Disability Pride Month

“Disability” is not a bad word!

It is estimated that more than 25% of adult Americans have a disability, including physical and mental disabilities. Disability Pride Month started in 1990 as a celebration each July to commemorate President George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act into law.

Disabilities can be physical, mental, visible or invisible. Many who would fit the label of disabled do not identify as disabled because of the negative connotations previously associated with the word “disability.” Many disability rights activists stress that disability is not a bad word, and aim to increase support of disabled people by providing platforms for their stories and experiences.

The ALA’s Library Bill of Rights states that “a person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of a disability, whether actual or perceived” and that “physical access to the library should also not be a barrier to library use.” As such, spaces like our Canton Public Library are designed to be accessible and inclusive to everyone. Below are some resources to promote accessibility both here at the library and elsewhere.

Local Disability Resources in Southeast Michigan

• The Braille & Talking Book program, a part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). Canton’s provider is housed in the Taylor Community Library.
• Detroit Disability Power is a community of people with disabilities and their allies who build community as well as political power to support inclusion of people with disabilities in the Metro Detroit area.
• Disability Network Michigan is a supportive, educational and guiding organization for those with disabilities or designing spaces for those with disabilities. Disability Network Wayne County Detroit is Canton’s closest member.
• KultureCity is a nonprofit that aims to help people with invisible disabilities and sensory accessibility issues find acceptance and spaces that work for them.
• Michigan Disability Programs & Services is a portal for benefits, housing, education, recreation, transportation and more.

Services and Tools at CPL

• Low-vision magnifiers, large print items, and more for those with vision disabilities.
• An introduction to the Braille & Talking Book program through the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS); Canton’s provider is housed in the Taylor Community Library.
• A wheelchair is available near the Check Out Desk; ask a staff member if you’d like to use it.
• Wheelchair-accessible computer stations are available at the bank of computers closest to the Check Out and Information Desks.
• Reasonable accommodations are available, and the Canton Public Library affirms its support of access for persons with disabilities in our policy.

Library Books and Resources

For Adults

• Accessible Vacations: An Insider’s Guide to 10 National Parks by Simon Hayhoe. This guide describes techniques and technologies that make visiting the national parks easier, and details what is available through driving, riding, walking, wheeling or feeling.
• Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism by Elsa Sjunneson. This memoir discusses misrepresentation of disability in books, movies and TV.
• The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work by Ludmila N. Praslova. This book serves as a guide for both employers and prospective employees on how to accommodate and include neurodiverse individuals in workplaces that can otherwise be difficult for them to navigate.
• Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau. This thoughtful guide by disability rights activist and co-host of the podcast The Accessible Stall is aimed at non-disabled people who want to be better allies.
• Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World by Ben Mattlin. This book is an eye-opening portrait of the diverse disability community as it is today and how attitudes, activism and representation have evolved since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Disability Visibility: First-person Stories from the 21st Century edited by Alice Wong. This is a collection of essays, blog posts, manifestos, eulogies and testimonies to Congress by disabled writers.
• Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life by Alice Wong. Alice Wong is an Asian American disabled activist and community organizer who fights for visibility for disabled people; she is the founder of the Disability Visibility Project. This memoir is filled with “wit, joy, and rage.”
• Yoga Where You Are: Customize Your Practice for Your Body and Your Life by Dianne Bondy and Kat Heagberg. This extremely accessible, customizable yoga guide helps you find modifications and a yoga practice that fits your body and your mind.

For Teens

• College Success for Students with Learning Disabilities by Cynthia G. Simpson. This book is a handy resource for disabled teens trying to navigate the world of higher learning.
• The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging by Hannalora Leavitt. This book contains a history of disability rights and culture, and invites readers to rethink the way disabilities are viewed.
• Disability Visibility: 17 First-Person Stories for Today: Adapted for Young Adults edited by Alice Wong. This is a collection of essays by disabled writers, adapted for a younger audience.

For Kids

• Fighting for Yes! The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. This picture book celebrates the life and work of disability rights activist Judith Heumann.
• Understanding Blindness by Jessica Rusick. This title helps readers learn about blindness and how to be a respectful ally.
• Understanding Physical Disabilities by Jessica Rusick. This title helps readers learn common physical disabilities and how to be a respectful ally.
• Wired Differently: 30 Neurodivergent People Who You Should Know by Joe Wells. This title covers the spectrum of neurodiversity and includes profiles of neurodiverse entertainers, athletes and activists.