The Disability Experience

 

The Disability Experience:
Working Toward Belonging

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Don’t place us on a pedestal, looking up at us in awe and amazement. Don’t look down on us either. Rather, let’s meet in the middle ground, face-to-face and ready to answer some of those shushed questions.
— Hannalora Leavitt, author of "The Disability Experience"
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Disability Experience
 
A young girl recently approached me at the grocery store and asked, “May I pet your guide dog?”

I thanked her for asking so politely, grateful her parents hadn’t shushed her. “I’m sorry,” I said. “You shouldn’t pet a guide dog while it’s wearing its harness. The harness means he’s a working dog.
 
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Until 1988 only six individuals had served as president of Gallaudet University in its 124-year history. Six hearing presidents. Yes, hearing presidents, even though Gallaudet University is the world’s only post secondary facility offering university-level programs and services in ASL and written English exclusively for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
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ILLUSTRATION AND BOOK DESIGN FOR ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

The Disability Experience:
Working Toward Belonging

Cover and interior illustration and design
Published by Orca Books, 2021
Author: Hannalora Leavitt