This was a unique graphic nonfiction piece. I can see this being a great reference book for young adult libraries and classrooms, but it was a little too advanced in language for my younger students that I teach daily. The content is superb, though!

I personally have a physical disability and recently wrote an in-depth research brief about PWDs in the United States and the challenges we face. Thus, I can appreciate the mission and goals behind this book, but I’m not sure I really liked how the book approached the different topics… ultimately, I wish it focused more on stories of individuals, which might’ve helped it feel less detached and researchy . 3.5 stars!

<i> I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </i>

A little disappointment in that it didn't discuss people who are disabled because of chronic pain or severe mental health issues. Oftentimes people in those categories do not feel they are "sick enough" to fit the category and also often have trouble getting benefits as well. However, I think for what was covered, it was covered well and in an excellently digestible format for the intended audience.

I thought that this book would be more aimed at a disabled audience, which I was excited about as a disabled person and librarian, but it really seemed only for abled people. It felt cringey to me with the message of like "they are just like you." Good intent but not great execution, or at least not what I was hoping for. I hope that it will make some abled teens consider other perspectives.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written. I enjoyed the writing style of this author and the illustrations from the artist. It helps people understand people with disabilities whether they are visible or not. This is a great Nonfiction book. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is in stores for $24.95 (USD).

This was so bad. While I am for that books about disability should exist, I really don't agree that this is the right book for anyone. It's misleading and I wish it was different, because we need more books that talks about disability.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own given for a ARC for review.
As a late in life disabled person that took me out of the work force, I have found that now that I am disabled I am marginalized by society. I am discriminated against everywhere I go, stalked by disability stalkers that are abusive and frightening that harass me and yell at me in public . I am verbally attacked by these stalkers and others in public particularly women that hate disabled people and are verbally abusive. My own family and friends marginalized me and insulted me and my disabilities. So I began on a extensive educational journey of disabled people in this country and am shocked to find in my research how marginalized we truly are and how discriminated against in this day and age. Disabled people are one of the most highly discriminated against people in this country.

This book has served a wonderful purpose of educating a ignorant public on disabilities. I particularly like the chapters where i hear from other disabled people like me that are suffering discrimination. This is a excellent book for disabled people to read to understand we are not alone and for those of ignorance to learn our path and how it is truly to live with disabilities. I applaud the author for a very well documented body of work that will make a difference in the world to those of us that are disabled.

I am a teacher. I am somewhat experienced with disabilities and accommodations. I am very aware of how hard parents have to fight to get them for their kids. However, it was not until my sister was in a bicycle accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and a spinal cord injury that I began to understand how ableist our world truly is.

I was expecting a bit more from this book, but I understand that it might be eye-opening for those who have not thought about how hard some people have to struggle to do everyday things.

I really enjoyed this book because it talks about many different disabilities. As someone who is disabled I felt connected to this book.

This book was eye-opening for me. My brother in law was recently diagnosed with MS and it is sad to think about what opportunities he wouldn't have had if he had received that diagnosis earlier. I love that this book really allowed an able-bodied person like myself to step into the lives of people who have greater challenges.

I think the name is a bit of a misnomer. I was expecting an anthology of personal stories, but this is more like a primer on disabilities and accessibility. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good, it’s just not what was advertised.

Despite being a PWD (persons with disabilities) with a visual impairment, Leavitt writes with objectivity and is careful to ensure readers understand the disability experience is not one size fits all. The book is comprehensive and covers a variety of topics ranging from the history of disability, advocacy, and the politics surrounding disabilities. While Leavitt briefly touches on issues like genetic testing and euthanasia, she provides more of a general overview than an in-depth look at any specific topic. Most of the information focuses on Canada–the US is mentioned peripherally–but there’s still something for everyone.

In the spirit of accessibility, Leavitt writes in a way that is easily understandable, and this book can be read by middle readers and adults alike. It’s a great starting point for someone looking to better understand disabilities and accessibility issues, and it even helped me realize ways I can be more mindful of some of my friends who are PWDs.

The actual content does feel a bit academic, and the writing is a bit dry. I was especially disappointed sections featuring individuals with disabilities aren’t more personal. The bios are a little too brief which makes it hard to connect with the stories. It seems like Leavitt wants to help readers relate to them more by providing real life examples of PWDs, but the attempt is undermined by the didactic tone. I appreciate the intent and the effort to provide raise awareness about PWDs, though. Overall, the content skews more towards the educational side, so it’s nice that there are illustrations and pictures dispersed throughout the book help break up some of the monotony. The design and the vibrant colors definitely help make the reading experience feel a little less like you’re reading a textbook. I was initially annoyed when NetGalley wouldn’t let me send the ARC to my Kindle and I had to read it on my computer, but I really don’t think it would’ve been the same reading experience in black-and-white. (I personally think the hard copy will be the best, but I’m also Team Physical Books, so I might be biased.)

Picture showing various individuals: Man in sunglasses wearing a graduation outfit, man interviewing for a job, African American female in a wheelchair holding up a peace sign, and a African American man in a motorized scooter holding up a sign that says "equality" with his daughter riding on the back and his wife walking beside them. The words, "capable," "educated," "skilled," "unique," "loving valued community member," and "family" are interspersed among the

For a book that seeks to raise awareness about PWDs and educate readers about the history of disability and challenges individuals can face, The Disability Experience does a good job. Unfortunately, I don’t think the aspect of “celebrating the triumphs and achievements of PWDs and sharing the powerful stories of those who have fought for change” is as successful as it could’ve been. That being said, I would recommend this with the caveat that it’s more informational and less biographical.

*I received this book for free from Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

This book was not quite what I was expecting when I picked it up. I was quite interested in the content, as I have a child with a disability, and I wanted to educate myself more on what she will experience in the world. This book absolutely delivers on that desire. This is an excellent primer on living with a disability and how the world views people with disabilities.

To look at the cover of this book, I was expecting it to be in a graphic novel style format. Or to at least me a little more of a "fun" read. I quickly learned that this book is written more in the textbook style. Once I realized this was the case, I was able to enjoy the book and I learned a lot. The information within is very important, but I do feel that the cover is a little bit misleading.

The illustrations do make this book have some more personality than another non-fiction book on this subject might have. It is certainly targeted towards teens, but I also really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it as an adult. It brings awareness to the able-bodied masses of the types of situations that a person with disabilities has to deal with in their everyday life. The sections with people's real life experiences were the most compelling and helped to make it feel more real, rather than clinical.

All in all, this is an excellent book to educate yourself on the experiences of people with disabilities and to bring awareness of potential prejudices that we might be harboring. I think this would be an excellent book for middle and high school librarians to have on their shelves. However, I truly feel that adults will also benefit from reading this book as well.

I gave The Disability Experience 3 STARS.

(I will come back and post my link when my blog post goes up on 4/12)

This book does a great job of celebrating people with disabilities and really makes you think about the world through their point of view!

Hi! This book was free on Net Galley read now in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Information about the book comes from Goodreads.

Title: The Disability Experience: Working toward Belonging

Author: Hannalora Leavitt and Belle Wuthrich (Illustrations)

Genre: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Non-Fiction, and Own-Voices

Expected Publication: April 13th, 2021 from Orca Book Publishers

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55668824-the-disability-experience



Rating: **** (4 stars)

Goodreads Summary



People with disabilities (PWDs) have the same aspirations for their lives as you do for yours. The difference is that PWDs don’t have the same access to education, employment, housing, transportation, and healthcare to achieve their goals. In The Disability Experience, you’ll meet people with different kinds of disabilities, and you'll begin to understand the ways PWDs have been ignored, reviled, and marginalized throughout history. The book also celebrates the triumphs and achievements of PWDs and shares the powerful stories of those who have fought for change.



Overall

I saw this book on Net Galley Read Now, and I knew that I would want to read it. I’m glad I read it because even though I knew a lot about what they said in the book, I still enjoyed the experience and I still did learn some things. My favorite sections of the book were the ones that talked about people living with disabilities in real life. These sections showed that just because someone had some kind of disability, it didn’t mean that they were much different from you. This book featured people who had jobs, athletes, and we're helping people in their community. I love learning about these people and seeing what they were doing with their lives.



Writing



One of the reasons you read a Non-Fiction book is to learn something. The book will teach you something about a topic, and you hope to come out knowing something more than what you knew when you started reading. The key thing about the writing of this book is that it is conversational, and it has a factual tone because it lets you know about people with all kinds of different disabilities. The writing is clear and the word choice makes this book easy to follow. What stood out for me about this book was that this covered a lot of different bases, giving information to the reader about specific types, and leaving room for research after you have finished reading. Information about disability services throughout the world, and how people can help disabled people is also found throughout the book. Another reason I loved this book was that it talked about real people with disabilities, and it showed how they were living their daily lives. While this book might be geared towards Middle Grade and Young Adult, I think that even an adult could learn from reading this. A work of Non-Fiction can start a conversation, and this book is a great way to start talking about the topic of people with disabilities.



Photos and Illustrations

The photos in this book are excellent because it makes the reader see exactly what the people with disabilities look like. Each section that talks about a person with a disability in real life has a photo, and there are photo’s as you read through the rest of the book. The illustrations are great because it brings the reader into the life of a person with disabilities. Having the photos and illustrations only adds to and enhances what is being said in the book.

This is fine. I'm not 100% sure who the audience is, because at times it's too advanced for children and at others it's too simple for teens and adults. The tone is a little too formal, and the parts I liked were where the author relaxed a little. The author is blind so a lot of the information skews towards sensory disabilities. There are many, many pages about the ways that blind/low vision folks and d/Deaf folks have adapted technologies and then like half a page about canes and wheelchairs. The book also really prioritizes physically disabilities, and doesn't spend a lot of time (particularly in the second half) about neurodiversity and mental illness.

There is one particularly good chapter dealing with advocacy and the politics of disability. The author talks about eugenics, quality of life arguments, and the politics of the unborn. There's a lot more to be said, but it's a good introduction.

This book is super informative, both about disability rights in the United States and also in Canada. It was interesting to see how different life can be for disabled folks in the two countries.

This was an exciting book to read and review, as I myself have a disability. When I was first diagnosed with severe hearing loss and had to be fitted with hearing aids, I felt so isolated from those around me. This book was a great read because it will remind those with disabilities that they are not alone and that there is a whole community with shared experiences.

Leavitt did a fantastic job, as she was able to speak from her own personal experiences as a blind woman. Having a disabled writer really added that extra layer to this book. What I also really enjoyed was the inclusion of other people’s stories of their experiences with different disabilities. Because the author does not have personal experience of other disabilities, this was a nice addition.

I think what I enjoyed the most was that this book not only covered a brief history of disabled people, but it also contained plenty of information regarding disability advocacy, and the steps that people in the abled community can take to make sure things are accessible to those with differing disabilities.

This book is an absolute ableist mess. As a disabled person, as someone whose research interests are in disability representation in books at middle grades and young adults, I am absolutely horrified by the ableism presented in this book. So much is misleading or flat out wrong, and there are glaring holes. I love the idea of this book and I wish I had something to hang to my tweens and teens about disability, but this is not it.

I thought that this was very informative however, it gave different and more information than I was expecting from it. I would definitely recommend this for young teens!

I felt this book was not what i thought it was going to be. It read like a textbook and gave information more on a learning level than hearing actual stories and getting to understand people. As a person who has studied and understood the field of working with others with disabilities this is something that i didn't personally need. Might be good for someone who wants to read to learn more about the field but not if you want to understand on a personal level of what disabilities are and how they affect everyone differently