The Wheelchair Travel Newsletter is temporarily pausing its regular schedule this week while founder John Morris leads group tours across Europe. Upon his return, Morris is slated to announce a brand-new summer tour for 2027. In the meantime, the publication has turned its focus to a literary journey, exploring the vital role that reading plays in travel, family life, and disability representation.
For frequent travelers navigating long waits at airport boarding gates, delayed flights, or hours spent on trains, a good book serves as an essential companion. Travel delays and transit downtime provide natural opportunities for reading, a pastime deeply valued by the Morris family. Reading is an almost nightly habit in their household, and the family’s appreciation for literature extends into community spaces, including a nearly five-year-long involvement in a local book group with close friends.
The family’s literary pursuits are now anchored by their new home at the St. Louis Central Library, a grand, historic building that embodies the classic atmosphere of a traditional public library. Inscribed on the exterior of the building are numerous quotes celebrating the written word, including a prominent reflection from Andrew Carnegie: “I choose free libraries as the best agencies for improving the masses of the people because they only help those who help themselves. They never pauperize. A taste for reading drives our lower tastes.”
Inspired by this environment and a long-standing desire to introduce readers to meaningful literature, the newsletter has curated a selection of top disability-literature titles. Spanning hundreds of books read over the years, the curated list highlights four categories based on loose age groupings: early childhood picture books, middle-grade novels, and titles tailored for young adults and adults.
Early Childhood Picture Books
Introducing children to diverse perspectives at an early age helps build empathy and self-awareness. Among the early childhood selections is James Catchpole’s What Happened To You?, published in the United States in 2023. The book addresses the unspoken, everyday experiences of disabled children encountering ingrained ableism, using the protagonist, Joe, to articulate complex social dynamics in a way young readers can easily grasp.
Another standout picture book is Marilyn Singer’s Best Day Ever, illustrated by Leah Nixon. The upbeat story follows a puppy who adores her young owner, a boy who happens to use a wheelchair. The book offers positive disability representation without explicitly focusing on the medical aspect, serving as what literary critics often call a "mirror"—a story reflecting a child’s own lived experience—rather than merely a "window" into someone else’s life.
Jordan Scott’s award-winning I Talk Like a River explores a boy’s journey to accept his stutter with the help of his father, relating the cadence of speech to the flow of a river. Praised for its wholesome and realistic portrayal, the book’s poetic text appeals across generations. Rounding out the early childhood selections is Annette Bay Pimentel’s All the Way to the Top, an illustrated biography of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins. The book chronicles Jennifer’s participation in the historic Capitol Crawl as a young child, introducing young readers to disability history and demonstrating that children can actively contribute to a more accessible world.
Middle Grade Novels
As children grow, longer narratives allow for deeper exploration of character development and societal structures. Dusti Bowling’s Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus has emerged as a family favorite in the Morris household. The novel centers on Aven, a protagonist born without arms who moves with her family to a new state. While her physical disability is a key element of the story, the book weaves together humor, mystery, self-discovery, and friendship—including a secondary character with Tourette Syndrome—offering a nuanced portrayal that resonates deeply with readers.
Rob Harrell’s Wink draws on the author’s own childhood experience with a rare form of eye cancer. The protagonist, Ross, navigates middle school following his diagnosis, blending quirkiness and music with relatable lessons on feeling like an outsider.
The middle-grade list also bridges generations with Rolling Warrior, adapted for younger readers by disability rights icon Judith Heumann alongside Kristen Joiner. The autobiography details Heumann’s childhood and her early experiences confronting barriers, offering young readers a firsthand look at the disability rights movement through the true story of a "rebel girl on wheels." Similarly, Cerrie Burnell’s I Am Not a Label profiles more than 30 disabled artists, thinkers, performers, and activists, providing essential role models and expanding the scope of possibilities for children.
Titles for Young Adults and Adults
For mature readers, memoirs provide an intimate lens through which to examine the human experience and societal structures. Rebekah Taussig’s essay collection Sitting Pretty offers a thoughtful reflection on disability from a personal and broader cultural perspective, challenging preconceived notions without sugarcoating reality.
Ariel Henley’s A Face for Picasso presents a raw and poignant look at growing up with Crouzon Syndrome, a rare condition causing the bones of the head to fuse prematurely. The memoir prompts readers to examine societal standards of beauty and identity below the surface level.
The selection concludes with two foundational pillars of disability rights literature: Judith Heumann’s unrepentant memoir, Being Heumann, co-written with Kristen Joiner, and Haben Girma’s Haben: The Deafblind Woman who Conquered Harvard Law. Heumann’s account details major historical milestones, from the landmark 504 Sit-In to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and her tenure in the Obama administration. Meanwhile, Girma’s autobiography shares childhood anecdotes and her journey navigating an inaccessible world, framing disability as a powerful catalyst for innovation.
As readers visit local public libraries to check out these titles, the newsletter also reminds patrons to inquire about additional library card benefits. Many public library systems across the United States offer cardholders free or discounted admission tickets to local museums, botanical gardens, and tourist attractions, providing further opportunities for education and engagement within the community.
