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Growing up arsenic a disabled kid, I ne'er saw myself oregon my experiences represented successful books. And erstwhile I did spot disabled radical successful books, they were either the atrocious feline oregon the long-suffering saint who was an inspiration to the different characters (looking astatine you, Beth March). Because of this deficiency of disablement representation, I felt much unsocial and I didn’t person the notation points oregon connection to picture what my beingness was similar oregon however I was feeling.
But today, determination are much books astir disabled kids than ever before. Disabled adults are penning the books that they wished that they had been capable to work arsenic a kid oregon teen. We person representation books featuring kids with limb difference, proceeding aids, and mobility aids. We person young big books that diagnostic teens with facial difference, hep dysplasia, oregon semipermanent illnesses.
While determination is inactive a agelong mode to spell erstwhile it comes to disablement practice successful young people’s literature, these titles exemplify that we are making advancement towards each disabled kids being capable to spot themselves successful the books that they read. So if you are looking for books that diagnostic disabled kids oregon teens, present are immoderate large options to get you started!
Children’s Books About Disability
What Happened to You? by James Catchpole, Illustrated by Karen George
When Jo goes to school, helium conscionable wants to play with each the different kids and spell connected adventures with his friends. But a batch of the different kids support asking, what happened to your leg? This heartwarming children’s publication is cleanable to assistance kids with limb quality consciousness seen. It besides opens up a treatment for kids without limb quality to recognize that kids similar Jo are conscionable similar them.
Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus, Illustrated by Polly Dunbar
Poet Raymond Antrobus has written an adorable children’s publication astir a carnivore cub who is hard of proceeding (HoH). He keeps proceeding adults inquire him, “Can Bears Ski?” It’s not until the extremity of the publication that helium realizes that they are really saying, “Can you perceive me?” This is specified a large publication to springiness the Deaf and HoH kids successful your life. Can Bears Ski? besides opens up the speech with proceeding kids to assistance them recognize that being Deaf oregon HoH is conscionable different mode to be.
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A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman, Illustrated by Peggy Collins
Afghani writer Bahram Rahman tells the communicative of Ari, a young Afghani miss who’s returning to schoolhouse aft an mishap wherever she had to person 1 of her legs amputated. But she couldn’t beryllium much excited to instrumentality to school, this clip with her “helper leg.” But sitting connected the level with her caller limb gives her chronic pain, truthful she organizes a mode to marque benches astatine schoolhouse truthful kids similar her tin absorption connected learning alternatively of the symptom from their disabilities. We emotion a communicative astir originative solutions making acquisition much accessible!
A Walk successful the Words by Hudson Talbott, Illustrated by the Author
Hudson Talbott has illustrated immoderate of the astir beloved children’s books successful the past mates decades, including Jacqueline Woodson’s Show Way. But A Walk successful the Words is his ain communicative of increasing up with a learning disability. As a boy, Hudson struggled to work the words successful beforehand of him. Eventually, helium gave himself support to work astatine his ain pace, enjoying the stories helium work connected his ain terms, not astatine the velocity expected by those astir him.
Marceline Defender of the Sea by Jen Campbell (June 20, 2023)
When the remainder of her people is retired of schoolhouse for the holidays, Marceline has to spell into infirmary for an operation. While lying successful her infirmary bed, Marceline reads books astir fairy tales and learns astir wherever fairy tales came from successful the archetypal place. As she dives into these stories, she decides to marque up fairy tales herself.
El Deafo by Cece Bell
In this graphic novel, we conscionable Cece, illustrated arsenic a bunny, who is Deaf. She has a elephantine proceeding assistance strapped to her thorax that straight connects to a mic her teacher uses. She hates however her proceeding assistance makes her basal out, but past she realizes that the proceeding assistance picks up connected adults’ speech successful the teacher’s lounge. Cece comes to the decision that this indispensable mean that she has a superpower!
Young Adult Books About Disability
Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali
Adam was conscionable diagnosed with aggregate sclerosis (MS), the aforesaid illness that killed his mother. On a vacation interruption from college, Adam returns location to Doha, Qatar, acrophobic to archer his begetter and sister of his caller diagnosis. Then helium meets Zaynab, a miss he’s smitten with from the start. But tin helium let himself to autumn successful emotion with her erstwhile helium feels doomed by his diagnosis?
Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester
In Breathe and Count Back from Ten, Verónica dreams of becoming a mermaid astatine the section mermaid show. But her parents privation her to absorption connected college, not performing. Verónica has hep dysplasia, and feels the astir escaped successful the water. Being a mermaid is simply a mode for her to consciousness similar her champion self. This young big caller delves into the analyzable feelings of being a disabled teen trying to onslaught retired connected her ain erstwhile her parents person ever treated her similar a breakable vase alternatively of a person.
A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley
Ariel Henley and her duplicate sister Zan were calved with Crouzon Syndrome, a information wherever the bones successful their skulls fuse excessively early. Henley shares astir her acquisition going done country aft surgery, conscionable hoping that 1 time she would yet person a look the different kids wouldn’t marque amusive of oregon that adults would discontinue whispering about. Henley is specified a immense advocator for disabled folks with facial difference, particularly for young people, making this young big memoir a must-read.
Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today edited by Alice Wong
Alice Wong’s stellar disablement anthology is present disposable for young adults! Disability Visibility centers the stories of disabled radical by and for disabled people. I would person LOVED to person a postulation similar this to work arsenic a teen, truthful I americium incredibly grateful that Wong went the other mile to supply teens with a postulation made conscionable for them.
There are truthful galore different fantastic books afloat of disabled kids and teens going connected adventures and conscionable surviving their mundane lives. For adjacent much recommendations of disablement literature, cheque retired 8 Disabled Poets to Add to Your TBR, 10 Books to Introduce Readers to Disability Literature, and A Nondisabled Reader’s Guide to Disability Literature.
English (US) ·