July is Disability Pride Month in the U.S. As Lizzie Cox explains in her article “Disability Pride and Advocating for Access,” this month is a time to “celebrate the efforts of thousands who organized for decades to create the Americans with Disabilities Act,” which became law on July 26, 1990. In “Disability Pride Month: Why Should Disability Pride Month Matter for the Church?” Leslie Ballew describes additional layers of meaning that Disability Pride carries in this way: “Disability Pride is challenging the way society understands and embraces disabilities. It pushes us to accept and honor disabilities as a natural part of human diversity. Disability Pride works through centering the disability community by creating visibility, celebrating identity, and fighting against ableist biases.”

To help Christian communities learn from and attend to the histories and experiences of disabled people and communities during this month and throughout the year, we at Building Faith have compiled a list of resources that center disabled people’s agency, voices, and work. The list includes books, articles, podcasts, church accessibility audit tools, videos, and more. Most of the resources are by people who identify as disabled and have been published or released within the last four years. We hope that these resources aid your communities in seeking justice with disabled people in your contexts.

Books

Nonfiction Stories of Disabilities and Disability Studies in Social Contexts

• “Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement” by Ashley Shew (W. W. Norton, 2023)
• “The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World” by Tiffany Yu (Hachette Go, 2024)
• “Crip Kinship: The Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid” by Shayda Kafai (Arsenal Pulp, 2021)
• “Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally” by Emily Ladau (Ten Speed, 2021)
• “Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World” by Ben Mattlin (Beacon, 2022)
• “Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today,” edited by Alice Wong (Delacorte, 2021)
• “The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs” by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (Arsenal Pulp, 2022)
• “White Supremacy Is All Around: Notes from a Black Disabled Woman in a White World” by Akilah Cadet (Balance, 2024)

Nonfiction Stories of Disabilities and Disability Studies in Religious Contexts

• “At the Gates: Disability, Justice and the Churches” by Naomi Lawson Jacobs and Emily Richardson (Darton, Longman & Todd, 2022)
• “Blessed Minds: Breaking the Silence about Neurodiversity” by Sarah Griffith Lund (Chalice, 2025)
• “From Inclusion to Justice: Disability, Ministry, and Congregational Leadership” by Erin Raffety (Baylor University Press, 2022)
• “Loving Our Own Bones: Disability Wisdom and the Spiritual Subversiveness of Knowing Ourselves Whole” by Julia Watts Belser (Beacon, 2023)
• “My Body Is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church” by Amy Kenny (Brazos, 2022)

Articles

• “Ableism Is Still a Core Part of Church Spaces. Here’s How to Change It” by Amy Kenny, Sojourners (Jul. 14, 2022)
• “Confronting Ableism on the Way to Justice” by Keith Jones, Learning for Justice Magazine, no. 3 (Fall 2022)
• “Disability Pride and Advocating for Access” by Lizzie Cox, National Center for Civil and Human Rights website
• “Disability Pride Month: Why Should Disability Pride Month Matter for the Church?” by Leslie Ballew, Church & Society of the United Methodist Church (Jul. 27, 2021)

Podcasts

• Access All: Disability News and Mental Health, hosted by Emma Tracey – A BBC podcast that engages news related to disabilities and mental health with guest interviews; new episodes released weekly, approximately 30–40 minutes long
• The Accessible Stall, hosted by Kyle Khachadurian and Emily Ladau – A podcast that features conversations between the hosts about their experiences as disabled persons and critical reflections on current events and situations affecting disabled communities; new episodes released every 1–2 months, approximately 30–45 minutes long
• Down to the Struts, hosted by Qudsiya Naqui – A podcast with guest interviews that brings intersectional approaches to address disabilities, accessible design, and social justice; new episodes are released every two weeks, roughly 20–30 minutes long
• The Mad and Crip Theology Podcast, hosted by Amy Panton and Miriam Spies (also available in video format at the Canadian Journal of Theology, Mental Health and Disability YouTube channel) – A podcast that features interviews with theological scholars whose work engages disabilities and mental health; new episodes released monthly, approximately 40–60 minutes long

Church Disability Accessibility Audit Tools

• “Annual Accessibility Audit for United Methodist Churches,” Disability Ministries Committee of the United Methodist Church (Dec. 2024)
• Church Accessibility Audit documents, “A2A Accessible to All,” United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries website – Multiple versions of the audit documents are available at the link, including an online form as well as small and large print PDF and Word formats
• “Church Accessibility Audit Form,” ELCA Southeastern Synod website – Additional resources are available at the synod’s “Disabilities Inclusion” page
• “Handbook: Disability and Deaf Access for Churches and Institutions,” The Episcopal Church in the Bay Area/Diocese of California website (working draft, Oct 2023)

Additional Resources

• “The Art of Flourishing: Conversations on Disability,” The Hastings Center for Bioethics website (2019–2022) – A collection of six videos featuring panel discussions among disabled scholars and creatives on the theme of flourishing; topics addressed include belonging, technology use, ableism, disability justice and activism, health care, creativity, and family and kinship
• “Disability Pride Month and the Disability Rights Movement,” PBS website (updated Jul. 24, 2024) – A collection of videos and documentaries that center experiences of disabled people as well as the Disability Rights Movement (please note that some videos are no longer available as of this article’s publication date)
• “Virtual Bookshelf: Disability Pride Month,” National Endowment for the Humanities website (May 28, 2024) – A website that highlights research and creative projects that have received NEH funding and, as the site says, “expand disability access and research and support the teaching and preservation of disability history and experience”; the list includes books, documentaries, archives, and more

Featured image of “Visually Safe Disability Pride Flag” is by Ann Magill on Wikimedia Commons and available under public domain