The Disability Experience

March 1, 2021
An overview of disability history and culture. Leavitt, herself legally blind, begins by contrasting the impairment-focused medical model of disability with the social model, which incorporates the challenges that people with disabilities encounter in everyday life. Using person-first language, she applies the social model to a vast array of topics. Subjects include the treatment of people with disabilities throughout history; the meaning of disabled culture; assistive technologies and adaptations; and challenges faced by contemporary people with disabilities in work, school, and medical settings, such as ignorance, inaccessibility, and discrimination. She bolsters her exploration of physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities with statistics enumerating disabled populations in the United States and Canada. Sidebars highlight athletes, artists, and entrepreneurs with disabilities, and expressive cartoons illustrate common scenarios; both photos and art feature ethnic diversity. The author's personal anecdotes provide additional insight. Unfortunately, Leavitt occasionally overgeneralizes: Although people may find learning braille challenging, she asserts that she learned it at age 10, "so how hard can it be?" and the preference of many autistic people for identity-first language is not addressed. However, her candid discussions of contemporary issues, such as low employment rates and medically assisted dying, are nuanced and hard-hitting, and her acknowledgement of disability in the LGBTQ+ community is refreshing. She ends on a hopeful note, offering ways for nondisabled readers to advocate for people with disabilities. A candid introduction to the multifaceted experiences of people with disabilities. (glossary, resources, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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April 1, 2021

Gr 7 Up-This book invites readers to rethink the way people with disabilities are viewed. Leavitt, who is blind, explains that people with disabilities want the same things everyone does: independence, opportunities, and the ability to reach their goals. Leavitt also details how historically those with disabilities have been seen as "other," and covers segregation within institutions, ostracism, and the use of euthanasia for those with severe disabilities. Laws such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 were passed to protect those with disabilities. The book explains how new technology creates greater mobility and other solutions and disability represents only one aspect of a person's life. The text centers on visible (blindness, deafness, physical) and cognitive disabilities. Communication disabilities (aphasia, stuttering, and autism) are acknowledged but not discussed in depth. The illustrations and sidebars contextualize the text and highlight a diverse population and a variety of individual stories. A glossary and an index are included. The book would be useful for reports, but its strength is a narrative voice that asks readers to contemplate another point of view. The last chapter explains how people without disabilities can be helpful, and encourages readers to consider a wide variety of options. It also urges readers to vote, pay attention, and civically participate as an ally. VERDICT A strong, if not entirely comprehensive, introduction to disabilities.-Connie Williams, Petaluma, CA

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