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Happy International Day of of Persons with Disabilities! While we celebrate all of these people today, we feature #OwnVoices books and disabled voices on our blog year-round. THREAD (1/10):
"Stories which provide information and representation really matter in bridging the gap between discomfort and familiarity, between fear of the unknown and true empathy." - @KRSilverstein on how stories about disability help create empathy: http://ow.ly/EMcf50CCapb
"By the time I was eight years old, I was a seasoned disability rights activist… I knew even as a child how important the passage of the ADA would be for children like myself." - @jkclegacy in convo with @AnnettePimentel about ALL THE WAY UP ( @fluxbooks): http://ow.ly/IXoS50CCanV
"As meetings and events in the book world continue to take place in virtual spaces as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, accessibility is too often an afterthought." - @alainaskeys on how to make virtual meetings and events accessible: http://ow.ly/VaQP50CCamS
"As a disability activist, I’m often asked, “Has it gone too far?” in reference to accommodations, accessibility, inclusion, representation, pejorative language, & healthcare for all." - @JAlbertMann wrote about eugenics & THE DEGENERATES ( @simonschuster): http://ow.ly/sc2m50CCalV
"The Oracle Code is an unapologetically disabled story. The vast majority of the cast of characters is disabled... It’s a love letter to Barbara Gordon’s Oracle, the most important superhero in Gotham City." - @mariekeyn on THE ORACLE CODE ( @DCComics): http://ow.ly/PH9F50CCakQ
"I love the section on hidden disabilities and mental health... It’s so important to normalize these experiences and show that joy and recovery is possible." - @cerrieburnell on I AM NOT A LABEL ( @wideeyeded): http://ow.ly/EHJW50CCak1
"I looked for other YA books with characters with ME and found none. I realized I had to do this—how important it was." - @pennyjoelson on deciding to write a main character with chronic illness in THE GIRL WHO WASN'T THERE ( @SourcebooksFire): http://ow.ly/3ahG50CCaj9
"You never see a person who actively chooses not to wear a prosthesis. And I’m someone who actively chooses not to wear a prosthesis. That was really important to me.” - @AuthorKati on writing FINDING BALANCE ( @fluxbooks): http://ow.ly/XO3E50CCaii
"I didn’t want to follow the familiar paradigm of a d/Deaf child mainstreamed into a hearing school who is bullied & then receives broad acceptance. I don’t know any kid whose life follows that simple path." - @annclezotte on SHOW ME A SIGN ( @Scholastic): http://ow.ly/lxDj50CCah7
