Abstract
Carol Rogers-Shaw’s rich memoir continues a fascinating tradition of autobiographical disability narratives that include works such as Stephen Kuusisto’s (1998) Planet of the Blind, Terry Galloway’s (2009) Mean, Little, Deaf Queer, Meri Nana-Ama Danquah’s (1998) Willow Weep for Me, and disability rights leader Judy Heumann’s (2020) Being Heumann. These exemplify what Garland-Thomson (2007) called “fresh and feisty disability narratives” (p. 119). Without apology, and often with great pride, these stories place the impaired and vulnerable body at the center of the plot structure. Through her own narrated experiences and by weaving in myriad encounters with her many disabled students, Rogers-Shaw skillfully recasts the stale tradition of tragedy-to-cure plots into full, authentic explorations of humans contending with precarity. The tales are deeply human, dealing with despair, hardship, connection, and joy. Her stories are truly a gift.
Author Biography
Scot Danforth
Scot Danforth is professor of disability studies and inclusive
education at Chapman University. His books include
Becoming a Great Inclusive Educator and The Incomplete Child:
An Intellectual History of Learning Disabilities. His current
research focuses on the life and influence of the great
disability rights leader Ed Roberts.
Recommended Citation
Danforth, S.
(2022).
Feisty Stories of Living with Disability.
Occasional Paper Series,
(47).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58295/2375-3668.1440
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