The Disability Book Archive

[ID: A book cover. The background is a piece of abstract art, consisting of a series of colourful blue, yellow, pink and white scribbles. Large white writing across the centre reads:
The title “Growing Up Disabled in Australia” in capitals.
At the bottom of the cover, in smaller yellow capitals, text reads “Edited by Carly Findlay” /end]

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Content Warning:

• Ableism
• Bullying
• Rape
• Child Death
• Chronic Illness
• Terminal Illness

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Summary:

‘My body and its place in the world seemed quite normal to me.’
‘I didn’t grow up disabled, I grew up with a problem. A problem those around me wanted to fix.’
‘We have all felt that uncanny sensation that someone is watching us.’
‘The diagnosis helped but it didn’t fix everything.’
‘Don’t fear the labels.’

One in five Australians has a disability. And disability presents itself in many ways. Yet disabled people are still underrepresented in the media and in literature.

Growing Up Disabled in Australia is the fifth book in the highly acclaimed, bestselling Growing Up series. It includes interviews with prominent Australians such as Senator Jordon Steele-John and Paralympian Isis Holt, poetry and graphic art, as well as more than 40 original pieces by writers with a disability or chronic illness.

Contributors include Dion Beasley, Astrid Edwards, Jessica Walton, Carly-Jay Metcalfe, Gayle Kennedy and El Gibbs.

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Notes:

Other contributors to this book are:

• Alistair Baldwin
• Andy Jackson
• Anna Whateley
• Astrid Edwards
• Belinda Downes
• Carly-Jay Metcalfe
• Chantel Bongiovanni
• Cubbie Mako
• Dion Beasley
• El Gibbs
• Eliza Hull
• Emma Di Bernardo
• Fiona Murphy
• Frances Henke
• Gayle Kennedy
• Hannah Sidney
• Iman Shaanu
• Isis Holt
• Jane Rosengrave
• Jasmine Shirrefs
• Jessica Knight
• Jessica Walton
• Jordon Steele-John
• K.Z. Barton
• Kath Duncan
• Kerri-ann Messenger
• Khanh Nguyen
• Kit Kavanagh-Ryan
• Lauren Poole
• Lucy Carpenter
• Marla Bishop
• Melanie Rees
• Natalia Wikana
• Oliver Mills
• Olivia Muscat
• Patrick Gunasekera
• Ricky Buchanan
• Robin Eames
• Sam Drummond
• Sandi Parsons
• Sarah Firth
• Tim Slade
• Todd Winther
• Tom Middleditch
• Tully Zygier
• Yvonne Fein

This book is part of the ‘Growing Up…in Australia’ series.

There is an audiobook.

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Archivist Comments:

Didn’t realise how big the list of contributors was until I had to type it up.

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