Disability Pride Month 2026: A Reading List for All Ages
- Sarah R
- 11 hours ago
- 6 min read
July is Disability Pride Month!
This is a time to celebrate the ways that people with disabilities enrich our community. It’s a time to recognize that people with disability bring so many unique perspectives, skills, art, athletic feats, stories, scientific discoveries, and so much more! Disability encompasses a multitude of different experiences, and we are so excited to celebrate the diverse perspectives of the disabled community this Disability Pride Month!
FESA’s literacy programs aren't specifically designed for the disabled community, but many of our learners live with undiagnosed learning disabilities that went unsupported earlier in life. Our free, judgment-free programs help build the skills and confidence they need to develop strong literacy skills.
In honour of celebrating Disability Pride Month and the ongoing fight for literacy, we’ve listed some books for everyone to enjoy that celebrate Disability Pride Month! Read on for a complete list of disability pride books, including children's books, middle-grade books, young adult books, adult fiction and non-fiction!
Children's Books
by Sonia Sotomayor and Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You is a picture book portraying disability and friendship. A group of kids work together to build a community garden, asking each other questions along the way.
by Jeanne Willis and Illustrated by Tony Ross
Susan Laughs is a rhyming story that follows a little girl who uses a wheelchair going through a series of fun and familiar activities! This picture book showcases a little girl who never lets her physical disability slow her down.
by Caroline Cupp & Jessica Slice and Illustrated by Kayla Harren
This is How We Talk is a fun-filled read-aloud that represents all types of disabilities. This picture book showcases all the ways that people with disabilities and their families communicate, both verbally and non-verbally.
By Raymond Antrobus and Illustrated by Polly Dunbar
Can Bears Ski? is a story of deafness and discovery. This story centers on Little Bear who feels the world around him but can’t quite understand what everyone is saying. That is, until his dad takes him to an audiologist.
by Hudson Talbott
A Walk in the Words is a story about a little boy who struggles with dyslexia. This little boy loves stories, but he’s trapped in a world of words and can’t keep up with the other kids, leaving him feeling lost and alone.
Middle-Grade Children's Books
by Cece Bell and David Lasky (Colorist)
El Deafo is a funny, moving graphic novel about a little girl moving from a school for the deaf to a new school. At her new school, she’s desperate to make friends. It’s then that she realizes that her hearing aid is like a superpower, but in her power, she finds loneliness. She soon wonders if she can use her new superpower to make a real friend!
by R.J. Palacio
“You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out”
Wonder centers on a little boy starting fifth grade at a normal school for the first time. August Pullman, Auggie for short, was born with facial differences that prevented him from attending school. Now though, he’s eager to make friends and be an ordinary kid.
by Sharon M. Draper
Out of My Mind is about a brilliant girl, with a photographic memory. Melody is smarter than all of her classmates and even most of the adults. But she can’t even tell them; she has cerebral palsy. Throughout the book Melody refuses to be defined by her limitations and seeks to let everyone know.
by Raina Telgemeier
Guts is a story about a little girl dealing with the highs and lows of middle school, but what’s more, she’s dealing with IBS and anxiety. This funny graphic novel is a true story about growing up and conquering your fears.
Young Adult Books
by Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is an award-winning novel about a boy with autism on a quest to investigate the suspicious death of his neighborhood dog.
by Francisco X. Stork
Marcelo in the Real World is about a boy with a mysterious disability. The summer before his junior year of high school, his father demands he work in the mailroom at his firm. From there, we witness Marcelo discover desire, anger, jealousy, and the nature of the real world.
by Sara Novic
True Biz focuses on a residential school for the deaf. The three main characters, Charlie a rebellious transfer student, Austin, the school’s golden boy, and February, the headmistress, go through a series of personal and political crises, ultimately finding themselves linked with one another and forever changed. This story is of sign-language, disability and civil rights, first love, loss, persistence, and daring joy.
by Eric Lindstrom
Not If I See You First follows Parker Grant, a lively teen who lives by a strict set of rules to ensure her blindness is never a limitation. She’s determined to be treated just like everyone else, and if anyone breaks her rules, like Scott Kilpatrick, who broke her heart, they’re shunned for good. Now Scott reappears in her life, and she’s determined to ignore him and keep living her life despite the grief she feels over her dad’s recent passing. Not if I See You First is a young adult contemporary novel showcasing love, heartbreak, grief, and growing up.
Adult Fiction
by Anthony Doerr
All the Light We Cannot See follows Marie-Laure, a blind French girl sent to live by the sea with her uncle during World War II, and Werner, a German boy whose skill at fixing technical instruments causes him to be enlisted to track down the resistance. Their lives collide in unexpected ways and showcase all the ways that humanity persists in times of darkness.
by Talia Hibbert
Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a contemporary romance novel that follows Chloe Brown, a chronically ill computer geek with a mission to “Get a Life”. She’s created a list, and she’s determined to complete it. She finds the perfect teacher in Redford ‘Red’ Morgan, a heartthrob with tattoos and a motorcycle. The perfect man for helping her with her “Get a Life” list.
by Jerry McGill
The Color of Family is a story of brotherly rivals, their love of sports and a car accident that changes everything. Devon becomes paralyzed while James is living out their shared dreams. This novel is about family, tragedy, forgiveness, and heartbreak.
by Woody Brown
Upward Bound is a story that dissects the connecting lives at an adult daycare center in Southern California. Carlos, a young aide; Jorge, the gentle nonspeaking giant; Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy; Ann, the summer lifeguard; and Dave, Upward Bound’s director. Each of their stories connects in beautiful and surprising ways. A beautiful celebration of disability, written with insight and creativity.
by Madeleine Ryan
A Room Called Earth is a story of a unique young woman with a new perspective on moving through the world. The story follows her as she gets ready for a party, an evening night out, told through her own perspective. As the evening unfolds, the reader witnesses the discrepancies between her thoughts and voice. A celebratory adventure inside the mind of a woman on the autism spectrum, moving through life without fear.
Adult Non-Fiction
by Lachi & Tim Vandehey (Primary Contributor)
I Identify as Blind is a celebration of disability through conversations with trailblazing figures in the disability community. This nonfiction tells a story through pop-culture and historical insights. This book challenges the mainstream views on disability with humor and heart.
by Andrew Leland
The Country of the Blind is a personal narration about what it means to go blind. Leland looks at his changing place in the world, as well as the culture and politics of being blind. He looks at this from a place of curiosity, part memoir, part historical, part cultural investigation.
Edited by Alice Wong
Disability Visibility is a collection of contemporary essays written by people with disabilities. This anthology showcases the complexity and richness of the disabled experience, highlighting the many unique talents and passions from the community.
by Emily Ladau
Demystifying Disability is a thoughtful guide on how to be an ally to the disability community. This book showcases topics such as how to appreciate disability history, how to recognize and avoid ableism, how to think, talk, and ask about disability, and more.
So celebrate Disability Pride Month with one of the amazing books listed here. Our Disability Pride Book List has something for everyone. Whether you prefer non-fiction or graphic novels, there's bound to be a book for you!
Comments