Disability Pride Audiobooks

The Australian author, who narrates his own work, details his life as a competitor in wheelchair basketball and tennis, his music-festival-hopping lifestyle, world travels, and so much more. He makes it clear that using a wheelchair will not stop him from what he wants to do and accomplish. With a gravelly voice, Alcott narrates his story, which is inspiring without being... Read More

Maria Pendolino performs this short collection of essays featuring Dr. Ashley Shew's concept of "technoableism," a type of ableist belief that technology can, and should, "cure" disabled people. Shew uses her experience as a chronically ill, hard-of-hearing cancer survivor and amputee to illustrate how technology helps assist her in her everyday life. But, at the same time,... Read More

With an energetic pace and a youthful voice, Ali Stroker narrates disability rights activist Judith Heumann's memoir. The audiobook spans the author's life as a polio survivor who started out having to face wheelchair barriers at home, in her neighborhood, at school, and at university. Heumann and Stroker both prove engaging as Heumann recounts how her forbearance with... Read More

This fascinating collection of voices from the disabled community is presented with care by a talented team of narrators. In her introduction to these 40 powerfully affecting essays, activist Alice Wong, who edited this volume, stresses the value of seeking and exploring intimacy. Each essay opens a window that may contain familiar elements or, perhaps, a novel mode of... Read More

Author Alice Wong tells listeners the personal stories of various disabled people, including herself, for the purpose of creating a stronger sense of community among them. In her introduction, which she delivers herself over sound effects of traffic, Wan recalls her own excitement about accessible public transit. She then turns her collection over to Alejandra Ospina, who... Read More

Narrator Maxwell Glick deftly captures the wide emotional range of Clare's astonishing life story. He was born with cerebral palsy and later realized he also had gender issues, which added to his personal unhappiness and to being harassed by others, including his own family. The book's first-person, conversational point of view takes listeners on Clare's painful but ultimately... Read More

Author/narrator Mickey Rowe delivers a fierce and vivacious performance of this audiobook about his arduous and triumphant journey to becoming an actor with autism. Rowe details the tribulations faced by people with disabilities as they navigate a world that marginalizes them and bars them from opportunities that able-bodied people take for granted. His frustration and... Read More

The late Judith Heumann, who used a wheelchair all her life, narrates her own note to listeners in this brief account of her youth and early disability-rights activism. Ali Stroker delivers the story itself, which begins with Heumann's education, a time that is marked by humiliation and opposition at nearly every turn. This fuels the anger and determination that leads to... Read More

Narrators Lauren Ezzo and Brittany Pressley create distinct, powerful portraits of 18-year-olds Biddy and Quincy, special education students who are placed in the same home. Biddy’s tenderness is lyrically expressed as she finds images to express her emotions. Quincy is sarcastic, sassy, and scornful of her new roommate. The unique gifts and strength of these characters are... Read More

Listeners who are unfamiliar with Haben Girma may find her voice a little disconcerting at first because it sounds like that of a much younger person. Girma is a DeafBlind woman who overcame incredible odds and narrates her own story, which culminates with her graduation from Harvard Law School. We quickly move beyond her vocal delivery as we learn how she overcame many... Read More

Ambitious and hard-working media personality Zach Anner narrates his memoir with the verve and compassion that make his story so compelling. Anner has cerebral palsy--as he says, "the sexiest of the palsies"--and listeners get a glimpse of that world, but what Anner truly offers is a funny and thoughtful exploration of the ways human beings can propel themselves forward or hold... Read More

It was a smart choice to use a pair of narrators, James Shippy and Marc Samuel, for this joint memoir by twin brothers. Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin played youth sports together and vowed to do the same with college football. Now they both play for the Seattle Seahawks. The two narrators create individual identities for the brothers while keeping their dialogue straight for the... Read More

Narrator Pat Young delivers this audiobook about our senses and how we interpret them. Sixteen-year-old Will, blind from birth, enters a mainstream public school for the first time and, in rapid succession, finds a strong coterie of pals, discovers friendship with a bright and troubled girl who is a photographer, undergoes experimental surgery on his eyes, and faces losing his... Read More

James Holman, a lieutenant in the 1812 British navy, loses his sight at age 25 and teaches himself independence from his acquired disability. Using artful expression and Dickensian prose, Jason Roberts manages to make Holman's worldly travels sound like a Victorian novel, including elaborate descriptions of all the minor personae in the blind man's milieu. Narrator John Curless... Read More

Narrator Chloe Dolandis gracefully meets the challenge of delivering a story that unfolds in oral English, American Sign Language, and finger spelling. At 17, Maya has been profoundly deaf for only four years, so her observations and thoughts as this gentle teen romance develops from her viewpoint are in standard English. Mainstreamed for her last year of high school, Maya's... Read More

South African disability rights activist Eddie Ndopu performs his memoir, bringing his story to life with his thoughtful narration. When Ndopu receives a full scholarship to attend Oxford University, he feels equally overwhelmed and elated that all of his hard work and advocacy have paid off. But when he emails the university to discuss the accommodations he needs due to spinal... Read More

Rebekah Taussig’s humor and passion shine as she delivers this illuminating collection of essays about disability. Taussig captures the ups and downs of ordinary life in a disabled body; she discusses dating, navigating her first year of teaching, and searching for an accessible apartment, in particular. As she celebrates disabled lives, culture, and activism, she examines the... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya gives a spirited performance of this captivating memoir by disability rights activist Nadina LaSpina. LaSpina, who contracted polio as a baby in Sicily, moved with her family to the U.S. as a teenager. She recounts the time she spent in hospitals, the abuse she suffered at the hands of doctors, and her experiences as a leader in the disability rights... Read More

In this biographical look at artist Judith Scott told from her twin sister's point of view, young listeners are given a glimpse of the power of art. The story is told in short, spare poems, and author Joyce Scott's affection and reverence for her sister come through in her narration. Judith Scott was born with Down syndrome at a time when it was not understood. She spent most... Read More

Political journalist Eric Garcia, who is on the autism spectrum, interviewed others with this condition so he could join them in speaking for themselves instead of passively tolerating the judgments and misunderstandings of typical media coverage. He delivers what could be called a manifesto with sincerity that is pleasing enough to make his limited phrasing range a nonissue.... Read More

Ali Stroker delivers a personable performance in this coming-of-age story. At college Effie explores her independence and pushes against the boundaries of her comfort zone. She uses a wheelchair and has been viewed as someone with limitations since high school. But at an accessible college, she pursues her dreams and can be seen as herself. Stroker's flexible performance... Read More

Nancy Wu performs this stunning memoir from disability rights activist Alice Wong. Born with spinal muscular atrophy, Wong has spent her life advocating for equal access--for herself and other disabled people. She tells her story in a series of essays, interview transcripts, images, and illustrations, creating a scrapbook-like feel. Wu deftly performs each section, using image... Read More