Disability Pride Month 2024

YPRL Staff

25 July, 2024

Did you know that July is Disability Pride Month?

This is an important time of year to honour and celebrate the achievements, history and experiences of the people with disability in the community.  

Through educating ourselves and others about the history and diversity of the disabled community, we can collectively strive towards creating positive visibility, greater understanding, and justice alongside them. 

That’s where our reading list for Disability Pride Month comes in!

Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding or seeking inspiring stories, this book list is the perfect resource for celebrating Disability Pride Month. 

There is also a wide range of ways to access books to fit your needs here at YPRL. Borrowing through our digital library, especially through Libby and Borrow Box is a great way to listen to a huge range of audiobooks, as well as giving you the freedom to adjust text size and font on your own device when reading an eBook! (Any book can be in Large Print, Dyslexia Friendly Font or otherwise when you borrow digitally!) 

For our younger readers, we have a large collection of Junior Fiction in the Dyslexia friendly print, and a collection of Braille picture books across our branches!  

Non-Fiction and Memoirs:

Demystifying disability: what to know, what to say, and how to be an ally by Emily Ladau 

An approachable guide to being a thoughtful, informed ally to disabled people, with actionable steps for what to say and do (and what not to do) and how you can help make the world a more inclusive place. People with disabilities are the world's largest minority, an estimated 15 percent of the global population. But many of us--disabled and nondisabled alike--don't know how to act, what to say, or how to be an ally to the disability community. Demystifying Disability is a friendly handbook on the important disability issues you need to know about.

Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong

Also available as an eBook.

A groundbreaking collection of first-person writing on the joys and challenges of the modern disability experience: Disability Visibility brings together the voices of activists, authors, lawyers, politicians, artists, and everyday people. There are original pieces by up-and-coming authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma. There are blog posts, manifestos, eulogies, and testimonies to Congress. Taken together, this anthology gives a glimpse of the vast richness and complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community.

Uncomfortable Labels: my life as a gay autistic trans woman by Laura Kate Dale

In this candid, first-of-its-kind memoir, Laura Kate Dale recounts what life is like growing up as a gay trans woman on the autism spectrum. From struggling with sensory processing, managing socially demanding situations and learning social cues and feminine presentation, through to coming out as trans during an autistic meltdown, Laura draws on her personal experiences from life prior to transition and diagnosis, and moving on to the years of self-discovery, to give a unique insight into the nuances of sexuality, gender and autism, and how they intersect.

I'll let myself in: breaking down doors, claiming space and finding your wheels by Hannah Diviney 

Also available as an eBook on Borrow Box and Libby.

Hannah Diviney has always known that her experience of the world was fundamentally different from those around her. While her friends got jobs, fell in love and went clubbing, Hannah surrounded herself with the fantastical worlds she found in books. But books where people like her were nowhere to be found. Refusing to accept the narratives, or lack thereof, that she'd been given, Hannah was determined to forge her own path in a world that wasn't designed for her, and to be the representation she'd always wanted to see. Both deeply personal and yet utterly relatable, I'll Let Myself In is a reminder not to wait to be invited to the table but to break the door down and demand to be heard.

We've Got This: Stories by Disabled Parents edited by Eliza Hull

Also available as an eBook (Borrow Box) and as an Audiobook MP3.

How do two parents who are blind take their children to the park? How is a mother with dwarfism treated when she walks her child down the street? How do deaf parents know when their baby cries in the night? More than 15 percent of Australian households have a parent with a disability, yet their stories are rarely shared, their experiences almost never reflected in parenting literature. In We've Got This, 25 parents who identify as deaf, disabled or chronically ill discuss the highs and lows of their parenting journeys and reveal that the greatest obstacles lie in other people's attitudes.

Adult Fiction:

True biz: a novel by Sara Novíc

Also available in Large Print

This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they'll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who's never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school's golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another - and changed forever. This is a story of sign language and lip-reading, disability and civil rights, isolation and injustice, first love and loss, and, above all, great persistence, daring and joy.

Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali

Since he got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November, Adam’s stopped going to classes, intent, instead, on perfecting the making of things. Intent on keeping the memory of his mom alive for his little sister. Adam’s also intent on keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father. Alone, Adam and Zayneb are playing roles for others, keeping their real thoughts locked away in their journals. Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali is a perfect fit for readers who appreciate heartwarming and enlightening stories that explore themes of identity, resilience, and the power of human connection!

Maps of our spectacular bodies by Maddie Mortimer

Also available as eAudio (Borrow Box)

When Lia finds out that her cancer is back, she tries to keep the landscapes of her past, her present and her body separate. But bodies are porous, unpredictable places. Lia’s story is told, in part, by the very thing that is killing her; a gleeful and malevolent voice that shape-shifts through her systems, learning her life from the inside-out. We come to understand the people that have shaped her: a daughter, navigating the horrors of the playground; a husband, struggling to maintain a sense of self as everything falls apart; a regretful mother making up for lost time; and a troubled former lover who belongs to Lia's past, but won't stay there.

The Music of Bees Eileen Garvin

A heartwarming debut novel for readers of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, following three lonely strangers in a rural Oregon town, each working through grief and life's curveballs, who are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing--and maybe even a second chance--just when they least expect it.

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro

After Rita is found dead in the bell tower of the church she used to attend, the official investigation into the incident is quickly closed. Her sickly mother is the only person still determined to find the culprit. Chronicling a difficult journey across the suburbs of the city, an old debt and a revealing conversation, Elena Knows unravels the secrets of its characters and the hidden facets of authoritarianism and hypocrisy in our society. We follow what would for many people be an ordinary track through the streets of Buenoz Aires, but is an exhausting Odyssey fueled by the determination of a woman navigating the world with the effects of Parkinson's Disease.

Never the Wind

1996 - Luca Saracino is thirteen and has been completely blind for eight months when his parents move to a Southern Italian farmhouse they dream of turning into a hotel. With his brother dropping out of university and the family reeling from Luca's diagnosis, they are chasing dreams of rebirth and reinvention. As Luca tells his story without sight - experiencing the world solely through hearing, smell, taste and touch - he meets the dauntless Ada Guadalupi, who takes him out to explore the rocky fields and empty beaches. But Luca and Ada find they can’t escape the grudges that have lasted between their families for generations, or the gossiping of the town. And Luca is preyed upon by the feral Wanderer, who walks the vineyards of his home. As Luca's family starts to crack at the seams, Luca and Ada have to navigate new lands and old rivalries to uncover the truths spoken as whispers on the wind.

Children:

All Bodies are Good Bodies

Bold and beautiful, loud and proud, All Bodies are Good Bodies is an uplifting book about different body features and types. Through playful rhyme, it promotes the development of body acceptance and celebrates inclusivity and individuality.

When Charley met Emma

Five-year-old Charley gets teased for daydreaming and drawing more than his friends, but when he meets Emma, who is physically different, he needs help remembering that being different is okay.

Ali and the Sea Stars

"Ali loves to dance, sing, and act. But she had never thought of putting on her own show until her neighbour asks, 'Why wait?' Immediately energised, Ali gets to work. There's so much to do before showtime--choosing the right musical, auditions, rehearsal, costume and set design--but Ali can do anything with her family and friends. When a storm threatens to undo all their hard work, Ali must use her imagination and adapt so the show can go on"-- Provided by publisher.

A Kid's Book about Disability

A clear explanation of what disabilities are and how to navigate conversations about them. Sometimes people act like having a disability means you're from another planet, even though over a billion people in the world have disabilities. So how do you talk about disability? How do you talk to people with disabilities? This book helps kids and grownups approach disability as a normal part of the human experience. This is one conversation that's never too early to start, and this book was written to be an introduction for kids on the topic.

ABC Disability

From three-time Paralympian swimmer, medal-winner and disability advocate Sarah Rose, comes a big-hearted guide to disability, full of letters, learnings and laughs from a disabled person to you. ABC Disability is an A to Z of celebrating what makes each of us unique, featuring bold, brightly coloured artwork by Beck Feiner -- including the Auslan sign for each letter of the alphabet.

Included

Jonathon's home was not a happy one. But hope soon arrived when Auntie Edie came to stay. This beautifully illustrated book was written to provide children in family violence homes with a sense of hope and to lessen the traumatic effects of their living situations. As Jonathon knows, there is always hope that things might change.

Young Adult:

The Oracle Code by Manuel Preitano 

After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed, Barbara Gordon enters the Arkham Center for Independence, where Gotham's teens undergo physical and mental rehabilitation. Now using a wheelchair, Barbara must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Strange sounds escape at night while patients start to go missing. Is this suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Or does Barbara actually hear voices coming from the center's labyrinthine hallways? It's up to her to put the pieces together to solve the mysteries behind the walls.

Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton

Pop culture-obsessed Maisie can't wait to get to her first Fancon. But being a queer, disabled teenager with chronic pain comes with challenges. Can Maisie make it through the day without falling over, falling in love or accidentally inspiring anyone? Maisie has always dreamed of meeting her hero, Kara Bufano, an amputee actor who plays a kick-arse amputee character in her favourite show. Fancon is big and exciting and exhausting. Then she meets Ollie, a cute volunteer who she has a lot in common with. Could this be the start of something, or will her mum, who doesn't seem to know what boundaries are, embarrass her before she and Ollie have a chance?

Unmasked by Turia Pitt

A young adult edition of Turia Pitt's bestselling book Unmasked that is unflinchingly honest and completely inspirational. Telling the story of Turia's life before and after the fire, this young readers' this book unmasks the real Turia: funny, fierce, intelligent, flawed. With a new foreword from Turia, additional content and a new Q&A section, this edition covers topics such as confidence, goal-setting, family and friends and happiness that will resonate strongly with tweens and teens. Unmasked reveals the woman behind the headlines, and in so doing, uncovers the grace, humour and inner-steel that gets Turia Pitt through every day - and which leaves the rest of us watching on in amazement.

Future Girl by Asphyxia

Piper's mum wants her to be 'normal', to pass as hearing and get a good job. But when peak oil hits and Melbourne lurches towards environmental catastrophe, Piper has more important things to worry about, such as how to get food. When she meets Marley, a CODA (child of Deaf adult), a door opens into a new world, where Deafness is something to celebrate rather than hide, and where resilience is created through growing your own food rather than it being delivered on a truck. As she dives into learning Auslan, sign language that is exquisitely beautiful and expressive, Piper finds herself falling hard for Marley. But Marley, who has grown up in the Deaf community yet is not Deaf, is struggling to find his place in the hearing world. How can they be together?

The Boy who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews

Can two broken boys find their perfect home? By turns heartbreaking and heartwarming, this is a gorgeously told, powerful story. Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he's ever known. Now Sam's trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he's caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing -- each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life and falling for the beautiful Moxie. But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall, was cursed to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year; he could only be saved if a girl fell for him. But at the end of each autumn he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction... and destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope. Washington, D.C. native Harper Lacy's father is long gone, her mother is dying, and her brother constantly underestimates her because of her cerebral palsy. When she is sucked into Rhen's cursed world, Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. As Rhen regains hope, they learn it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

LinkedIn Learning Courses: 

Inclusion and Equity for Workers with Disabilities

Learn how to identify and build an inclusive and equitable environment for workers with disabilities. While inclusion and equity are increasingly important to organizations as they build and maintain their modern workforces, workers with disabilities are still often overlooked. While these oversights may often be unintentional, they can still have a detrimental impact on disabled employees’ ability to do their jobs and on their overall wellbeing. In this course, disability inclusion advocate and Paralympic gold medalist Liz Johnson details the actions your organization can take to ensure equity and inclusion for disabled employees. She starts with basics: what inclusion looks like for disabled employees, and what exclusion looks like. She then covers the requirements needed in an equitable environment and shares some resources you can use to support inclusive practices. Finally, Liz covers tools to help you measure the success—and failure—of your initiatives.

Supporting Workers with Disabilities

Join entrepreneur and Paralympic medalist Liz Johnson as she shares how organizations can create accessible workplaces where employees with disabilities are set up to thrive.A professional with a disability may also have an aptitude for project management, graphic design, or full-stack development. But physical and social barriers in the world of work can make it difficult to fully capitalize on those skills—or worse, prevent them from securing gainful employment at all. Liz Johnson, a Paralympic gold-medalist and founder of The Ability People, seeks to knock down these barriers by helping organizations redefine how they view people with disabilities in the workforce. And in this course, she shares strategies that can help you do the same. Discover how to sidestep conversations that don't serve your colleagues. Learn how to classify the appropriateness of offering assistance. Plus, get tips on how to select the best employee for a role by focusing on the desired outcome of a task—not the methodology. Upon finishing this course, you'll be ready to start creating a more accessible workplace where employees with disabilities are set up to thrive.

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