch knapp, und die Ärzte wollten keine Antibiotika verschwenden an einem Kind, das in ihren Augen bereits abgeschrieben war. Aber Ingrid Mundschin ließ sich nicht abschreiben, sondern wuchs zu einer lebensfrohen und selbstbewussten Frau heran.

David Aguilar was born missing part of one arm, a small detail that seemed to define his life and limit people’s ideas of who he was and who he could be. But in this funny and heartfelt memoir, David proves that he can throw out the rulebook and people’s expectations and maybe even make a difference in the world—and all with a sense of humor.

Follow the journey of Tanita Allen, a courageous Black woman confronting the challenges of Huntington's Disease. We Exist documents her harrowing two-year struggle for a diagnosis while living in a toxic NYC apartment that triggered the early onset of her condition. Learn how she wages an impossible, decade-long legal battle against those responsible, unveiling the staggering barriers faced by marginalized communities in both medical and legal systems.

My name is Christopher Miller, the view I happen to have is a view from a wheelchair. I live with spastic cerebral palsy which affects my mobility and speech. I believe that people with disabilities need to be involved in the political process. I just happen to have A View From a Seat.

An Unexpected Story of Hope & Perserverance: As a young child, something was wrong with Michael. He lacked basic motor skills and was unable to follow simple instructions or answer questions. Testing revealed a diagnosis of autism with a low IQ. Experts insisted that leading an independent life would be impossible for him...and school was not an option.

My neurologist stunned me when she said, “You have multiple sclerosis, and looking at your MRI, you are a walking time bomb. You may not have symptoms today, but it’s just a matter of time.” As the MS tightened its grip on my body, I plunged deep into a myriad of strange feelings—denial and depression for over a year.

Public Hostage, Public Ransom starts with the autobiographical story of William Bronston, the activist physician whose early professional California training steels him with a deep moral, professional, and cultural bond to the huge 6,000-person disabled population he encounters incarcerated in Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, NY, on whose behalf he daily battles to humanize and ultimately catalyze a federal class action lawsuit against the state to close the death-making institution.

My journey with mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder, has woven itself throughout my life for 40 years. Whether it was active, or dormant, it has always lurked in the shadows. But, this illness, like any illness, can be managed and maintained.This story is particularly relevant for today's society. It is our charge to know a segment of our society who, for the most part, is misunderstood. When the Brakes Fail provides a forum for understanding the myths, the injustices, and the stigma of mental illness.

Si no es cada cuatro años que se celebran los paralímpicos, si no se acerca el Día Internacional de las pcd, cuando las marcas realizan acciones; si no es que el gobierno da beneficios fiscales para impulsar la inserción laboral de este grupo, el resto del tiempo las personas con discapacidad viven entre las sombras.

2020 was a hard year for everyone. In this journal, learn how one woman experienced the pandemic while also having to deal with the effects of having bipolar disorder. From the book: "Truth is best expressed as silence. Words are our creations. They come and go, live and die. They are incapable of expressing what is real. This has been a journal of a false identity assuming itself to be real. From this new vantage point, I see how I am creating this story. Today I start a new chapter. Or maybe it is just a page. Even if I could just cobble together a sentence. Make it meaningful!"

Lorenzo Amurri non nasce come scrittore, lo diventa in seguito a un tragico incidente di sci che, a soli 26 anni, frantuma la strada artistica sulla quale viaggiava sin da giovanissimo: chitarrista rock, produttore musicale. Un ragazzo dinamico e trasgressivo senza mezze misure. Dall'incidente e dalla sua nuova condizione segnata dalla tetraplegia e dall'impossibilità di stringere ancora tra le braccia la sua chitarra, Lorenzo rinasce. Nel 2008 decide di affidare al suo blog Tracce di ruote "riflessioni, denunce e cronaca della sua seconda vita".

Robert was a young man struggling to make it on his own when in 1990, he suffered a violent and traumatic experience when someone put a bullet through his brain. Robert tells the amazing story of survival during a time when life shriveled to dark emptiness and his future seemed hopeless.

What do you do when your reality slips away? If you're Sky Yardley and Jane Dwinell, you accept each new challenge, reshape your life, and write. When Sky was diagnosed with "probable early stage Alzheimer's" at age 66, he was determined to live as fully as possible. He researched dementia, talked about dementia, connected with other people with the disease, and wrote about it.

See? is an inspirational autobiography that describes how God's grace and the firm, loving support from family, friends, neighbors, an exceptional teacher, and caring supervisors guided the author through life's challenges. It also debunks common myths of blindness and discusses adaptive equipment used by the author on her journey.

Sarah’s story is one for any parent; it is not just about the highs and lows of having a child with additional needs, but also simply as a mum of three. She talks candidly about coming to terms with the decision to move Oscar to a SEN (Special Educational Needs) school, another big milestone in Oscar’s young life. Whilst Sarah may have found herself on a different path to the one she’d imagined for herself, it has not been a bad one. There is sadness, certainly; and there have been struggles along the way; but there has been so much laughter and happiness, too.

This book is based on real-life events and is a raw and authentic account of a true fight for life and justice—a memoir of a mother’s love for her daughter, Rachel, who is diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy, a condition which makes her incapable of voluntary movement or speech. It tells of hopes and fears, and the true meaning of what it’s like to be the mother of a daughter with severe cerebral palsy. It portrays Rachel’s passion for life and her mischievous sense of fun.

Do you like sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll? Do you know what jails, institutions, and death are all about? I don't want to be controlled, but can I control myself? Who says I have to live by society's rules?