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Celebrate UCLA Disability Pride Week

October 9-13 is Disability Pride Week at UCLA, with programming across campus. In addition to the below recommendations, don't miss the Library's pop-up book displays at Powell Library and the Music Library! Full Schedule | Disability Pride Week 2023(opens in a new tab)

Books

Connect to the UCLA VPN to access materials online or check UC Library Search for in-person check out.

Resources

Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology (2009) edited by John Lee Clark

Book cover of "Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology", teal with an Impressionistic painting of a single tree
"'The Deaf poet is no oxymoron,' declares editor John Lee Clark in his introduction to 'Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology.' The 95 poems by 35 Deaf American poets in this volume more than confirm his point. From James Nack’s early metered narrative poem “The Minstrel Boy” to the free association of Kristi Merriweather’s contemporary “It Was His Movin’ Hands Be Tellin’ Me,” these Deaf poets display mastery of all forms prevalent during the past two centuries." (Adapted UC Library description)
Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology
Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology
Book cover of "Deaf American Poetry: An Anthology", teal with an Impressionistic painting of a single tree

Black Disability Politics (2022) by Sami Schalk

Book cover for "Black disability politics". The title is in yellow and the book cover is black with red stripes framing the title
"In 'Black Disability Politics,' Sami Schalk explores how issues of disability, broadly construed, have been and continue to be incorporated into Black activism, from the 1970s to the present. In so doing, she establishes a new lineage for disability politics, one that allows the work of contemporary Black disability justice activists to be central." (Adapted publisher's Description)
Black Disability Politics
Black Disability Politics
Book cover for "Black disability politics". The title is in yellow and the book cover is black with red stripes framing the title

The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me (2019) by Keah Brown

Book cover for the "The Pretty One" with a photo of the Keah Brown, a Black woman smiling and laughing
"From the disability rights advocate and creator of the #DisabledAndCute viral campaign, a thoughtful, inspiring, and charming collection of essays explores what it means to be black and disabled in a mostly able-bodied white America. Keah Brown loves herself, but that hadn't always been the case. Born with cerebral palsy, her greatest desire used to be normalcy and refuge from the steady stream of self-hate society strengthened inside her. But after years of introspection and reaching out to others in her community, she has reclaimed herself and changed her perspective." (Adapted publisher's description)
The Pretty One
The Pretty One
Book cover for the "The Pretty One" with a photo of the Keah Brown, a Black woman smiling and laughing

The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs (2022) by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.

Book cover for "The Future is Disabled" with graphic image of a sundial with human icons representing each number over a vibrant, colorful background
"In 'The Future Is Disabled,' Leah Laksmi Piepzna-Samarasinha asks some provocative questions: What if, in the near future, the majority of people will be disabled-and what if that's not a bad thing? And what if disability justice and disabled wisdom are crucial to creating a future in which it's possible to survive fascism, climate change, and pandemics and to bring about liberation? Written over the course of two years of disabled isolation during the pandemic, this is a book of love letters to other disabled QTBIPOC." (Adapted UC Library description)
The Future is Disabled
The Future is Disabled
Book cover for "The Future is Disabled" with graphic image of a sundial with human icons representing each number over a vibrant, colorful background

Disability Pride: Dispatches From a Post-ADA World (2022) by Ben Mattlin.

Book cover for "Disability Pride: Dispatches From a Post-ADA World" featuring the title over orange, yellow, and teal color blocks
“An eye-opening portrait of the diverse disability community as it is today, and how disability attitudes, activism, and representation have evolved since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) In Disability Pride , disabled journalist Ben Mattlin weaves together interviews and reportage to introduce a cavalcade of individuals, ideas, and events in engaging, fast-paced prose. Beautifully written, without anger or pity, Disability Pride is a revealing account of an often misunderstood movement and identity, an inclusive reexamination of society's treatment of those it deems different.” (UC Library description)
Disability Pride
Disability Pride
Book cover for "Disability Pride: Dispatches From a Post-ADA World" featuring the title over orange, yellow, and teal color blocks

All our Families: Disability Lineage and the Future of Kinship (2022) by Jennifer Natalya Fink.

Book cover for "All Our Families: Disability Lineage and the Future of Kinship"
"A provocation to reclaim our disability lineage in order to profoundly reimagine the possibilities for our relationship to disability, kinship, and carework Disability is often described as a tragedy, a crisis, or an aberration, though 1 in 5 people worldwide have a disability. Why is this common human experience rendered exceptional? In 'All Our Families,' disability studies scholar Jennifer Natalya Fink argues that this originates in our families. Fink analyzes our racist and sexist care systems, exposing their inequities as a source of stigmatizing ableism. Inspired by queer and critical race theory, Fink calls for a lineage of disability: a reclamation of disability as a history, a culture, and an identity.” (Adapted ProQuest Ebook central resource page)
All our Families
All our Families
Book cover for "All Our Families: Disability Lineage and the Future of Kinship"

Resources

An Unkindness of Ghosts (2017) by Rivers Solomon.

Book cover for "An unkindness of ghosts" featuring the graphic of a face over a painterly night sky
"Aster has little to offer folks in the way of rebuttal when they call her ogre and freak. She's used to the names; she only wishes there was more truth to them. If she were truly a monster, she'd be powerful enough to tear down the walls around her until nothing remains of her world. Aster lives in the lowdeck slums of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel organized much like the antebellum South. For generations, Matilda has ferried the last of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. On its way, the ship's leaders have imposed harsh moral restrictions and deep indignities on dark-skinned sharecroppers like Aster. Embroiled in a grudge with a brutal overseer, Aster learns there may be a way to improve her lot—if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war." (Page 4 of cover)
An Unkindness of Ghosts
An Unkindness of Ghosts
Book cover for "An unkindness of ghosts" featuring the graphic of a face over a painterly night sky

There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness (2021) by M. Leona Godin.

cover of there plant eyes
"A probing, witty, and deeply insightful history of blindness—in Western culture and literature, and in the author's own experience - that ranges from Homer to Milton to Braille to Stevie Wonder. The author begins her wide-ranging study with an exploration of how the idea of sight is inextricably linked with knowledge and understanding; how 'blindness' has, for millennia, been used as a metaphor for ignorance; and how, in metaphorical terms, blindness can also be made to suggest a door to artistic or spiritual transcendence. And she makes clear how all of this has obscured the reality of blindness. Altogether, she gives readers a revelation of the centrality of blindness and vision to humanity's understanding of itself and the world." (Adapted from publisher's description)
There Plant Eyes
There Plant Eyes
cover of there plant eyes

So Lucky (2018) by Nicola Griffith

Book cover for "So Lucky". The letters appear to be cut from smoldering paper.
"Mara Tagarelli is, professionally, the head of a multimillion-dollar AIDS foundation; personally, she is a committed martial artist. But her life has turned inside out like a sock. She can't rely on family, her body is letting her down, and friends and colleagues are turning away—they treat her like a victim. She needs to break that narrative: build her own community, learn new strengths, and fight. Mara makes a decision and acts, but her actions unleash monsters aimed squarely at the heart of her new community. This is fiction from the front lines, incandescent and urgent, a narrative juggernaut that rips through sentiment to expose the savagery of America's treatment of the disabled and chronically ill. But So Lucky also blazes with hope and a ferocious love of self, of the life that becomes possible when we stop believing lies." (Adapted UC Library Description)
So Lucky
So Lucky
Book cover for "So Lucky". The letters appear to be cut from smoldering paper.

Other Media

Resources

Sins Invalid : An Unshamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility (2013) directed by Patty Berne

Still from Sins Invalid of a person in a wheelchair suspended in space from a rope, silhouetted against a vibrant blue background
"'Sins Invalid' witnesses a performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer and gender-variant artists. Since 2006, its performances have explored themes of sexuality, beauty, and the disabled body, impacting thousands through live performance. Sins Invalid is as an entryway into the absurdly taboo topic of sexuality and disability, manifesting a new paradigm of disability justice." (Kanopy description)
Sins Invalid
Sins Invalid
Still from Sins Invalid of a person in a wheelchair suspended in space from a rope, silhouetted against a vibrant blue background

Disability Visibility (podcast) hosted by Alice Wong

Cover for "Disability Visibility" with graphic of Alice Wong in oxygen mask, sunglasses, and headphones
"This is life from a disabled lens. 'Disability Visibility' is a podcast hosted by San Francisco night owl Alice Wong featuring conversations on politics, culture, and media with disabled people. If you’re interested in disability rights, social justice, and intersectionality, this show is for you. It’s time to hear more disabled people in podcasting and radio. Named one of the 15 best podcasts by women that you’re not listening to by Refinery 29 in 2021." (Website description)
Disability Visibility
Disability Visibility
Cover for "Disability Visibility" with graphic of Alice Wong in oxygen mask, sunglasses, and headphones

Unrest (2017) directed by Jennifer Brea

Cover for "Unrest" with a photo of Jennifer Brea laying in a bed with wires and monitors connected to her head
"After Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea is struck down by a fever that leaves her bedridden with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, she films her symptoms leading her to connect with and interview other patients around the world." (UC Library description)
Unrest
Unrest
Cover for "Unrest" with a photo of Jennifer Brea laying in a bed with wires and monitors connected to her head

Vision Portraits (2019) directed by Rodney Evans

Cover of "Vision Portraits" featuring a barely visible man's face, obscured by bright bocas of light
"'Vision Portraits' is a deeply personal documentary by award-winning filmmaker Rodney Evans (BROTHER TO BROTHER) as he explores how his loss of vision may impact his creative future, and what it means to be a blind or visually impaired creative artist. It’s a celebration of the possibilities of art created by a Manhattan photographer (John Dugdale), a Bronx-based dancer (Kayla Hamilton), a Canadian writer (Ryan Knighton) and the filmmaker himself, who each experience varying degrees of vision loss. Using archival material alongside new illuminating interviews and observational footage of the artists at work, Evans has created a tantalizing meditation on blindness and creativity, a sensual work that opens our minds to new possibilities." (Kanopy description)
Vision Portraits
Vision Portraits
Cover of "Vision Portraits" featuring a barely visible man's face, obscured by bright bocas of light

Down to the Struts (podcast) hosted by Qudsiya Naqui

Graphic for Down to the Struts with a screw and bolt
"'Down to the Struts' is a podcast about disability, design, and intersectionality, where we uncover the building blocks for a more accessible, inclusive, and equitable world for all disabled people. Our host, Qudsiya Naqui, brings together activists, scholars, artists, athletes and many others to share their wisdom about how we can reimagine policies, practices, and the built environment to center disabled bodies and the intersectional identities they hold." (Website description)
Down to the Struts
Down to the Struts
Graphic for Down to the Struts with a screw and bolt

Power Not Pity (podcast) hosted by Bri M.

"Power Not Pity" circle logo with accessibility image of wheelchair with flames behind the tire and a cape around the person's neck
"Welcome to 'POWER NOT PITY,' a podcast that centers and celebrates the lived experiences of disabled people of color. After receiving a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis seven years ago, Bri became a podcaster and political agitator with a fierce desire to change the way disabled people of color are seen in mass media. Zir episodes serve as a vehicle for amplifying, preserving, and delighting in the voices of disabled people of color. Ze is committed to interjecting disability justice in any conversation ze has and loves to cultivate collaborative energy with cultural workers, writers, artists and storytellers within zir community." (Adapted from website description)
Power Not Pity
Power Not Pity
"Power Not Pity" circle logo with accessibility image of wheelchair with flames behind the tire and a cape around the person's neck

Resources

The Accessible Stall (podcast) hosted by Kyle Khachadurian and Emily Ladau

Comic book style image of the hosts in a bathroom stall with a microphone set up. One host is sitting on a bucket and the other is in a wheelchair
"'The Accessible Stall' is a disability podcast hosted by Kyle Khachadurian and Emily Ladau that keeps it real about issues within the disability community. Because we each have different disabilities and mobility levels, we approach everything we talk about with two unique viewpoints, offering our listeners a fresh insight into how differences in disability can color your experiences and perspectives. And we never shy away from offering our honest opinion. Even if they go against the grain of the disability community at large, we always speak our minds." (Website description)
The Accessible Stall
The Accessible Stall
Comic book style image of the hosts in a bathroom stall with a microphone set up. One host is sitting on a bucket and the other is in a wheelchair

Gaelynn Lea: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert (2016)

Video still of Gaelynn Lea playing the fiddle with her eyes closed
"Gaelynn Lea, the winner of NPR's second annual Tiny Desk Contest, makes music like nobody else. Her sounds are steeped in the deep melodies of great Irish fiddle tunes, but her performance and singing style aren't traditional. More than 6,000 artists submitted videos in which they performed an original song behind a desk of their choosing with the hope of winning a chance to play a Tiny Desk concert at NPR. Gaelynn Lea was the overwhelming favorite of our six judges.” (YouTube description)
Gaelynn Lea
Gaelynn Lea
Video still of Gaelynn Lea playing the fiddle with her eyes closed

One-on-One with Scout Bassett: Making Strides (2022)

Video still of Scout Bassett talking during a Zoom interview
"Paralympic track star Scout Bassett found her purpose and passion when she became a runner. She talked about the need for more opportunities for people with disabilities to try sports and discover their strengths at a young age." (YouTube description)
One-on-One with Scout Bassett
One-on-One with Scout Bassett
Video still of Scout Bassett talking during a Zoom interview

Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement Collection at UC Berkeley

Judy Heumann, a white woman with glasses, in a wheelchair smiling in front of a microphone
"The Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement Project was launched in 1996 to capture the history of a remarkable movement by people with disabilities to win legally defined civil rights and control over their own lives. Since then, more than 100 oral histories with leaders, participants, and observers of the movement in the 1960s and 1970s have preserved the living memory of the movement. A rich collection of personal papers and the records of key disability organizations join the oral histories in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, comprising an in-depth research resource for the study of a contemporary social movement which has changed the social, cultural, and legal landscape of the nation." (Website description)
Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement
Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement
Judy Heumann, a white woman with glasses, in a wheelchair smiling in front of a microphone

Follow

Resources

Disabled Student Union At UCLA (@DSUUCLA)

Logo for DSU UCLA, featuring overlapping circles with graphical symbols inside representing various aspects of accessibility
"Promoting accessibility, community, allyship, and intersectionality" (Instagram description)
Disabled Student Union at UCLA
Disabled Student Union at UCLA
Logo for DSU UCLA, featuring overlapping circles with graphical symbols inside representing various aspects of accessibility

Autistic People of Color Fund (@AutisticPOCFund)

Screenshot of the Autistic People of Color Fund's Instagram grid
Founded by Lydia X.Z. Brown, "The Autistic People of Color Fund provides direct financial support to autistic people of color through individual microgrants between $100 to $500. We support autistic youth and adults of color." (Information on https://autismandrace.com/)
Autistic People of Color Fund
Autistic People of Color Fund
Screenshot of the Autistic People of Color Fund's Instagram grid

UCLA All Brains (@UCLAAllBrains)

Screenshot of the UCLA All Brains Instagram grid
"UCLA All Brains aims to make UCLA a more inclusive campus for neurodivergent individuals including but not limited to Autistic and ADHD students." (Instagram description)
UCLA All Brains
UCLA All Brains
Screenshot of the UCLA All Brains Instagram grid

UCLA MetaMap

Image of the MetaMap, showing a map of campus and a key indicating accessible ramps, entrances, and powered doors
"In March 2021, the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) awarded the MetaMap team a grant for the creation of a dataset containing every accessible entrance and ramp on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus. Our mission was to use that funding to turn UCLA's existing static accessibility map into a robust and interactive dataset that would improve accessibility for everyone on campus." (Website description)
MetaMap Project
MetaMap Project
Image of the MetaMap, showing a map of campus and a key indicating accessible ramps, entrances, and powered doors

UCLA Adaptive Recreation Program

Still from video of basketball players using wheelchairs with a basketball in the right corner of the frame
"The UCLA Adaptive Recreation Program provides opportunities for individuals with and without disabilities to participate in adaptive sports & recreation activities." (Website description)
UCLA Adaptive Recreation Program
UCLA Adaptive Recreation Program
Still from video of basketball players using wheelchairs with a basketball in the right corner of the frame

The Los Angeles Spoonie Collective

Logo for Los Angeles Spoonie Collective with two spoons bent to shape the letters "LA"
"The Los Angeles Spoonie Collective is composed of disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill LGBTQIA+ community members within the Los Angeles area (Tongva land). We offer virtual and in-person workshops and panel discussions on the intersections of race, gender, and disability, disability justice, feminist theory, and more." (Description from spooniecollective.org)
The Los Angeles Spoonie Collective
The Los Angeles Spoonie Collective
Logo for Los Angeles Spoonie Collective with two spoons bent to shape the letters "LA"