Bauman, H-D, & Murray, J. J. (2014). Deaf gain: Raising the stakes for human diversity. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. (introduces readers to Deaf studies and the idea of “Deaf gain” – culturally Deaf ASL enhanced by their deafness and not impaired by it; includes examples of Deaf gain in other fields, including education and law)
Bell, C. (2014). El deafo. New York: Harry N. Abrams. (a graphic novel about growing up deaf)
Collins, K.M. (2013). Ability profiling and school failure: One child’ s struggle to be seen as competent (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. (a portrait of one young Black boy trapped by a school’s low expectations and the special ed system, while his friends and family looked at him and only saw potential and possibilities)
Connor, D. J., Ferri, B. A. & Annamma, S. A. (Eds.). (2015). DisCrit: Disability studies and critical race theory in education. New York: Teachers College Press. (a collection of writings at the intersections of disability studies and critical race theory, as applied to education).
Harry, B., & Klingner, J. (2006). Why are so many minority students in special education: Understanding race and disability in schools. New York: Teachers College Press. (an exploration of why over-representation of Black, Hispanic, and Native children happens in special education, and how teachers and systems can start to address the problem)
Hehir, T., & Katzman, L. (2012). Designing inclusive schools: Designing successful schoolwide programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (a book that gives examples of elementary and secondary schools practicing inclusion and how administrators and teachers can replicate their work)
Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. Wakefield, MA: CAST Professional Publishing. (an introduction to UDL, which goes beyond differentiation by deliberately designing curricula to address disability accommodations and learners with disabilities; builds upon idea that designing for inclusive courses ultimately helps all learners by creating a flexible curriculum)
Mooney, J. (2007). The short bus: A journey beyond normal. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. (growing up with ADHD and LD, Mooney decided to ride across the country in a re-vamped special ed “short bus” and meet people with different disabilities, collecting honest stories while taking an honest look at himself in the process)
Prahlad, A. (2017). The secret life of a black aspie: A memoir. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press. (a beautiful memoir of growing up Black in the South on a plantation, and a long journey to getting a doctorate and a diagnosis of Asperger’s and synesthesia; a book about knowing what can’t be known and remembering things that can’t be remembered)
Shapiro, J. P. (1993). No pity: People with disabilities forging a new civil rights movement. New York: Random House. (This is old but considered a classic introduction to disability as a civil right and an activist movement.)