Diversability Amplified Podcast: Author Talks with Sean Gold, Kelley Coleman, Danielle Connolly, and Tiffany Yu (S2:E7)
In this episode, Diversability CEO & Founder Tiffany Yu speaks with Sean Gold, Kelley Coleman, and Danielle Connolly about disability representation in books, including Sean Gold's forthcoming book The ABCs of Disabilities, and Kelly Coleman's book that came out earlier this year Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child.
Show Notes
Book Club Event Planning and Podcasting
Disability Pride Month and Author Talk
Disability Advocacy and Inclusive Children's Books
Improving Representation of Disabilities in Media
Discussing Sean Gold's Book on Disabilities
Analyzing Inclusive Children's Book and Joy
Disability Awareness and Upcoming Book Bundling Project
Listen on Spotify
Summary
Quick recap
Tiffany and Kelley led a discussion about a book written by Sean Gold for an upcoming book club event, with a focus on promoting Sean's book, "The ABCs of Disabilities," and facilitating a conversation about disability leadership. They also shared their personal experiences and ongoing projects related to disability representation in literature, media, and education. The team also analyzed an illustrated children's book that promotes accessibility and inclusion, and discussed the importance of raising awareness about disability issues.
Summary
Book Club Event Planning and Podcasting
The event was to be centered around a book club, featuring two member authors, Sean Gold and Kelly Coleman. Tiffany proposed turning the discussion into a podcast, which was agreed upon by all. Tiffany then proceeded to host the event, with Sean's script serving as a guide. The event aimed to promote the upcoming publication of Seann's book, "The ABCs of Disabilities," and to facilitate a discussion about disability leadership within the Diversability community.
Disability Pride Month and Author Talk
Kelley and Tiffany introduced author and YouTuber Sean to the group, highlighting his series "Crippled by Culture" which focuses on disability and culture. Danielle shared her interest in attending the event to learn more about writing books and her plans to add Kelley and Sean's books to her library's collection for disability pride month. Tiffany then discussed her upcoming book, "The Anti-Ableist Manifesto," and encouraged the group to support authors by requesting their titles from the library or checking them out if available. The conversation then shifted to the inspiration behind Kelley and Sean's books, with both authors sharing their stories.
Disability Advocacy and Inclusive Children's Books
Kelley, a non-disabled parent of a child with multiple disabilities, shared her motivation for writing a book to help all parents navigate the complex systems and services for their children's support needs. Tiffany, who has a brachial plexus injury, introduced Sean’s upcoming alphabet book for children and adults to learn about disabilities in an inclusive way. Both authors emphasized the importance of equal access to information and resources for all children to thrive and praised Sean's book for its accessibility and portrayal of disability in a non-earnest, fun, and normalizing way. Tiffany also highlighted that anyone can be a disability advocate without being disabled, a message she planned to include in her book.
Improving Representation of Disabilities in Media
Tiffany shared her plans to create a podcast episode on improving representation of people with disabilities in media and her ongoing work on a children's project. The group discussed their own experiences with books addressing disabilities and chronic illnesses, highlighting the lack of representation in literature, media, and education. Tiffany emphasized exclusion as a common microaggression faced by disabled people and mentioned initiatives and hashtags promoting disability representation in children's literature. The group agreed on the importance of inclusive stories for future generations.
Discussing Sean Gold's Book on Disabilities
Tiffany and Kelley discussed Sean Gold's book, "ABCs of Disabilities," with Kelley providing a detailed description of the book's cover, illustrations, and the diverse range of children depicted. They also mentioned that Mary Fashik, a fellow DLC member, wrote a quote for the book, praising its beautiful and thoughtful illustrations. Tiffany read the first two pages of the book, which introduced Sean and his intention to answer questions about life with a disability through the book. The group seemed to enjoy the book's unique and educational approach.
Analyzing Inclusive Children's Book and Joy
Tiffany and Kelley discussed an illustrated children's book that promotes accessibility and inclusion for children with disabilities. They analyzed the book's illustrations, focusing on the emotions they evoke and the joyful experiences they depict. The conversation also touched on the team's personal experiences with joy and the importance of finding happiness in simple moments. Danielle shared her recent enjoyable experience on a cruise and her feedback to the cruise ship operators about making their activities more adaptive. The team appreciated Danielle's insights and considered organizing a Dlc outing to experience a cruise.
Disability Awareness and Upcoming Book Bundling Project
Tiffany and Kelley shared their personal experiences and discussed the importance of raising awareness about disability issues. They talked about their upcoming book bundling project, which aims to help parents understand and work on their own bias towards disability. Kelley emphasized the importance of making her book, "Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child," available for free in libraries to help those in need. The group also discussed how to best support the author, Sean, in promoting the book, with a request for reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Tiffany ended the conversation by thanking everyone for their participation and mentioned plans for future episodes.
Transcript
11:11:21 Like I'm like, why should I have to.
11:11:23 Donate when no one else has to donate, and then.
11:11:26 In my video, I was got a list of books. I'm like they have every.
11:11:31 Series of this. And then I'm like, Well, I don't want to start making fun of people's interest. You know what I mean, just because someone likes.
11:11:37 This book, and I think it's kind of foolish and not as important like, you know, everyone has their own thing that they will support the library. So that's why I feel like.
11:11:45 I wanted to make that thing where people know.
11:11:48 You can request from your library cause, you know.
11:11:52 We're funding the libraries if we live in the town. So.
11:11:55 So yeah, so I just thought that was important.
11:11:57 And and yeah. And then I was glad to add Kelly and Shawn's books to the list among some other good ones, so hopefully, I'll be.
11:12:04 Seeing.
11:12:05 Some fresh books at my library soon, but we'll see.
11:12:09 I love that. Yeah, thanks for sharing that. I forgot to mention that I also have a book coming out. It's called the Anti-abalist manifesto comes out October 8.th It's gonna be a Tiffany U national holiday. If anyone else wants to join
11:12:22 But I I was looking online recently about, you know, of course, Pre. Ordering is the best thing you can do if you have the means, but there are so many non monetary ways that you can support authors as well, and one is requesting the title from your library, and another is just checking it out.
11:12:39 If it is available, or putting a hold on it. So I even notice that in my Libby app I can go search for my book, which isn't out yet, and put like a notify me, which I think will signal to the author that, or signal to the library, that there's interest in the book as well. So
11:12:57 It. It feels like the library form of amplification. How, we would ask people to amplify social media. Content, like library, has its own, has its own way. And I did tell Danielle, and she's already done it. She's in touch with her local library, but if you search a title.
11:13:13 And then enter the name of your local library or your city. You'll see instructions for how to do that for your local library.
11:13:21 So with that.
11:13:25 Kelly. And actually, this is a oh, for Kelly, I apologize. So I actually think this gonna be Kelly and Sean. But actually, I'd love Kelly to answer that question too.
11:13:36 But maybe what if I ask the questions? And then if both of you want to answer, we can do that. Does that work? Okay, Sean's giving me Sean and Kelly giving me a nod. Okay, I would love to know what made you decide to write your book.
11:13:48 So, Kelly, how about you first.st
11:13:50 Yes, and if Shawn, you're comfortable. For the audience. Sean is typing for the conversation.
11:13:56 So, Shawn, if you're comfortable with me, going 1st to give you the time to type, then I will go ahead and do that. But if you feel like, knock it off, put that in the chat, and I'm happy to send it over to you 1st anytime.
11:14:10 So to start off the reason I wrote my book. I'm a non-disabled parent of 2 children, one of whom has multiple disabilities.
11:14:21 And there's a lot of paperwork. There's a lot of planning.
11:14:25 And accessing the systems and the services and the supports is a full-time job. Caregiving.
11:14:34 For kids like my son, who do have significant support needs is absolutely full time. Job and.
11:14:43 I have my executive functioning. I can do the paperwork and the planning, and I also have been able to figure out so many of these systems.
11:14:53 And I have a particular passion for narrowing this huge gap in access to information. And my goal with this book is really for all parents across all demographics, to have the same access to.
11:15:10 Information and resources, whether it's how to call your insurance company. What should I be thinking about for financial planning.
11:15:17 I'm nervous about this specialist appointments.
11:15:20 How do I?
11:15:22 Be a good.
11:15:24 Parent facilitator from my kid all the things, and really maximize everything for my kid. And I wanted all parents.
11:15:33 To have that access to their information, because all of our children deserve equal access to thrive.
11:15:42 Yeah, that's that's so important, Kelly. And I've I've been referring. I come across parents.
11:15:48 A lot in in my work, because my there are kind of 2 categories of people who have my injury, which is called the brachial plexus injury when my arms is paralyzed.
11:15:57 And one is
11:16:00 Medical malpractice during childbirth. So you have a lot of parents who have young kids who have plexus injuries, who are looking for support and figuring out how to navigate.
11:16:10 So definitely excited about that.
11:16:12 And then
11:16:14 Sean responded about why he decided to write his book. He says.
11:16:18 My book is an alphabet book for children and adults, with and without disabilities to teach about their disabled peers.
11:16:25 Family mentors and friends in a digestible way.
11:16:28 For the past 3 years I've been working on an alphabet book called the ABC's of Disabilities.
11:16:34 Not disability. I've seen people mix that up.
11:16:38 Which is set to release on September 17.th
11:16:40 It includes 26 terms from A to Z. That parents, guardians, grandparents, and teachers.
11:16:45 Can read to their children, to help them learn how to understand and empathize with their friends in inclusive ways. I would love to see this book being shared everywhere, and I would definitely.
11:16:56 Come to read to the students upon requests in schools, libraries, wherever.
11:17:00 I wanted to write this book so that kids everywhere can get exposed to the disabled community as early as possible in an accessible and inclusive way.
11:17:10 So excited for that.
11:17:12 So I know Shawn. Some of the advanced reader copies of your book has gone have gone out so far, and Kelly, your book came out in March, so maybe we'll start with you, Kelly, about what has the response been? What have the reviews been so far to your book?
11:17:27 So I have been really.
11:17:30 It just overwhelms with gratitude as the response and the reviews have come in. Not only the book selling well.
11:17:37 But the reviews have been outstanding, especially from parents who are looking for answers. I got an email from a mom recently who said, I saved $3,500 from my insurance company, and I'm holding a check. And I'm emailing you.
11:17:53 And I wouldn't have known.
11:17:55 How to.
11:17:57 Appeal from my insurance company and pursue this.
11:18:00 Without your book. So that was money well spent.
11:18:04 It's been great, and some of the bigger organizations that are really getting behind my book.
11:18:10 It's.
11:18:11 Very exciting.
11:18:13 And the opportunity to connect with so many parents. The thing that I was.
11:18:19 Very aware of. As I was writing this book as a non-disabled person. There are many experts featured throughout the book, many of whom are disabled themselves.
11:18:29 And.
11:18:29 It was very meaningful to me, and my great hope.
11:18:33 That disabled individuals would read this and say.
11:18:37 Okay, lady, you you got this right? Well done. And the response really has been overwhelmingly positive.
11:18:44 Because I really have.
11:18:46 Leaned on disabled leaders for so much of.
11:18:49 Language and approach, and even readability of the book.
11:18:53 And.
11:18:54 A question that I often get, which segues into sean.
11:18:58 Is, so many people say.
11:19:01 I don't have experience with disability. How do I teach my kids about disability?
11:19:07 When I don't.
11:19:08 Have disabled people in my circle, in my family, in my friend Group.
11:19:13 To which I say you actually do, but their disabilities might not be visible, and you might not.
11:19:18 They might not have them to you, which is.
11:19:22 Absolutely their business.
11:19:24 But you do have disabled people in your life, and a book like Sean's.
11:19:30 I love, because, 1st of all, it's really.
11:19:33 Second of all, it is a picture book. So it is super accessible that you can read to anyone, and I find that so often about disability to children is super earnest.
11:19:46 And it's either like, isn't this person? Because they're a superhero because they're disabled.
11:19:53 And I feel like it's not a superhero. He's an 11 year old dude.
11:19:59 And he's also not tragic, and it's not like, oh, this poor kid! He communicates with the device. He's good.
11:20:07 So what I.
11:20:08 Of the many great things about Sean's book. What I like best. It's.
11:20:13 Is that it is a great way to answer parents who have asked me.
11:20:17 How do I bring this up with my kid? How do I talk about it?
11:20:20 And it builds into Daniel's library.
11:20:25 Of, when libraries and schools.
11:20:27 Have books.
11:20:29 That are fun to read and not earnest, and don't feel like, eat your broccoli.
11:20:33 But it's something that your kids are going to want to read, because it is fun.
11:20:39 And it's not heavy, and it normalizes.
11:20:44 Visible, not visible disabilities, accessibility, and it normalizes. It's fun.
11:20:50 And it is such an easy way for parents and teachers.
11:20:55 To just build in disability.
11:20:59 Yeah, I love that. One of the things that.
11:21:03 A a couple of takeaways there I have. I actually have a chapter in my book. It used to be called Advocate with us, not for us.
11:21:08 And it was really about how you don't need to be a disability advocate.
11:21:15 And while you're speaking, I actually just realized that we're gonna do a podcast. Episode. So we'll dive deeper, we'll put a PIN in that because I would love to dive.
11:21:24 Into that topic a little bit deeper, and how we can better show up.
11:21:28 And also at the same time,
11:21:31 I. I actually don't interact with kids that much in my work. But I am working on a kids project that maybe by the time this goes live it will be public.
11:21:42 Where.
11:21:43 I.
11:21:44 I hadn't really thought about how complicated and complex either some of the language that we use or the way we describe things.
11:21:53 But how do we? How are we able to distill that narrative down.
11:22:00 Into something that a child will understand that doesn't fall into the trope of tragedy or superhero.
11:22:07 And.
11:22:11 And I think I did. I'm going to share this. And actually, I'll get feedback from both of you.
11:22:15 So I said,
11:22:17 And I'll.
11:22:19 I'll redact part of it, but it says, while.
11:22:22 While some of these stories might inspire you, many of us, with disabilities are wonderfully ordinary and human, not necessarily superheroes, inspirational, brave, or special.
11:22:33 If you find yourself wanting to label someone with a disability that way.
11:22:37 Ask yourself if you would still describe them that way. If you took disability out of the picture.
11:22:43 In addition to being Xyz profession, we're also teachers, politicians, bankers, and so much more. We exist in all spaces.
11:22:51 And I hope you'll learn that disability is a part of the human experience and continue to break down barriers for the over 1 billion of us around the world.
11:23:01 That was something I wrote recently, but I wrote it because, as I was trying to find.
11:23:07 Content that didn't fall into an inspirational trope.
11:23:12 Sometimes it had a little bit, too. It had references to adult content.
11:23:19 Which is also an important topic, too. I have another book that just came out, called.
11:23:24 But but yeah, it was like, where do? Yeah? And actually, I was surprised that I didn't find any content out there that was appropriate for kids that really.
11:23:35 That really broke down inspiration in a way that children would understand. It.
11:23:43 But I digress. So the question was how the response has been to the book so far, and Sean says the response has been amazing. Kelly was actually the 1st to review it, and last week I put together a document of all the reviews, and it is over 10 pages. It has been a great start. That's amazing. 10 pages of reviews.
11:24:02 We might have an overachiever here, but also I just wanted to highlight just how supportive I think.
11:24:09 This group that we have at Diversity has been, you know, I like Kelly that you called it the Danielle Library Initiative, Danielle. Maybe you might want to get a trademark for that. The the Dli, the Danielle Library initiative. But all right, let me continue here.
11:24:27 Which is a question for everyone, which kind of touches on what we were talking about before, about making sure that content was.
11:24:35 Available, and narratives that reflect that and feel authentic to our own. But the question is growing up, do you recall having any books that talked about disabilities or chronic illnesses.
11:24:48 And maybe we'll.
11:24:50 And we can actually open this up to Kelly and Danielle. And then I know Sean wants to share.
11:24:56 Share his screen. Or I can share.
11:25:02 Yes.
11:25:01 So, Kelly, do you recall any books about disabilities or chronic illnesses growing up.
11:25:07 The only thing that comes to mind is Helen Keller.
11:25:10 And.
11:25:12 What I like about that story is that.
11:25:16 She absolutely.
11:25:19 Became. You know we.
11:25:21 Hear so much about her as a child.
11:25:22 And her evolution. She became a leader, and she was very accomplished in her life. So I like that.
11:25:30 Illustrates,
11:25:33 Accomplishment.
11:25:34 And capability, and all of that. But when that is the only story we're told.
11:25:41 It feels a little like, okay, this is in this box, and then we're done.
11:25:46 And when I was growing up.
11:25:49 Disability wasn't talked about, and it wasn't in our books.
11:25:54 And when it's not, it's kind of secretly giving that message of it's not that important to talk about.
11:26:01 We don't really need these characters in here.
11:26:04 And oh, my goodness! That would have been really helpful.
11:26:12 Yeah, I can respond to this is Tiffany. I think.
11:26:16 I think I didn't seek it out. I don't know but it, but it also kind of reminds me.
11:26:21 You know. As we record this, the Paris Paralympics are happening next week, and someone I follow on social media is on.
11:26:28 The Canadian Paralympic team and her. The station that would have showed the Paralympics are not broadcasting any of it. So her.
11:26:37 Family and friends who aren't gonna be there aren't gonna be able to see it. And I bring that up because I actually feel like, and I posted about this on threads that, like the way Ableism shows up, the worse for disabled people, is through.
11:26:51 Not even thought being thought about. In the 1st place, even to Danielle's point, it's.
11:26:58 Having this month and.
11:27:01 Not even having any visibility.
11:27:03 And.
11:27:04 And then, even if we don't have a display during disability pride month, it's not even having.
11:27:10 The books by disabled authors, or that touch on disability themes.
11:27:15 So
11:27:17 So, yeah, exclusion is.
11:27:21 Exclusion, I believe, is actually the microaggression that disabled people experience the most.
11:27:27 So Sean has a response here, Sean, would you like me to read your response or share the screen first, st or both at the same time.
11:27:36 Actually, let's see what this Pdf is.
11:27:41 Danielle, what about for you?
11:27:44 Sure. Yeah, I don't remember any and I did.
11:27:49 I did seek them out when I was like a little bit older, but they were always in memoir form, and it was
11:27:56 Kinda.
11:27:56 Hard to find, like even fiction, or anything like that like. And so I did like
11:28:03 And like for children's books, I would say.
11:28:06 The only time I remember it was, and I do think these are good.
11:28:10 But
11:28:13 And and hopefully, they're more becoming popular as like child, life becomes more of a thing and children's. But.
11:28:21 I was 16 when I had to get a Gtube, and that was like the only time I saw a kids book because they had.
11:28:27 Kids books about it. So I didn't need a kids book about it since I was 16. But I just thought it was.
11:28:32 Good for kids to have, because, you know, it's it's a lot to get like a foreign.
11:28:37 Like piece of medical equipment that's like attached to you. So I know they have a lot.
11:28:42 Of more like issues with kids, and I mean not to say it was easy for me either. But.
11:28:47 But that was like the only time I remember seeing like something so specific. And it was kind of funny, because they were like mentioning it like, oh, this could be like.
11:28:55 Red, to your.
11:28:57 Children's class, and it, which is funny because I.
11:29:02 Yeah. Disability wasn't like talked about like, ever like going through school like. And I was the only one of my school. So it's always kind of.
11:29:11 Weird for me. So I didn't even like connect with like.
11:29:15 Helen Keller is like a disability story. It was just like, honestly, I like, because I I had a piece of content that I was gonna make about this, and it kind of got postponed a bit.
11:29:25 Cause. Then it ended up almost becoming a series, even though it started with.
11:29:31 How the Internet is kind of.
11:29:34 Main jokes about how Helen Keller is like.
11:29:36 Not even a real person, cause they like believe it was like impossible for someone to be deaf and blind. And then I was like reflecting back. I'm like.
11:29:45 I'm pretty sure we were taught in school as if she was the only one that ever existed that was blind. So it was like even the way we were taught about it, I think, was like.
11:29:53 Problematic.
11:29:54 So yeah, so that's a long rambled.
11:29:58 Way of explaining my experiences with.
11:30:01 Folks in representation.
11:30:04 Well, that's the beauty of the podcast. It's the podcast. Form in itself, is the long ramble.
11:30:12 But but I actually got asked a question, I think, to Danielle's point around.
11:30:17 How.
11:30:18 I got asked for a book, recommendations for fiction, disability, books.
11:30:24 And and I hadn't heard the question clearly, so I was like, Oh, my books coming out, and Alice Wong's disability visit, and she was like, Oh, fiction! And to be totally transparent. I don't. I, personally don't read a lot of fiction book, but in my research.
11:30:38 There are a couple of initiatives. One is called Disability and Kid lit.
11:30:42 But that blog actually hasn't been updated in a couple of years, but still good resources. And then.
11:30:49 There is a hashtag called own voices, own voices. And these are reviews that you have to be living with the same condition as the protagonist or characters in the book, in order to review it.
11:31:04 All of that, said.
11:31:07 Nico Myering, who is actually a voracious reader.
11:31:12 It actually did an event recently in the Dlc. In our book club event. I guess this is the plus side of attending all, all the Dlc. Events.
11:31:20 About some young fiction books that have a disabled characters in them recently. So I'll see if I can pull up some of those names and put them. Put them into the notes.
11:31:31 But we we had a nice little ramble there, so I'm reminding myself of what the question was.
11:31:37 Which is growing up. Do you recall having any books that talked about disabilities or chronic illnesses.
11:31:42 And I'm gonna read Shawn's answer. And then I'm gonna share my screen, which actually looks like it's a preview of Sean's book.
11:31:50 So let me go ahead and read Sean's answer. So Shawn says.
11:31:54 I don't recall books at all.
11:31:56 But I wasn't a fan of reading.
11:31:59 I'm still not a reader. I'm a writer.
11:32:01 I think this book has taught me that my younger self needed a book like this in order to heal that part of my childhood.
11:32:07 So similar to what I explained a few questions ago.
11:32:09 I reflected on how my friendships would have been even better than what they were if kids weren't told to just look away.
11:32:18 I think I learned how much I needed this book.
11:32:21 As a kid myself.
11:32:23 Growing up. I didn't see a lot of representation in disability when it came to media.
11:32:28 I'm talking about books, movies, TV shows, gaming, and other entertainment.
11:32:32 I only knew about Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, who are both black, disabled musicians.
11:32:38 So my view on disability representation was limited.
11:32:41 There was also a boy who was a wheelchair user on Mr. Rogers neighborhood, but that was it.
11:32:45 This book is a gift to my younger self. To finally have a story to relate to.
11:32:51 It's beautiful.
11:32:54 I have a saying. I think I took it from.
11:32:58 Wes Hamilton.
11:32:59 It used to be his Instagram bio, but it says, being the representation, I couldn't find.
11:33:04 And I feel like a lot of us who are trying to do things in the world.
11:33:09 Are doing them because we didn't see.
11:33:11 Examples of ourselves.
11:33:15 So right now I have pulled up.
11:33:17 Sean, is this, is this a digital copy of your book?
11:33:23 Okay.
11:33:23 I'm getting a nod. Yes.
11:33:29 Let me see if I can take away.
11:33:34 Maybe this.
11:33:36 Oh, there we go!
11:33:39 Is there anything in particular you wanted us to say about the book.
11:33:46 Lemme.
11:33:47 Check out the notes real quick.
11:33:49 And should we offer a visual description of the cover that's showing right now.
11:33:53 Yes.
11:33:55 Okay. So we're going to show off the book a little bit, and I can go ahead and describe it.
11:34:01 And then we can ask for folks, thoughts and opinions on it afterward.
11:34:07 That.
11:34:09 About right? Okay, I'm getting the nods.
11:34:13 I have too many windows open. Let me see if I can figure out.
11:34:18 This is fun!
11:34:20 Little.
11:34:22 Okay. I'm gonna.
11:34:24 Stop.
11:34:25 Overall thoughts and opinions. Okay, here we go.
11:34:28 And then, Kelly, do you want to do you want to do the description?
11:34:31 Yeah, I'd be happy to. It. Looks like it has left my screen, but I can.
11:34:37 But you know what it has left my screen, too. Here, give me one second.
11:34:40 This is.
11:34:42 We have some.
11:34:41 Excellent, and if anyone listening would like to Google, the Abcs. Of Disabilities by Sean gold SEAN. Gold.
11:34:51 You will pull it up quickly.
11:34:54 It is a cream colored, and in large letters it says A in yellow B in red, C in purple Abcs.
11:35:04 Of disabilities which is in a turquoise banner. So ABC's of the illustration on the front surrounding the letters.
11:35:16 There are.
11:35:17 Children who appear to be elementary school age, and the children.
11:35:21 Appear to be diverse in terms of both ability and in terms of race. There are children with.
11:35:28 Dark tone, skin with light tone, and in between.
11:35:32 There is an orange basketball. There are colorful blocks. There is a brown tree with green leaves.
11:35:39 And the children who one would assume from the title are disabled. Some of the disabilities are visible. For example.
11:35:48 A boy
11:35:49 With a Walker mobility device.
11:35:52 Another boy with a tricky out of me, and.
11:35:56 There's a boy with glasses.
11:35:58 Glasses are for accessibility, and many of us have those.
11:36:02 And the other kids, if they are in fact disabled.
11:36:05 It's not necessarily visible. I see a hearing device.
11:36:11 Hearing aid on one of the girls, and the entire book is illustrated with similar illustrations and bright colors throughout the book.
11:36:22 And then at the top there is a.
11:36:26 A quote from Fellow.
11:36:28 Dlc. Member, Mary Fasick, and it says.
11:36:32 A beautifully crafted and thoughtfully illustrated book that introduces young readers to the diverse world of disabilities.
11:36:39 Mary Fascic, who who also has a book. I think it comes out this month called Adventurous Adeline.
11:36:45 And and upgrade accessibility.
11:36:50 This is beautiful. The illustrations are really beautiful, and then the next.
11:36:55 The next slide says the ABC's of disabilities. This time the the people
11:37:01 Are not in.
11:37:03 In view.
11:37:09 Sean, I don't know. Do you want us to go through the book? I feel like we're giving away all the juice.
11:37:19 Oh, okay.
11:37:20 Sean clarified that actually one of the characters on the front is a character with down syndrome.
11:37:26 Oh, thank you, Sean.
11:37:30 Wait. I didn't see the response. Did you? Did you want us to flip through the pages.
11:37:35 Oh, some pages. Okay.
11:37:37 Why don't we just do a couple and then see what people think? Well, 1st of all, I love, I'm loving the illustrations.
11:37:45 So here we go. I'll just read the first.st
11:37:48 We'll just do the 1st 2 pages, and then.
11:37:51 If it peaks your interest to go check out.
11:37:54 B through z.
11:37:56 So the 1st page is on like a light blue.
11:38:00 A very light blue green background, and it has.
11:38:04 And illustration of a black man with a trachy and a red shirt waving.
11:38:09 And it says, Hi, I'm sean.
11:38:11 Hi. My name is Sean, and I am the author of this book.
11:38:14 I was born with a disability, and lots of people, both kids and adults, asked me questions about what it's like.
11:38:20 Maybe you have questions, too.
11:38:22 So I wrote this book to answer some of those questions.
11:38:25 Perhaps you have a disability, or maybe you don't. But you want to learn about them.
11:38:30 Either way. This book is for you from A to Z.
11:38:33 And then Sean is waving, and it looks like there's a speech Bubble coming out with a big question mark on it, and it says, Where is Sean?
11:38:41 Oh, and it says there are 3 more illustrations of me as a child inside this book. See if you can find them. All the answers are at the back of this book.
11:38:49 So it's a little cute scavenger hunt. I love that.
11:38:52 And then the 1st page as we
11:38:55 As we start to go into the alphabet, a.
11:38:58 Is on kind of like a light green background.
11:39:02 And it has it has an illustration of a playground.
11:39:07 Of someone.
11:39:09 A a girl with glasses sitting on a swing.
11:39:12 Looking like she's having the best time of her life.
11:39:15 I feel like I want that to be my avatar.
11:39:17 And then
11:39:18 And then 2 people. I forget what that's called a.
11:39:22 It's not a merry go round.
11:39:24 But it's a wheelchair user on this thing in the playground that spins.
11:39:28 Kelly, do you know what it is? This is how you know my audience is not kids.
11:39:31 I am wrecking my brain. I should know right.
11:39:34 I'm the parents, and I'm like, Oh, those things make me Barf! I don't remember what they're called.
11:39:41 Yeah.
11:39:38 I know the things that give you a headache afterward, but there's a wheelchair user on it, and A boy wheelchair user with red hair on it, and and he's being spun around by a girl wearing a ponytail.
11:39:51 And it says A. An A is in a very large letter, says A is for accessibility.
11:39:58 Some kids may speak here, see or move one way.
11:40:02 Others may speak here, see or move another way.
11:40:05 That's why accessibility is important.
11:40:08 So as many kids as possible can easily enjoy the same places and activities.
11:40:13 Kids with disabilities may need extra tools to do the tasks, or another person to help out.
11:40:19 But this way everyone can take part in having fun.
11:40:24 I love that we'll do.
11:40:26 I just wanted to see the illustrations.
11:40:30 And I know Shawn made a joke in our we did an authors mixer.
11:40:34 That.
11:40:37 Finding the right illustrator and hiring them is really
11:40:41 A respectable.
11:40:43 It's it's a lot. But this looks so fun, I guess. One question I have for you, Shawn, is, how did you determine.
11:40:52 You know, there are so many, because even for a I could have thought of like accommodations, or even ally or advocate, there are so many different letters, so curious.
11:41:01 Curious how you thought of.
11:41:04 What word was going to be associated with each letter.
11:41:08 And while we.
11:41:09 Wait for Sean's response. There. Oh, he said, I, as my favorite illustration, okay, maybe we have to go check out. I then.
11:41:19 And as you're scrolling to that, I wanted to add.
11:41:24 This book is.
11:41:25 Tremendously joyful.
11:41:28 And the kids in it are, as you mentioned, at the playground, having the time of their lives.
11:41:32 Outlook. The dog.
11:41:34 Doing things.
11:41:36 And experiencing joy, which I believe is what Jay is, for in this book.
11:41:40 And I've had the conversation with so many other parents of disabled children.
11:41:45 That we don't just need the. This is a hard thing, and kids can overcome like.
11:41:52 Overcome is a tricky word, too.
11:41:55 We need joy, and we need to see disabled children.
11:42:01 Being joyful in their day-to-day lives. And that's also why this is such a great teaching tool.
11:42:08 Because it isn't just saying.
11:42:10 The kid in your class who has these learning disabilities is going to experience a lot of struggle.
11:42:16 It's going to say this kid in your class loves the swings just like you.
11:42:22 And.
11:42:24 It builds in the piece of joy that is something that connects us all in such a necessary way.
11:42:32 I'm just catching up on the chat here. Isn't it a merry? Go round.
11:42:35 Probably.
11:42:35 I feel like I'm gonna.
11:42:37 Ask Chad Gbt later.
11:42:39 Cause I feel like the merry round is where you sit on the horses.
11:42:44 And there's a poll, and it plays music and goes around. But maybe it's also okay. Let's take a look at I.
11:43:00 And then.
11:43:01 You know, every single time I go full screen I have.
11:43:03 I just feel like I have difficulties, but.
11:43:06 Let's try this out. You can see. Can you see the book.
11:43:18 I'm just like smiling to myself because I have 3.
11:43:20 3 windows open of Sean's book, because they just disappear into the abyss every time I try to share my screen. Okay, so let's take a look at I and then I love that conversation, Kelly, that you brought up of.
11:43:33 Of j
11:43:37 All right. Here's I.
11:43:38 So we have a.
11:43:40 Like a brown skinned kid in a wheelchair boy in a wheelchair, with a green shirt.
11:43:48 Kind of dreaming. He has, like a dream, clouds above him, and.
11:43:53 He's in a
11:43:55 It looks like he's an astronaut, and he's still in his chair. I love that. It's so cute.
11:44:01 Says I. As for imagination, blast off into space, using your imagination.
11:44:06 If you're non-disabled, you might imagine flying a spaceship in a regular command. Share.
11:44:12 A disabled child might imagine their spaceship in a command. Wheelchair.
11:44:16 What about you? What do you imagine.
11:44:20 So cute, I will say these illustrations are bringing me a lot of joy. And then as Kelly mentioned Js for joy.
11:44:28 This is on a light purple background of what looks like a.
11:44:34 A black blind.
11:44:36 Girl who is wearing sunglasses, and she has a.
11:44:40 Walking stick as well as as well as a guide dog on a purple harness, and it says Js. For joy.
11:44:47 Hooray! For the feeling of joy. Some kids feel joy when they get good grades.
11:44:52 Some feel joy when they do things on their own, like getting dressed or walking their dog.
11:44:57 Some feel joy when they're in the park with their friends on a sunny day.
11:45:01 Every kid deserves to feel happiness.
11:45:04 I love that.
11:45:06 So I'm going to stop sharing, and I would actually love to use that as a segue. I know, Shawn. I had asked you.
11:45:13 How you had determined.
11:45:15 Each letter, and you said each word for to associate with each letter, and you said.
11:45:21 Oh, Danielle, okay, we're still on the merry round, Danielle said.
11:45:25 She saw like 5 answers when she googled it. And maybe it's regional.
11:45:30 If we can figure it out we will put it in the show notes.
11:45:34 And I had asked Shawn how he determined what word was going to be associated with each letter, so he said, Yes.
11:45:39 So my initial thought, my initial thought, was A is for autism. C is for cerebral palsy, etc. But for the age group.
11:45:47 My developmental editor said it was too complex for them. And then we wrote the entire book with this idea.
11:45:53 I like that.
11:45:55 And on the topic of J. For joy.
11:45:59 I think we can maybe ask everyone what kind of is bringing you joy these days?
11:46:04 But I will say in my own advocacy, journey.
11:46:08 I have.
11:46:08 Even that line. Every kid deserves happiness, even adults, adults, everybody.
11:46:16 I have been really exploring what my advocacy looks like when I sent her joy.
11:46:21 And.
11:46:22 I feel like, you know, I've actually been going through my Instagram content over the last couple of years, and.
11:46:27 A couple of years ago.
11:46:30 I would write these very long.
11:46:33 These long captions about kind of what was going on in my life like vulnerability is something I take a lot of pride in, and that's how I wanted to lead.
11:46:41 But I've also learned that I want to share more stories from a scar rather than a wound.
11:46:48 So sometimes now I wait until the hard thing has happened, and I'm on the other side of it.
11:46:55 Because I do believe if you are in your valleys. That's not the end. That's not where your story ends, but
11:47:03 But I noticed that more of my content these days kind of being in community with.
11:47:08 Being in community with disabled folks.
11:47:12 And I have this unofficial series. I haven't.
11:47:15 I don't even know why I called it a series, but I say this month joy, or like disabled joy at Vidcon, or like disabled joy at the Grammys.
11:47:25 And just.
11:47:25 Just like being in community with people who are doing cool stuff.
11:47:31 What about for you, Kelly? What's bringing you joy.
11:47:35 These last 2 weeks. What's bringing me so much joy is that my boys started school again.
11:47:41 And fortunately I have kids who enjoy school, and in particular, for a younger son. Erin, who, as I mentioned, has multiple disabilities.
11:47:50 His teacher this year is one who he has known and has talked to over the years at all of the school, drop offs in the morning.
11:47:59 And so, coming into her classroom, she was already communicating with him on his Aac.
11:48:07 He spends his.
11:48:08 It's split between a general education classroom, special education classroom, which is a great fit for him.
11:48:15 And he is surrounded by A. C. Users, and also individuals who are speaking, and are so adept with Aac, and he is so.
11:48:27 Thrilled.
11:48:28 And just bubbling over with joy that he is.
11:48:32 Surrounded by people who know how to communicate with him.
11:48:38 I love that.
11:48:39 Back to school.
11:48:40 A lot of my parent friends over the summer. And yeah, Kelly, I know you took some time off over the summer, too. Probably.
11:48:49 Reeling off a bookstore, but then also being having the kids out of school as well.
11:48:54 Yes,
11:48:56 I chose for much of the summer to put an auto reply on my email. Say, I'm I'm still working.
11:49:02 But I am being away from my computer as much as possible in favor of.
11:49:09 Just being a mom and enjoying my kids. And I think too often.
11:49:13 Parents, of.
11:49:14 Disabled children feel that they have to be.
11:49:18 On duty and doing the therapies, and making the progress and meeting the.
11:49:23 All the time, and it's very easy to miss out on the joy of.
11:49:29 You know. Go into the beach with your kid, or spending an hour at the grocery store because they love the grocery store.
11:49:36 And the joy piece it just.
11:49:40 Cannot be undervalued. It's pretty remarkable.
11:49:43 Yeah.
11:49:45 I have a friend. Her name is Joy, and sometimes I do think about like.
11:49:49 If people just expect that you will be.
11:49:54 Joyful all the time, and there's a space for all emotions, you know. I haven't seen out too yet. But but it's on my list. Danielle, what about for you? What is what is bringing you joy these days? And then Sean will close out that question with you.
11:50:08 Sure I highly recommend out to I loved it.
11:50:12 So bring me joy. Well, I just got back from a cruise, so I had a lot of fun on that and well, it was good cause. I I do I even though they don't. Well, they do ask for it, but you know the like. When you get on a cruise they give like.
11:50:26 As for feedback,
11:50:28 Because I I've.
11:50:31 Done to more like adaptive, like recreational stuff this summer, like I was always meant to do, is like I tried sailing.
11:50:38 And I liked it a lot, and I was actually impressed like
11:50:41 I don't know how widespread this is, but they actually have.
11:50:45 Like a a sailboat that has like a sip.
11:50:49 I forget what it's called, but you know what I mean like where people can move like a wheelchair.
11:50:55 But like the the white.
11:50:57 Tip part. Anyway, they can do that with a
11:51:01 A sailboat, which was really cool.
11:51:04 And so so it's I. I'm glad that I kind of have this.
11:51:09 More of like this hope for the younger generation that these options will be available for them, because.
11:51:13 I think it was good, though almost in a way, that I kind of had this.
11:51:17 Obsession would try to find a hobby when I was younger, because I've kept it going. And then, like, I see people like.
11:51:22 I know, retiring, and they like, have. They don't know what to do. And I'm like, there's literally a million things you can do. And so yeah, so that's been bringing me joy. But back to the cruise ship. So I did give them the feedback that they could have made some of their activities more adaptive and like, it's really not that hard, but.
11:51:40 So I was glad that I kinda had the experiences where I could be like, oh, you could just do XY and Z. And you know the hard part is you design the ship accessibly, and then you could just make these activities.
11:51:52 Adaptive easily, so we'll see if they take the feedback. But I was just glad I had the perspective that it exists, you know.
11:52:01 Yeah, thanks, Danielle. We had a fun conversation. Some of our.
11:52:04 Dlc members really love cruises, and I actually don't think I've been on a cruise. It has to be almost 30 years.
11:52:11 The last time I was on a cruise, so.
11:52:14 Maybe we'll do a Dlc. Outing.
11:52:20 2. 2. Experience the cruise.
11:52:22 Sean Shawn has, sean says.
11:52:25 I have also seen a celebrity starting a foundation to assist adults with disabilities.
11:52:30 And that brings me joy because it finally puts disabled adults in the spotlight.
11:52:34 Unfortunately, he still says special needs, but it's something.
11:52:37 But outside of work I love being with friends and going with family to the Casino, to the Casino.
11:52:44 What do you do in the Casino? Blackjack or poker?
11:52:49 I feel like those spaces are not for me, cause then I'm like, Oh, I'm I'm up now like, maybe does this next one maybe does this next one, and then.
11:52:57 And then it doesn't work out, says both. All of the above all of the above.
11:53:04 All right, and to close us out, I think
11:53:08 So, Kelly? This gives a question for Kelly.
11:53:11 You had mentioned the idea of bundling your and books together when you reviewed.
11:53:17 His book.
11:53:18 Have you thought about that more.
11:53:21 But that is definitely something I've thought about. As I'm moving forward. I'm so passionate about.
11:53:27 Elevating the voices that I didn't have growing up to bring us full circle.
11:53:33 And books, about disability and.
11:53:37 Books about and featuring disability by people of color are much too hard to come by.
11:53:44 And as I've talked with Tiffany about her book, the Anti Ableist Manifesto.
11:53:50 If you know.
11:53:51 Our 3 books.
11:53:53 If.
11:53:54 Parents.
11:53:55 Had those.
11:53:57 Those are tools for shipping away at their own ableism.
11:54:02 Figuring out how to do all of their stuff.
11:54:05 Talking with their children and others about disability.
11:54:09 And for me.
11:54:11 What's exciting about that is my great hope is that that leads to.
11:54:18 Building in and normalizing.
11:54:21 Our children's own disabilities in themselves and siblings.
11:54:27 And.
11:54:28 My great hope is figuring out a way to really get these books together, into the hands of parents, into the hands of everybody. But parents are my particular.
11:54:38 Audience.
11:54:39 Because I really think if the parents.
11:54:43 Can recognize and work on their own bias.
11:54:49 And can be very comfortable with disability. Hopefully, we can build in.
11:54:54 That pride and normalcy into our children.
11:55:01 Yeah, I think one thing I like about.
11:55:04 Each of our books who are on here is that I feel like.
11:55:08 You would get introduced to our book at a different stage of your life.
11:55:15 So. And then Sean asked, Can we bundle our books on Amazon? We need to figure out how? I'm not quite sure how that works. I was joking that Kelly. I think, during our authors mixture, that I'm currently in a stage of my author journey.
11:55:26 Where I have no idea what's going on.
11:55:31 But
11:55:32 But yeah, I will share that. One of the one of the early reviews I've gotten on my book is that.
11:55:38 People feel.
11:55:41 Is that? The reader felt really hopeful.
11:55:43 After reading the book.
11:55:45 Because she actually did believe that creating a disability inclusive world is possible.
11:55:51 So maybe I'll close with one other question, and then.
11:55:54 So my last last question is going to be, how can we support you? And I know Shawn has provided some things around writing.
11:56:02 But I guess my question for both of you.
11:56:05 Is, and also Daniellas mentioned in the book a couple of times. Thank you, Danielle, and so is Kelly.
11:56:12 Sean. I don't think you submitted by the deadline, but I also.
11:56:16 The deadline was very tight. So whoever and I think I texted, can you contribute.
11:56:23 But we'll go into the behind the scenes a little bit later on. That was, I gonna say, oh, how do you want readers to feel after they read your book.
11:56:32 Kelly, let's start with you.
11:56:34 Great. I will jump in.
11:56:36 I want readers to feel like.
11:56:39 They understand.
11:56:41 What needs to be done.
11:56:44 And they feel empowered to do it. And by that I mean all the boring, the paperwork, the figuring out the planning, all the stuff that you don't have a choice to do, but that no one actually knows how to do.
11:56:57 The book is written very conversationally. I want people to.
11:57:02 Actually understand and use the information to make their lives easier and to better support their kids.
11:57:16 I love that, and then
11:57:18 I know your book has been out for a couple of months.
11:57:21 What would be is there anything you want our listeners to know about how they can support you and the book.
11:57:28 Yes, absolutely.
11:57:30 As you mentioned as Danielle mentioned.
11:57:33 Books like this need to be available for free the people who need these books most, and especially a book of like How to do all this stuff.
11:57:42 Who needs it most are often the people.
11:57:45 Who can't afford to buy the book.
11:57:49 And if this was in every library it changes lives. So request the book from your local library. Of course, follow me. My website is the easiest place to find me. Kelly Coleman com. That's KELL. EY. Coleman.
11:58:05 My book everything no one tells you about parenting a disabled child. Your guide to the essential systems and supports is available at Amazon, your local bookseller and.
11:58:19 Spread the word because somebody is really sick of calling their insurance company and being told no.
11:58:25 When they actually should be told. Yes.
11:58:28 And I love that you mentioned that. Roi, that you buy Kelly's book, which is $20.
11:58:39 Oh!
11:58:34 I think I think on Amazon. It's on sale for 17 right now. But yeah, 20 ish.
11:58:43 Yes.
11:58:40 And and you can save $3,500.
11:58:45 That's that's pretty good investment.
11:58:48 Yeah.
11:58:47 Does an amazing roi. All right, we'll close it out with Sean. I had asked how you want people to feel after reading your book.
11:58:55 And Sean said, I want kids to be able to ask questions and feel comfortable talking to their peers with.
11:59:01 Don't tell them to look away.
11:59:03 And at even to that point I actually just saw this amazing reel on Instagram.
11:59:10 Around like how to navigate with kids. And and the thing the woman said was the best thing you can. The best thing you can do is reaffirm. The kid.
11:59:17 Like yes.
11:59:18 He has a trachotomy, or yes, they're in a wheelchair rather than telling them to look way. And then the other question was.
11:59:27 How can we best support you as an author on your book journey, Sean. We know the book is coming out. Sean says, please post your reviews for our books on our good reads, and Amazon book pages.
11:59:38 I will also put an asterisks in there that you can copy, paste the same review on both platforms.
11:59:44 I don't know if that's an insider thing. And then Shawn says I'd love to have review.
11:59:50 I'd love to have reviews on my book on Amazon on September 17.th
11:59:55 To help my book go high in the algorithm on release day.
11:59:59 Please share your emails with me to get reminded releases. So, Sean, for you, for the people who are listening in, if they don't have access to you. What's the best way for them to get in touch so they can share their share their email so they can get that notification.
12:00:17 And the email is author, Sean gold at Gmail Com. Author, A. UTHO. R.
12:00:24 SEAN GOLD at Gmailcom.
12:00:28 And with that we are at the top of the hour. We had a funcast here on this.
12:00:34 Impromptu episode of diversity, amplified.
12:00:37 But this is also kind of like some of the conversations we have within the Dlc. Just more informal and not
12:00:45 Not having to be on a podcast.
12:00:46 But with that this is Tiffany, you I'm your informal host for this.
12:00:52 And I I hope you enjoyed listening, and we have a lot of other.
12:00:56 Episodes you can listen to, and more coming up as well. So thank you so much. Everyone.