Rebekah Taussig
Rebekah Taussig wasn’t alone, however she certain felt prefer it.
Paralyzed because the age of three, Taussig couldn’t assist noticing that depictions of incapacity had been restricted to the monstrous Hunchback of Notre Dame, inspirational Helen Keller or angelic Forrest Gump.
None got here near capturing her expertise, nor did she count on them to.
“I’d by no means thought of incapacity an id value understanding, not to mention value celebrating, and I used to be fairly certain I used to be the one one who skilled this world from this seat on the margins,” she recollects.
After a roommate’s suggestion, the Instagram account @sitting_pretty was born, giving Taussig a spot to share what life was like for her — touring, marriage, motherhood, work, going to the grocery retailer. It has grown to greater than 63,000 followers, together with actress Selma Blair, who was identified with a number of sclerosis in 2018.
The response helped result in “Sitting Fairly: The View from My Peculiar Resilient Disabled Physique,” the 2024-25 Go Huge Learn e book.
A mix memoir, essay assortment and name to motion, Taussig’s e book invitations readers to think about incapacity from a special perspective. “As an alternative of incapacity because the limitation, what if a scarcity of creativeness was the precise barrier?” she asks.
“Inclusion isn’t higher simply because it’s kinder,” Taussig writes. “We should always carry disabled views to the middle as a result of these views create a world that’s extra imaginative, extra versatile, extra sustainable, extra dynamic and vibrant for everybody who lives in a physique.”
Taussig is a Kansas Metropolis author and trainer together with her doctorate in Artistic Nonfiction and Incapacity Research. She has led workshops and shows on the College of Michigan, College of Kansas, and Davidson Faculty on incapacity illustration, id, and group.
“This e book is an excellent alternative for our group to have interaction in crucial and well timed dialogue round incapacity and accessibility,” says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. “Rebekah Taussig’s memoir in essays is a considerate and nuanced exploration, grounded in her personal life experiences and elevating vital questions on incapacity, ableism and the narrative of ‘regular.’”
“Rebekah writes in a means that’s in some way each world-shakingly profound and fantastically intimate. Her voice is unforgettable in its energy to make you are feeling, query, study, and develop,” says “Physique Constructive Energy” bestselling creator Megan Jayne Crabbe. “There aren’t phrases for the way a lot the world wants this e book.”
Publishers Weekly describes it as “a pull-no-punches memoir about life in a wheelchair.”
“Taussig’s refreshing, matter-of-fact tone makes it clear that she’s not asking anybody to really feel sorry for her; slightly, she’s asking for simply the other—to not be outlined by her wheelchair,” it says. “Her sensible and witty observations about dwelling with disabilities will probably be enlightening and eye-opening for readers.”
Kirkus Opinions calls it “a fierce and fabulous revision to entrenched ableist scripts.”
“Taussig goes past empty inspirational jargon, forcing readers to think about the worth of the real-world enhancements that may emerge from centering underrepresented voices,” it says. “An interesting, up-close view of the necessity for structural change concerning disabilities on this nation, the textual content is a stable mixture of principle and private expertise.”
Go Huge Learn occasions related to the e book are anticipated to incorporate a go to from the creator. Planning is underway for the way college students, college and workers will use the e book in lecture rooms and for particular occasions. Copies of the e book will probably be given to first-year college students on the Chancellor’s Convocation for New College students and to college students utilizing the e book of their lessons. UW–Madison instructors or occasion planners inquisitive about utilizing the e book can request a print or e-review copy.
The Go Huge Learn program is an initiative of the Workplace of the Chancellor. It engages members of the campus group and past in a shared, academically targeted studying expertise.
