Becoming Disabled - (Health and Aging in the Margins) by Jan Doolittle Wilson (Paperback)

About the Book

Becoming Disabled attempts to forge a new view of the world, one that understands disability as a valuable human variation, embraces interdependency, recognizes the disabling impact of existing ideologies and institutions, and works toward the creation of a society that fully includes, supports, and celebrates all forms of human diversity.

Book Synopsis

Becoming Disabled attempts to forge a new view of the world, one that understands disability as a valuable human variation, embraces interdependency, recognizes the disabling impact of existing ideologies and institutions, and works toward the creation of a society that fully includes, supports, and celebrates all forms of human diversity.

Review Quotes

Jan Wilson#39;s Becoming Disabled: Forging a Disability View of the World is a revelation for all of us about how what we learn to think of as the limitations and problems we call disabilities can become a source of understanding and human solidarity that deepens our relationships with one another and strengthens our human bonds. Whether we understand ourselves as people with disabilities or people without these human differences, we all need to know Jan Wilson#39;s personal and family journey from being someone with medical problems to becoming someone who is a part of a culture and community that can sustain all of us.

This book gives us a brilliant and clearly written look into the world of disability and neurodiversity with a combination of scholarship, media savvy, and personal narrative drawn from the authorrsquo;s life and that of her daughter. Wilson presents up-to-date and nuanced information on these fascinating subjects in a format that is both engaging and meaningful. Highly recommended for those seeking an introduction to the topic and those who know it well.

This is an important book if only because it brings neurodiversity into the discourse on disability. Additionally, the chapter on mothering puts this book into the genre of parents writing about mothering (sometimes fathering) their disabled children. Indeed, the author writes lovingly about her experience of mothering Zoey. It is more than simple biography of neurodiversity within the family: it is a disability studies texthellip;. General readers through graduate students; professionals.

About the Author

Jan Doolittle Wilson is Wellspring Associate Professor of Gender Studies and History, Co-Director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program, and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Tulsa.