Every book club should read Demystifying Disability

?? I'm reading 52+ DEI books so you don't have to.

Book review #6 is about Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau (2021).

2-sentence review

This book is an introduction to the disability community as told by disability rights activist Emily Ladau. If you're not confident talking about disability or being an ally to disabled people, this book will be a no-nonsense partner to help you start your journey.

Overall ranking: B tier

Who might like this book?

Anyone who is not familiar with disability inclusion or the disability rights movement will get the most out of this book. It's designed as the ideal book club pick--it's relatively short, there's no prior topic knowledge needed, and you'll want to chat with someone about the stories inside.

Disability 101

This book will answer the majority of people's questions about disabilities if they are new to the topic. The author and the people in the disability community that she's interviewed share a few different ways of conceptualizing disability, such as:

• A natural and evolving part of being human
• A physical or mental condition that limits major life activity
• An oppression of difference

These definitions tell a larger story of the Disability Rights Movement but also signal that "there is no singular disability experience." Even if two people share one or more diagnoses, they will not have identical experiences because of their individual life circumstances. This means there is no list of do's and don'ts that will apply to every situation and that a core value is flexibility.

When it comes to talking about disability, every disabled person has their own preference about how they think about and refer to their disability. If we want to refer to this aspect of their identity, it's best to ask directly how someone refers to their own disability/disabilities instead of guessing. Some people have a strong preference for using person-first language to describe themselves (e.g., a person with a disability, a person who uses a wheelchair) while other people strongly prefer to use identity-first language (e.g., Autistic person, blind person). So when in doubt and when it's necessary to know or signal this aspect of someone's identity, ask first!

Aside from these foundational topics, the book includes a brief summary of the U.S. Disability Rights Movement, an introduction to ableism and accessibility, a discussion of disability as portrayed in the media, and tips for disability etiquette for all age groups.

Intersectional identities

It's long been established that those of us with multiple marginalized identities face multi-layered biases and prejudice. This was my first time reading several examples of how this is experienced among some people with disabilities. For example, in an interview with the author, D'Arcee Neal, a Black, queer wheelchair user, shared that when he was a kid, people would ask if had to use a wheelchair because he had been shot: "They immediately jumped to the conclusion that I had a spinal cord injury as a result of gang or gun violence," he said.

This story and many others in the book will inspire reflection about the assumptions and stereotypes we hold. To encourage behavior change, Ladau dedicates a full chapter to disability etiquette, in which a takeaway is not to be rude, offensive, or nosy by thinking we are entitled to make comments or ask invasive questions about someone's disability or someone's mobility equipment. There are also tips for educating others about disability without causing harm or perpetuating stereotypes.

Despite these practical tips, there is far more information and advice related to visible disabilities than non-visible disabilities. I think this is because most of the advice is based on common disrespectful behavior or communication, which is much more common when people notice a disability than when it's not visible. However, I do wish there were more examples of how people with non-visible disabilities would want people to demonstrate allyship.

Stray thoughts

Ladau notes a few times that some advice in the book is based primarily on her perspective and that others in the disability community will and have disagreed. As such, this book is absolutely an introduction and shouldn't be someone's only source of education on these topics.

Reading this book and taking two weeks to write its review helped me reflect on what I look for in DEI books. When I dedicate time to a topic, I want the deepest dive possible. I want to be inundated with theory, lived experiences, research, real-world applications of solutions, and all the nuance in between. This book is not a deep dive nor a comprehensive spread of disability as a topic. Instead, it's a moderate spread of topics the author thought a typical non-disabled reader with limited knowledge of disability would most benefit from learning. At the end of almost every chapter, I thought, "Aw, I wish there was more information."

But I can't fault the book for being short, and an introductory read that makes someone want to learn more is successful in itself. Including more interviews might have provided enough insights and diverse opinions to make this a book I would recommend more widely among DEI professionals. As it stands, the book is perfect as a book club read, but as the author states, it probably won't make you 100% competent in disability inclusion by the end.

B Tier

Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally is a straightforward introduction to disability. It's not a must-read for those with background knowledge or personal experience with disability, but it's a solid pick for starting a learning journey.

?? If you have also read this book, what did you find most useful? Do you agree or disagree with my ranking? If you haven't read it, which core idea sounds most applicable to your work? Share your thoughts in the comments!