Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World

Journalist Mattlin (In Sickness and in Health), who was born with spinal muscular atrophy, offers a celebratory account of disability rights activism since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Highlighting both the vibrancy of the movement and its ongoing challenges, Mattlin discusses, among other matters, the “trend of high-profile disability inclusion” that helped put Sen. Tammy Duckworth on the short list to become Joe Biden’s running mate; the “unapologetic self-confidence” of young people with disabilities on Instagram and YouTube; and the importance of “authentic disabled role models” in helping children to overcome the notion that their disabilities “are personal traumas they and their families must cope with, rather than ordinary experiences.” Throughout, Mattlin shares his perspective as a lifelong wheelchair user, while acknowledging the limits of his experiences when it comes to the Black-led disability justice movement, the self-advocacy of autistic and neurodiverse people, and other developments. Profile subjects include Duckworth, Last Comic Standing winner Josh Blue, and dozens of disability rights activists involved in efforts to make medical offices more accessible and keep lower-income disabled people out of institutional care, among other causes. Upbeat and carefully researched, this valuable guide reveals current trends within the disability community. (Nov.)