This book is one I feel everyone should read even if you know quite a bit about disabilities you definitely will know even more by the end of this book.I think though its more of a textbook/coffeebook that you can read more than once with a ton of resources and history when it comes to disabilities. There are also a ton of real life examples incorporated/facts that may not be common knowledge although more for the visually impaired than anything. There's also a lot of resources from Canada that are helpful for people there who may need them. The illustrations are wonderful addition to the book as well. Because of these points, I have to give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. Would definitely recommend but I can see why it wouldn't be for everyone.

I learned so much from this book. As an educator, this book was invaluable. I cannot wait to share it with my students. It is the perfect book to build understanding, generate discussions, and have to share when questions arise about persons with disabilities. It is written in clear, middle grade friendly language. I really appreciated the wide range of topics covered and the real life stories embedded throughout. Thank you!

I do think this has a lot of good information about disabilities in it, but I think it just needs more. It doesn't talk about every disability and I think it would come across better if it also had people with these disabilities talking about how it has affected them and how they have adjusted their life for others to see.

Thanks for the ARC

I asked for the book thinking the book was about inspiring pwd, as a person with a disability myself i was looking for some inspiration from people like myself, but overall it just talks about the disabilities themselves, and leaves outside people with invisible disabilities as mental illnesses. I think it's an important book but not for everyone. thank you anyways for the opportunity of reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis of this book was entirely misleading. I was expecting stories of individuals with various types of disabilities, but that is not what I got. Rather, this was written like a research paper I would have completed in middle school, and it was not unbiased. Because the author is visually impaired, many aspects circled back to her accommodations and experiences. Transitions were not seamless. I do not recommend this if you would like a well-rounded view of ALL types of disabilities.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging in exchange for an honest review.

This book does a really good job of compacting a lot of information about a large variety of disabilities without overwhelming the reader. Divided up into chapters with different focuses full of subheadings, images, and infographics, its easy to get through this quickly while retaining all of the information it presents. I loved the focus on the positive impacts of people with disabilities since as the book expresses in its opening, the narrative around disabilities is often extremely negative, and the At the Top of Their Game and In Real Life sections were a really smart way of breaking up info-heavy sections with uplifting stories.

I continue to grow and learn as I seek to honor all learners with my words and actions. I appreciated the sense of equity and purpose that Hannalora Leavitt brought to this book, and the illustrations by Belle Wuthrich added to the reading experience. Highly recommended for reflection and discussion.