Made Possible: Stories of success by people with learning disabilities – in their own words

by Saba Salman

'A bold wake-up call for those who doubt what people with learning disabilities can do' – Sally Phillips

'A call to arms to confront continued discrimination' – Sir Norman Lamb

'A gem of an anthology... this collection will contribute to our growing understanding, acceptance and celebration of "neurodiversity"' – Simon Baron-Cohen

Success is a crucial part of being human. But what if society thought success and aspiration didn’t apply to you?

A human rights campaigner. A critically acclaimed actor. A civil rights activist. A singer–songwriter. A Paralympian and elite swimmer. A fine artist. An award-winning filmmaker and drag artist. An elected UK mayor.

These professionals have achieved astounding and awe-inspiring success. They've won national accolades in competitive fields such as film, theatre, music, fine art, campaigning and politics... and like 1.5 million people in the UK today, they all also happen to have a learning disability.

In Made Possible, these eight remarkable individuals present their authentic experiences – in their own words – and show us what society misses out on by overlooking them, pitying them, patronising them, simply tolerating them and labelling them in terms of their conditions.

Edited by social affairs journalist Saba Salman, this collection of groundbreaking and illuminating essays shatters preconceptions and offers a glimpse of the many types of success that can be achieved by people with a learning disability. Crucially, it reveals how people can make invaluable contributions to society when their potential is acknowledged and supported by those around them.

Genres: Nonfiction

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2020

About the author

UK-based author, journalist and editor, full bio at http://sabasalman.com/ and Guardian journalism at https://www.theguardian.com/profile/s...

Reviews

[Jess Mannion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it is written by people with intellectual disabilities themselves. They tell their story of experiencing barriers but managing to still succeed. If you want to raise your expectations of disabled people then read this book. I made this a compulsory text book to the first year social care students that I teach. They use some of the chapters as case studies to help them learn about person centred planning. I also use it to change their perceptions on disabled people so they can see what barriers exist and how high people with intellectual disabilities can achieve. The stories are also told really well, easy and enjoyable to read.

[Katie Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an eye-opening and inspirational book. I can't believe some of the ways that people with learning disabilities have been treated so recently. Imagine the outcry if a whole group of people were banned from the Olympics because one country had cheated. So where was it when that group were those with learning disabilities? Despite all the barriers put in their way the people who tell their stories here are living and succeeding in their lives. We could all learn much from this book.