Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century

This is a powerful, essential collection of disability narratives by disabled voices, and it should be read by everyone who ever does any kind of disability advocacy work or similar work. It is a beautifully written book that displays how diverse and multi-faceted the disabled experience is, and that there is no one monolithic viewpoint on disability, or even for a specific disability. I am definitely going to recommend this to my disability-centric employee resource group at work; there is a wealth of knowledge in here that cannot be missed. ( )

Some really interesting stories and essays but many really not very well written or compelling so hard to recommend overall ( )

“…paid what is known as ‘subminimum wage.’ It is still legal to pay disabled people for piecework, or pennies for the hour…” (due to an egregious exemption: section 14(c) in the [American] Fair Labor Standards Act)

“…if you can’t fast, give…”

O you, who believe. Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious). (Fasting) for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days. And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (i.e. an old man, etc.), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a poor person (for every day). But whoever does good of his own accord, it is better for him. And that you fast, it is better for you if only you know.” (Qur’an, 2:183-84)

“who can…” -It's not offered by a human (from a hadeeth). It’s bestowed by Allah (from the Quran)

Astonishingly, disability is the least significant marker of Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century, a remarkable anthology on adversity, endurance and triumph. People (perceptive people) will want to elevate individuals in this book to superhuman endurability, but it is recognition enough to know: no human being is ever more sovereign than this.

The content notes are a best practice I invite the publishing industry to consider aspiring towards or at least being cognizant of albeit that profanity is as offensive as any a content note.

As this month marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, this seemed like a good read. I had seen author Wong on Twitter and while essays are not really my thing, figured it seemed like a good pickup. This is a collection of essays from various disabled people who discuss different aspects of their lives. From romance to working in a job to how they became disabled (for some) to how they cope, etc. People of various genders, sexual orientations, races, places in their lives, etc.

Overall I agree with the negative reviews. Essay collections are always hit or misses with me. There are several really good pieces of writing here. But for every one good piece, there are several others that could have used a better editor, maybe more thought or perhaps were really not the right fit for this type of book (for example, there's a TED Talk which may or may not work for you as text-only).

In the end, though, it was an important read and there will be people out there who will see themselves or someone they know in these essays and these writers got their pieces published. And I also appreciated that many of these pieces also have content notes, as the text deals with everything from ableism to racism to misogyny to sexual assault, etc.

This was a book that was best for me as a e-book read. Would recommend as a library borrow. ( )

There are some powerful authors in this collection. Wong is the founder of The Disability Visibility Project. In this time when so many with disabilities find it even harder to get help readers will get a variety of essays exposing inequalities. There’s an essay about the inequality of health care for native people. There’s another very eye-opening about how patients are vulnerable in the hospital in which the author works. Things like finding adaptive clothe, and the high rats of disability among LGBTQ people. This isn’t the book with the answers, this is the book that should start discussion about the inequalities and how people with disabilities should expect more and deserve more. ( )