Adult Non-Fiction

These suggested readings provide a range of perspectives on issues raised by the POV documentary He’s My Brother and allow for deeper engagement. This list of books was created by Constance Zack of the School Library Association of Rhode Island.

Adult Non-Fiction

Elkins, Kimberly.What is Visible.Twelve, 2015.
An account of the life and challenges of Laura Bridgman, the first deaf and blind woman to learn language, and those who helped her, including the founder of the Perkins Institute, with whom she was in love, and her beloved teacher.

Girma, Haben.Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. Twelve, 2019./
Girma grew up with her family in the Eritrean city of Asmara during Eritrea's thirty-year war with Ethiopia. Defining her disability as an opportunity for innovation, she learned non-visual techniques for everything from dancing salsa to handling an electric saw. She developed a text-to-braille communication system that created a new way to connect with people. Pioneering her way through obstacles, Girma graduated from Harvard Law, and now uses her talents to advocate for people with disabilities. This is a testament to her determination to find the keys to connection.

Heumann, Judith.Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.Beacon Press, 2021.
One of the most influential disability rights activists in US history tells her personal story of fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job, and just be human. A story of fighting to belong in a world that wasn't built for all of us and of one woman's activism-- from the streets of Brooklyn and San Francisco to inside the halls of Washington--Being Heumann recounts Judy Heumann's lifelong battle to achieve respect, acceptance, and inclusion in society.

Keller, Helen.The Story of My Life. Doubleday, 1954.
An illness makes Helen Keller both deaf and blind when she is a little child. With the help of an untiring and patient teacher , she learns how to communicate with the outer world through sign language signed into her hand. This opens the world to her and later she learns to read and communicate and even attends university. She becomes a world renowned speaker and writer who is an amazing source of inspiration to others.

Krouk-Gordon, Dafna and Barbara Jackins.Moving out: a Family Guide to Residential Planning for Adults with Disabilities.Woodbine House, 2013.
Mothers and fathers of children with special needs often report that “Letting go was the hardest thing I ever did.” But finding the right residential situation for an adult son or daughter with a disability does not have to be overwhelming. This practical guide shares decades of combined experience on helping families find housing.

Meyer, Don and Emily Holl.The Sibling Survival Guide: Indispensable Information for Brothers and Sisters of Adults with Disabilities. Woodbine House, 2014.
A book expressly for a teenaged or adult brother or sister of someone with a disability. It offers a sense that you're not alone, tips on how to talk to your parents about plans for your sibling, and a crash course in guardianship, medical and legal issues, and government benefits if you're already caring for your sib.

Sauerburger, Dona.Independence Without Sight or Sound: Suggestions for Practitioners Working with DeafBlind Adults.American Printing House for the Blind, 1993
Independence without Sight or Sound covers the essential aspects of communicating and working with deaf-blind adults--individuals who have both vision and hearing loss. Written in a personal and informal style, it is filled with practical information for any professional who works with someone who is deaf-blind, such as how to talk with someone who is deaf-blind, how deaf-blind people can communicate with strangers and interact with people in public, and how they can overcome isolation and assert control over their own life. Written by an expert in orientation and mobility, this guide emphasizes adapting orientation and mobility techniques for deaf-blind travelers.

Sjunneson, Elsa.Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism.Tiller Press (imprint of Simon and Schuster), 2021
A Deafblind writer and professor explores how the misrepresentation of disability in books, movies, and TV harms both the disabled community and everyone else.

As a Deafblind woman with partial vision in one eye and bilateral hearing aids, Elsa Sjunneson lives at the crossroads of blindness and sight, hearing and deafness--much to the confusion of the world around her. While she cannot see well enough to operate without a guide dog or cane, she can see enough to know when someone is reacting to the visible signs of her blindness and can hear when they're whispering behind her back. And she certainly knows how wrong our one-size-fits-all definitions of disability can be.