Disability Politics

In the tiny Iowa farm town of Atalissa, dozens of men, all with intellectual disabilities and all from Texas, lived in an old schoolhouse. Before dawn each morning, they were bussed to a nearby processing plant, where they eviscerated turkeys in return for food, lodging, and $65 a month. They lived in near servitude for more than 30 years, enduring increasing neglect, exploitation, and physical and emotional abuse.

Disability and Political Representation explores how disabled people experience the various stages and aspects of the representation process, drawing upon extensive empirical research and a variety of qualitative and quantitative data. It discusses why increasing the number of disabled politicians matters, not only as a matter of justice and equality but also to better represent the issues and interests of importance to disabled people.

Challenging the view that autism is something that needs to be ‘cured', Virginia Bovell testifies to the extraordinary care Danny has received for over 30 years and the everyday kindness and decency of the people – ‘the band of angels' – that surround him. She asks us to consider what makes a thriving individual versus an inadequate one; what it means to be ill versus what it means to not to conform; what roles society values and rewards; and how humans might flourish outside of failing political and economic systems.

Tommy Jessop is a multi-award winning actor, theatre performer, and campaigner. Tommy has been at the vanguard of bringing awareness of the potential of people living with Down syndrome to the media, and to government. A Life Worth Living will be Tommy's story - from his journey into acting and campaigning while showing his unstoppable determination, charisma, and love for life.

The success of food allergy activism in highlighting the dangers of foodborne allergens shows how illness communities can effectively advocate for the needs of their members. In Food Allergy Advocacy, Danya Glabau follows parents and activists as they fight for allergen-free environments, accurate labeling, the fair application of disability law, and access to life-saving medications for food-allergic children in the United States.

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.

A brilliantly honest, funny, and insightful account of a Buddhist's life, work, and family. For Satyadasa, the Buddhist path has been fulfilling and often joyous, but also full of doubts and obstacles.

Luisa L’Audace wächst als einziges behindertes Kind in ihrem Heimatdorf auf. Warum sie im Sportunterricht immer als Letzte gewählt wird, in der Pause nicht mitspielen soll und ihre Freundinnen plötzlich nicht mehr neben ihr sitzen wollen, versteht sie lange Zeit nicht. Während andere Kinder Freizeitbeschäftigungen nachgehen, verbringt Luisa viel Zeit in Krankenhäusern, bei Therapien und Spezialist*innen. Als sie mit 14 einen Rollstuhl bekommt, fühlt sie sich zum ersten Mal in ihrem Leben frei. Doch mit der neu gewonnenen Mobilität nehmen auch die Anfeindungen zu.

A collision with a moose on a dark highway left Susan Mockler with an incomplete spinal injury, suddenly compromising her ability to walk and to care for herself. She spent months in a rehabilitation facility learning how to adjust to her new reality, and though her body partially recovered, every aspect of her life changed.

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.

Raúl Krauthausen ist der bekannteste Aktivist für Inklusion und Barrierefreiheit – und die lauteste Stimme in Deutschland, wenn es um die Durchsetzung der Rechte von Menschen mit Behinderung geht. "Betrachten Sie Behinderung einfach als eine Eigenschaft wie die Haarfarbe" ist eine seiner zentralen Botschaften, und er kämpft auf allen Plattformen – analog und digital – für Sichtbarkeit und gegen Diskriminierung.

Natalie O'Rourke was an ordinary little girl from Birmingham in all respects save one: she was lonely. When she discovered how much she loved horses, she decided she wanted to grow up and run a riding stables. She wanted her stables to cater for children and adults with disabilities, additional needs and anyone who needed a friend—people who you might not expect to find riding, but who she knew could find happiness through horses, because she had.

Sam always knew he was starting life on the back foot. When his parents split, Sam, his mother and his brother had to learn to survive in a world not built for single-parent families. Add to that Sam's diagnosis with a form of dwarfism and the odds seemed stacked against them. As surgeons kept breaking and resetting Sam's legs in attempts to keep him walking, disability and poverty collided, and it took all the family's strength not to crumple in the impact. In Broke, lawyer and disability advocate Sam Drummond weaves a poignant, stirring and deeply compassionate tale of life on the fringes.

Oliver Sacks widmet sich in seinem neuen Werk dem Zusammenhang von visueller Wahrnehmung und Bewusstsein. Es gelingt ihm wieder, komplexe Dinge verständlich zu beschreiben. Das Außergewöhnliche: Sacks schildert, wie er selbst 2005 an einem bösartigen Tumor im Auge erkrankte. Er berichtet vom Leben mit dem Krebs und dem Verlust seiner visuellen Fähigkeiten. Doch er entdeckt auch "positive" Phänomene: milde Illusion, Halluzinationen, Veränderungen in der Wahrnehmung von Farben und Umrissen.

Nate Trainor, born with Joubert syndrome, could not communicate with words until he was 21. Stuck in a system that prematurely labeled him "profoundly retarded", Nate shares his battles with the public school system to be included, his incredible efforts to prove his intelligence, and the breakthroughs that finally gifted him with words and a voice. His journey proves how one man at a vast disadvantage can prevail in a world that seems hostile or indifferent to him.

Da Rosa bliver født i en lille provinsby i slutningen af 1800-tallet, er hendes muligheder i livet allerede yderst begrænsede. Hun er pige i et mandsdomineret samfund, men ydermere har hun et medfødt handicap - hun er med datidens sprogbrug vanfør. Vi følger først Rosas tilværelse som barn i provinsen, hvor hun møder stor fordømmelse fra omgivelserne, fordi hun er anderledes. Siden hører vi om hendes ophold på et vanførehjem i København. Romanen beretter både om de dårlige vilkår, mennesker med handicap havde i slutningen af det 19.

Meg Zucker was born with one finger on each hand, shortened forearms, and one toe on each misshapen foot, caused by a genetic condition called ectrodactyly. She would eventually pass this condition on to her two sons, and, along with her husband, raise them and their adopted daughter, who has her own invisible differences. Born of the family’s hard-won experiences, this book offers invaluable advice on raising confident, empathetic, and resilient children who succeed, not despite but because of their differences.

Ben Mattlin lives a normal, independent life. Why is that interesting? Because Mattlin was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a congenital weakness from which he was expected to die in childhood. Not only did Mattlin live through childhood, he became one of the first students in a wheelchair to attend Harvard, from which he graduated and became a professional writer. His advantage?

Kimberly Crowe was back for the second year in a row with a world-renowned event in honor of International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022 celebrates the tremendous efforts of women and girls around the world in shaping the future. This summit was an epic, fun, connecting, and delightful one-day virtual event in celebration of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2022. Our speakers are an amazing array of women bringing their brilliance to serve the greater good and contribute their zone of genius to the world.

Do you have a special needs child or know someone who is? Room at the Table: Encouraging Stories from Special Needs Families is rooted in the 2 Samuel 9 account of King David, who extended kindness to Jonathon's disabled son, Mephibosheth, and granted him a seat at the king's table.