Learn about Spoon Theory, which is an analogy for living with chronic illnesses and disabilities. It provides families with a framework and vocabulary for discussions.

Read one book featuring blindness or a visual impairment. Some titles you might enjoy are:

KIDS:

• As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds
• The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin
• Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan by Barry Denenberg

TEENS:

• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Girl, Stolen by April Henry
• She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

ADULTS:

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• The Arrangement by Mary Balogh
• Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero by Michael Hingson

Read one book featuring congenital physical disabilities. Some titles you might enjoy are:

KIDS:

• Breath by Donna Jo Napoli
• Wonder by R. J. Palacio

TEENS:

• A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
• Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
• Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
• Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Jill Wolfson
• Tarnished are the Stars by Rosee Thor

ADULTS:

• A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev
• Dr. Martino by William Faulkner
• Like Real People Do by E.L. Massey
• Tale of the Ragged Mountains by Edgar Allen Poe
• Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner

Read one book featuring deafness or an auditory impairment. Some titles you might enjoy are:

KIDS:

• Boy by Phil Cummings
• El Defo by Cece Bell
• Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

TEENS:

• Impossible Music by Sean Williams
• This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kacen Callender
• Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers
• You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

ADULTS:

• A Silent Death by Peter May
• Into the Dark by Karen Rose
• Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf
• Silent Melody by Mary Balough

Read one book featuring mobility impairment. Some titles you might enjoy are:

KIDS:

• All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything by Annette Bay Pimentel
• Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
• Roll With It by Jamie Sumner
• Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis
• We Move Together by Kelly Fritch
• When Charley Met Emma by Amy Webb

TEENS:

• The Bite of Mango by Mariatu Kamara
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• A Time to Dance by Padme Venkatraman

ADULTS:

• Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
• Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
• The Girl with All the Gifts By Mike Carey
• Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw
• Lock In by John Scalzi

Read one book featuring neurodiversity. This could include congenital conditions like the Autism spectrum, ADHD, dyslexia, bipolar, or it could feature a neurological or cognitive diagnosis, such as MS and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Some titles you might enjoy are:

KIDS:

• A Boy Called Bat by Elana Arnold
• Anything But Typical by Nora R. Baskin
• Armond Goes to A Party by Nancy Carlson
• Can You See Me? By Libby Scott, Rebecca Westcott
• Fish in a tree by Lynda Hunt
• Me and My Sister by Rose Robbins
• The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordon
• Uniquely Wired by Julia Cook
• We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

TEENS:

• Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali
• Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer
• Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman

ADULTS:

• An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
• The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
• Devoted by Dean Koontz
• Focused by Alyson Gerber
• Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
• Lights, Camera, Disaster by Erin Dionne
• Temperence Brennan mysteries by Kathy Reichs
• The Vow by Kim Carpenter, Krickitt Carpenter, Dana Wilkerson

Read one book by an author who has dealt with a medical condition that can affect their everyday abilities.

• Cece Bell (deafness)
• Toni Braxton (heart condition)
• Christy Brown (cerebral palsy)
• Shane Burcaw (spinal muscular atrophy)
• Arthur C. Clarke (post- polio syndrome)
• Miley Cyrus (heart condition)
• Corey Doctorow (ADHD)
• Corinne Duyvis (autism)
• Carrie Fisher (bipolar disorder & heart disease)
• Stephen Hawking (ALS)
• Laura Hillenbrand (CFS)
• Helen Hoang (autism)
• Peg Kehret (polio)
• Yoon Ha Lee (bipolar)
• John Milton (blindness)
• Flannery O’Connor (lupus)
• Dav Pilkey (ADHD)
• Terry Pratchett (Alzheimer’s)
• Rick Riordan (ADHD)