As part of our Civic Engagement project, here's a selection of books, articles, podcasts, and other resources related to disability awareness.
Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at info@mgpl.org or 847-965-4220.
Resources
Books for Children (Fiction)
- Janine by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
- Rescue & Jessica: A Lifechanging Friendship by Jessica Kensky
- A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Robinowitz
- Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor
- The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine
- Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
- A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey
- Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mulally Hunt
- Braced by Alyson Gerber
Books for Children (Nonfiction)
- This Kid Can Fly by Philip Aaron
- Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant
- Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw
- The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Player Changed the Game by Nancy Churnin
- Danny and the Blue Cloud by James Foley
- Emmanuel’s Dream by Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Resources for Parents
- 6 Tips to Talk to Your Kids About Disabilities, Family Education
- How to Teach Children About Disability, at Every Age, Today
Books for Teens (Fiction)
- Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
- A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
- No True Believers by Rabiah York Lumbard
- The Degenerates by J. Albert Mann
- And Then There Were Four by Nancy Werlin
- The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Books for Teens (Nonfiction)
- The Courage to Compete: Living with Cerebral Palsy and Following My Dreams by Abbey Curran
- Laughing At My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw
- Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion by Jessica Tatiana Long
- A Quick and Easy Guide to Sex and Disability by A. Andrews
- Disability Discrimination by James Roland
Books for Adults (Fiction)
- Jellyfish Have No Ears by Adèle Rosenfeld
- A Sign of Her Own by Sarah Marsh
- Master Class by Christina Dalcher
- The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean Pendziwol
- Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay
- Still Life with Monkey by Katharine Weber
- Watching You Without Me by Lynn Coady
- Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum
Books for Adults (Nonfiction)
- Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability by Melissa Blake
- Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life by Alice Wong
- Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma
- Disability Visibility: First-person Stories from the Twenty-first Century
- Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith E. Heumann
- Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
- The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me by Keah Brown
- From the Periphery: Real-life Stories of Disability by Pia Justesen
Articles
- A Point of View: Happiness and Disability (BBC News)
- Stares, Glares, and Internet Dating: The Harsh Realities of Life with a Disability (The Guardian)
- 30 Years Later: How the ADA Changed Life for People with Disabilities by Allison Norlian (Forbes)
Documentaries & Videos
- Our Fight for Disability Rights: And Why We’re Not Done Yet by Judith Heumann (TED Talk)
- I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much by Stella Young (TED Talk)
- Who Am I to Stop It: Transformation After Brain Injury (Kanopy)
- Sins Invalid: An Unshamed Claim to Beauty (Kanopy)
Podcasts
- Disability Matters, Joyce Bender
- Disarming Disability, Nicole Kelly, Sarah Tuberty
- (In)Accessible, Andrea Pasquale, NPR
- The Accessible Stall, Kyle Khachadurian, Emily Ladau
- Pigeonhole
- Disability Visibility Project
Updated 1.9.25