A small but growing list of resources that I’ll be adding to! The list currently comprises of books but I hope to also add some e-resources and articles in the near future. Bear with me while I organise my numerous links.
Design
Inclusive Design for a Digital World by Regine M. Gilbert
I enjoyed finding out about current efforts to make the web more accessible to people with disabilities including visual, motor, hearing, cognitive impairments. There is a whole literature out there dedicated to providing guidelines and educational resources for web developers and currently nascent efforts for engineers of emerging tech like VR and AR.
The book challenged me to think about scenarios where people who primarily navigate the computer with keyboards or screen readers would navigate sites, copy and paste info, perform calculations, deal with autoplay, poor contrast in websites and many more. It was also interesting to note how web accessibility compliance can also lead to higher quality code. Gilbert also provided many links and resources to check out.
What Can a Body Do? How We Meet the Built World by Sara Hendren
Hendren's book speaks about the different ways where thoughtfully designed environments or products can be integrated into the daily lives of those who are differently abled. She discusses prosthetics (both the super fancy ones and the simple ones), architecture, overcoming navigation anxieties, and more, in a writing style that is beautiful and conversational.
Memoirs
Haben: The DeafBlind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma
A personal account on deafblindness, in Girma's memoir I saw how her fierce independence and determination led her to become a lawyer advocating for disability rights.
Not Fade Away: Memoir of Senses Lost and Found by Rebecca Alexander
Alexander speaks about her journey as she gradually loses both her sight and hearing due to Ushers in an intimate and frank way as if we are her friends, sharing personal details about her childhood, career, friendship and romantic life.
Singapore Context
A Place For Us by Cassandra Chiu
Not Without Us: Perspectives on Disability and Inclusion in Singapore by Dan Goodley, Kuansong Victor, Wong Meng Ee
Fiction Books with PWD characters
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
Sea monsters, toxic friendships, unravelling secrets! And there is a strong character who is deaf too. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. With beautiful descriptions and a scenic island setting, and lots of drama (it's YA after all), I'm thinking this story would be great as a film.
Show me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
Set Me Free (Book #2) by Ann Clare LeZotte
Last Pick (Graphic Novel Trilogy) by Jason Walz
Mooncakes (Graphic Novel) by Joamette Gil and Suzanne Walker
Fiction Shows with PWD characters
Some thoughts: I love animations, and I love it even more when there is a character with disability in the series. What I don’t love is when characters with a disability somehow also have a superpower that completely negates any need for support or help. Leaving out their weaker moments and compensating it with a some kind of superhuman ability glosses over the struggles of real people with disabilities. Nevertheless, I’m still overall glad for more representation! Here are some shows featuring characters with disabilities, which I have enjoyed, some with conflicting feelings:
The Dragon Prince - General Amaya, the aunt of Callum & Ezran, is Deaf and uses sign language to communicate. She’s really strong and cool.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo - Korean Drama featuring Woo Young Woo, a young lawyer with Asperger's syndrome as she navigates working life as a fresh graduate. I enjoyed the thought and care they put into developing a well-fleshed out character with a growth arc.
Atypical - An American family drama revolving around high-schooler Sam, who is autistic, and his launch into the tricky world of romantic dating.
Falling - A Singaporean play by Pandemonium which shows the life of a family with a teenager who is profoundly autistic.
Avatar - Earthbender Toph Beifong is a blind master bender who is able to detect people through their vibrations.
CODA - Follows the story of a girl who is the only hearing member in her Deaf family.
Finding Nemo - Nemo has one fin that is smaller than the other, and Dory has short term memory loss.