Disability History month is about raising awareness of the unequal position of disabled people in society and developing a better understanding of the historical roots of this inequality. This reading list is a good compilation of personal stories, historical discussion and social analysis that shows us  the history and significance of disabled people’s struggles for equality and inclusion. The books are recommended by disabled readers and largely written by disabled authors; the list has also been compiled to represent a wide range of disabilities, and ensured we have authors of various races, nationalities, genders, and sexualities.

Feminist, Queer, Crip, Alison Kafer (an account of an imaginary future for disability and disabled bodies)

The Minority Body: A Theory of Disability, Elizabeth Barnes (study of the concept of disability that redefines disability as a social phenomenon)

Crippled: Austerity and the Demonization of Disabled People, Frances Ryan (investigation of how austerity policies of the most vulnerable, told through case studies of individuals)

Weight Expectations: One Man’s Recovery from Anorexia, Dave Chawner (memoir-cum-self-help guide about the day to day struggles of living with an eating disorder)

Disability: The Basics, Tom Shakespeare (an accessible introduction to disability which explores the broad historical, social, environmental, legal and economic factors affecting the experiences of those living with disabilities)

The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love with Me, Keah Brown (collection of essays of what it means to be black and disabled in America, by the creator of the #DisabledAndCute viral campaign)

Can You See Me?, Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott (novel about autism written in collaboration with an 11-year-old author based on her own experiences with autism)

The Disability Studies Reader, Edited by Lennard J Davis (authoritative and comprehensive introduction to the field of disability studies)