Skip to content
Menu
  • English Selected
  • Français

 

Header secondary

  • Sign up for eNews
  • Donate

Header

  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Our Programs
    • Leadership Team
    • Board Members and Committees
    • Donors
    • Annual Reports
    • 2021-23 Strategic Plan
    • FAQ
    • Work With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Champion's Circle
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • About Rick
    • About Rick
    • Rick's Story
    • Man In Motion World Tour
      • Man In Motion World Tour
      • The Dream
      • Tour Timeline
      • Tour Gallery
      • Tour Team
      • 35th Anniversary
    • Rick’s Work and Vision
    • A Conversation with Rick
    • Awards & Honours
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Legacy Giving
    • Fundraise
    • Help make Canada accessible
    • Everyone Everywhere
    • National AccessAbility Week
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Become Accessible
    • Become Accessible
    • Rating & Certification 
      • Rating & Certification 
      • Rating Request Form
      • RHFAC FAQ
      • RHFAC v3.0
    • Professional Training
    • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
      • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
      • Complimentary Ratings FAQ
    • Accessibility Conference
    • Accessibility Resources
    • Accessibility Professional Network
      • Accessibility Professional Network
      • FAQ: Accessibility Professional Network
      • Login
      • RHFAC Professional Directory
    • Post an Accessibility Job
    • Accessibility Advisory Services
    • Buildings Without Barriers Challenge
    • Leaders in Accessibility
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Schools & Communities
    • Schools and Communities
    • Resource Library
    • Ambassador Presentations
      • Ambassador Presentations
      • Book a Presentation
      • About Our Ambassadors
    • Difference Maker Awards
      • Difference Maker Awards
      • Difference Maker Winners
    • Supplementary Resources
    • Our Partners
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • News & Stories
    • News & Stories
    • Blog
    • Media Centre
    • Newsletter
    • Disability Reports
    Hero
    Passionate about accessibility? We need your help
    Get Involved
  • Search

Breadcrumb

  1. Rick Hansen Foundation
  2. News & Stories
  3. Blog
  4. Currently selected 5 Books You'll Love by Authors with Disabilities
Woman in wheelchair underwater at bottom of pool with goggles

5 Books You'll Love by Authors with Disabilities

Emily De Boer By Emily De Boer On January 14, 2020 Community Spotlight

It’s not hard to find stories about people with disabilities (PWD), but the problem with many of them is that they’re often written by and for people without disabilities.  

It’s important to seek out literature created by and for PWD for a number of reasons. Personally, as someone with a disability, I think it’s much easier to see myself in a story that isn’t rooted in the idea that it must inspire someone or make them question whether they could do what we do every day.  

Knowing this, I put together a short list of stories, poems, and other works written by people with disabilities. These are writers who have portrayed their experience in a way that is more relatable to those of us in the disabled community than a story written by someone who hasn’t shared these experiences.  

1. Beauty Is a Verb   

Jennifer Bartlett, Sheila Black, and Michael Northern   

This is a brilliant and eclectic collection of essays, memoirs, and poetry that expresses a range of emotions from different writers with disabilities. The stories are vulnerable and emotional, making for a very powerful read.   

woman underwater in wheelchair wearing goggles and a summer dress

2. Good Kings and Bad Kings   

Susan R. Nussbaum  

Nussbaum’s book tells the story of seven diverse teenagers living in an institution for juveniles with disabilities. As the story progresses, the characters develop deep friendships with one another, resulting in a range of emotions for both the characters and the reader. Throughout the book the characters dispel many misconceptions about what living with disabilities really means.   

Book Cover: Good Kings Bad Kings, bright coloured stripes

3. Stairs and Whispers  

Sandra Alland, Khairani Barokka, Daniel Sluman   

Stairs and Whispers is an anthology of poems created by members of various disabled communities. The poetry ranges in style, length, content, and perspective, but all have one essential thing in common: representation of disabled people in literature in both content and creation. The book contains some of the most raw and honest depictions of disability—a refreshing read that doesn’t shy away from reality.  

Book Cover; Stairs and Whispers

4. Girl at War   

Sara Novic  

In her debut novel, deaf author Sara Novic tells a stunning story about the 1991 Yugoslavian war and what it meant to have lived through such a traumatic event. The book is separated into two different time periods in the protagonist’s life: when she was young and living amid a war, and when she is older and safe in America. The novel has been nominated for several literary awards, proving that literature written from different perspectives result in amazing stories that people need to know.   

Book Cover; Girl at War

5. El Deafo  

Cece Bell   

El Deafo is a graphic novel memoir about growing up with hearing loss. Having grown up deaf herself, Bell decided to write a story so that those without hearing disabilities can learn to communicate respectfully with people who are hard of hearing or D/deaf. The novel was awarded the John Newbery Medal in 2015.  

Related articles

Man with light hair who is using a motorized wheelchair next to a plane. He is wearing light pants and a green and grey jacket.
RHFAC Training Allows Rick Watters to Continue Learning About Accessibility
Man with clothes covered in paint standing in front of a large, colourful flower mural.
Becoming an RHFAC Professional Allowed Colin Farnan to Start Addressing Barriers in the Built Environment
Rick Hansen (man with light brown hair) using his wheelchair holding a blue certification sign with a blonde woman who is sitting beside him. They are beside two large banners.
Kristen Habermehl’s Journey to Becoming an RHFAC Professional
Man with black hair and glasses using a wheelchair wearing a bright blue t-shirt sitting in a cafe. He is holding a coffee cup.
Arnold Cheng on His Career Shift and Becoming an RHFAC Professional
Emily De Boer, headshot, smiling

About the Author

Emily De Boer is a guest writer for the Rick Hansen Foundation. She herself has a spinal cord injury and understands some of the challenges people with disabilities face. She works to challenge those stigmas and the everyday barriers of our world.

Back to top

Next Story

Ambassador Spotlight: Matt Kinnie
Read More

Stay in Touch

Receive Foundation emails to stay up-to-date on our impact and programs.

Contact Us

1-800-213-2131
info@rickhansen.com

Rick Hansen Foundation
300-3820 Cessna Drive
Richmond, BC
Canada V7B 0A2

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Imagine Canada

The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under license by the Rick Hansen Foundation.

About Us - EN

  • About Us
  • Our Programs
  • Leadership Team
  • Board Members and Committees
  • Donors
  • Annual Reports
  • 2021-23 Strategic Plan
  • FAQ
  • Work With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Champion's Circle

About Rick - EN

  • About Rick
  • Rick's Story
  • Man In Motion World Tour
    • Man In Motion World Tour
    • The Dream
    • Tour Timeline
    • Tour Gallery
    • Tour Team
    • 35th Anniversary
  • Rick’s Work and Vision
  • A Conversation with Rick
  • Awards & Honours

Get Involved - EN

  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Legacy Giving
  • Fundraise
  • Help make Canada accessible
  • Everyone Everywhere
  • National AccessAbility Week

Become Accessible - EN

  • Become Accessible
  • Rating & Certification 
    • Rating & Certification 
    • Rating Request Form
    • RHFAC FAQ
    • RHFAC v3.0
  • Professional Training
  • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
    • Ontario Complimentary Ratings
    • Complimentary Ratings FAQ
  • Accessibility Conference
  • Accessibility Resources
  • Accessibility Professional Network
    • Accessibility Professional Network
    • FAQ: Accessibility Professional Network
    • Login
    • RHFAC Professional Directory
  • Post an Accessibility Job
  • Accessibility Advisory Services
  • Buildings Without Barriers Challenge
  • Leaders in Accessibility

Schools & Communities - EN

  • Schools and Communities
  • Resource Library
  • Ambassador Presentations
    • Ambassador Presentations
    • Book a Presentation
    • About Our Ambassadors
  • Difference Maker Awards
    • Difference Maker Awards
    • Difference Maker Winners
  • Supplementary Resources
  • Our Partners

News & Stories - EN

  • News & Stories
  • Blog
  • Media Centre
  • Newsletter
  • Disability Reports

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Ethical Reporting Policy
  • Complaints Policy
  • Imagine Canada Certification
  • Accessibility Commitment
  • Diversity and Inclusion
Imagine Canada

The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under license by the Rick Hansen Foundation.

Charitable Registration Number: 10765 9427 RR 0001 © 2022 Rick Hansen Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

Back to Top
Hero

Our programs and initiatives work to create an accessible and inclusive world where people with disabilities can live to their full potential. 

Learn more
Hero

When Rick set out to wheel around the world in 1985, he had three missions: to raise awareness about the potential of people with disabilities, create accessible and inclusive communities, and find a cure.

Read more
Hero

Receive updates from RHF on the impact we’re making for people with disabilities across Canada.

Subscribe
Hero

Have your site rated and certified for meaningful access for people with physical disabilities. Make your community more welcoming and inclusive for all!

Get Started
Hero

Receive free educational resources that teach youth about the importance of access and inclusion.  

Learn more
Hero

Browse the latest stories about access and inclusion from Rick and our team of bloggers. 

Read our Blog