If you want to get more involved in disability activism, I would wholeheartedly recommend starting with this book. Disability is not a monolith, you will not be able to understand the impact of being disabled by hearing just from one person. Therefore, having an anthology of essays from the entire spectrum of disability is an incredible opportunity to learn about how disabled people experience life.

Alice Wong also did a fantastic job selecting the essays to ensure the importance of intersectionality wasn't lost. Throughout the book, we can see how being poor, bipoc, queer, female, trans, etc. impacts the lives of disabled folks. We cannot forget this when fighting for our rights! Everyone can become disabled at any time, and disability rights help everyone's quality of life📢

The book is divided into 4 chapters that perfectly capture the essence of experiencing disability. Being, becoming, doing & connecting.

• BEING: This chapter was my favorite one because it navigates how disability is intertwined with identity. Being disabled cannot be separated from oneself and the difficulties of accepting yourself as disabled in a world that is working against you. Finally, it highlights how simply existing as a proud disabled person is a radical act in and of itself.
• BECOMING: Like I mentioned earlier, everyone can become disabled at any point, and this chapter goes over how this journey is seen from the pov of the disabled person. Disability is often a taboo topic that's spoken in hushed word and darkness, and these essays decide to rebel against this and put the spotlight on how disability is actually processed by the disabled person. How their lives changed and how they have adapted to survive.
• DOING: This chapter is full of icons, these are some of the many people doing the work on the frontlines for disability activism, either by going to the courthouse to get better transportation for disabled folks, creating an accesible clothing like, earning the high spot in large companies to make changes, or just accepting themselves in a world that is trying to change them. These are the inspirational stories of disabled people that are not the typical inspiration porn abled people expect from us.
• CONNECTING: This chapter goes over the importance of community as a disabled person, and how connecting with other people is the reason we can thrive. And as A.H. Reaume put it "Independence is a fairy tale that late capitalism tells in order to shift the responsibility for care and support from community and state to individuals and families."

I want to close this review quoting Ricardo T. Thornton Sr.:

“It’s important to have people believe in you and to expect that you’re going to succeed. People need to have high expectations for people with disabilities because then they’ll give them opportunities to learn and grow. ”