Living Disability

How can we build more accessible cities? Living Disability brings together vibrant perspectives on disability justice and urban systems.

A musician and snow removal expert, a queer curator, a public pool aficionado, and a journalist turned city councillor — these are just some of the disabled writers exploring disability justice, analyzing urban systems, and proposing more equitable approaches to city building in this anthology. Essays and interviews push the conversation about accessibility beyond policy papers and compliance checklists to show how disabled people are already creating more inclusive spaces in cities of all sizes.

Living Disability is universal in scope but intimate and local in focus, grounded in personal struggles and celebrations. Decisions about public transit, affordable housing, and park design all disproportionately impact disabled communities; by sharing stories and strategies, contributors consider the ways disabled thinkers and doers are embracing overlooked aspects of urban design and tackling the toughest problems facing cities. Each chapter provides context to welcome both disabled and non-disabled readers into conversations about the future of inclusion so that all readers can develop their own understanding of what accessible cities look and feel like. This book appeals to city builders of all stripes committed to learning from and working with underrepresented communities. It equips architects, designers, community leaders, innovators, and citizens with the key concepts they need to collaborate with rather than care for disabled neighbors.

“Living Disability is at once hopeful and infuriating, solemn and joyous. The stories shared within these pages point to both the past and future simultaneously — illuminating the struggles and joys and history of disabled life, while putting access barriers on blast in a way that is more necessary than ever. The deep, rich work of this collection lies in its embrace of complexity, community, grief, and also its belief in the capacity of our world (read: us) to change. May these stories touch your heart, kindle the flame of your anger, and move you forward into fighting for the better world we all deserve.” — Amanda Leduc, author of Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space