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Skin, Tooth, and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People: A Disability Justice Primer
This Disability Justice Primer, based in the work of Patty Berne and Sins Invalid, offers concrete suggestions for moving beyond the socialization of ableism, such as mobilizing against police violence, how to commit to mixed ability organizing, and access suggestions for events. Skin, Tooth, and Bone offers analysis, history and context for the growing Disability Justice Movement. The Second Edition includes the addition of a new section on Audism and Deafhood written and edited by members of the D/deaf community, and a Call to Action from Survivors of Environmental Injury, as well as disability justice timelines, an extensive glossary, and a resource list for learning more.
188 pages, Spiral-bound
Published January 1, 2019
18 people are currently reading
1282 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 17, 2020
Read this one! Read their new edition! Hold them close to your heart! Frame them!
December 11, 2024
the positives of the book have been highlighted by all other commentors, which i highly agree with, but at the same time, i believe it also misses out heavily on those disabled because of mental health conditions. a passing reference twice or thrice was what i was able to find. i find this to be a larger issue within the disability justice movement in general, but i'm also aware of its complexity and how it's evolving in recent years. regardless, a lot of actions mentioned could be applied to a community setting and helped me a lot in rethinking my own privileges. i hope moving forward, i can also learn to tangibly incorporate them into my work.
February 9, 2022
Read for a disability studies course I'm taking this semester. Short, accessible text for anyone trying to dip their feet into what disability justice advocates for. Your mileage may very depending how versed you are in this realm of activism but for someone who's not, I'd argue this is a great platform to build from.
I really enjoyed one of the chapters on mixed organizing and all the facets to focus on when attempting to make events. It's indispensable to a chapter I'll reference when finding myself in charge of such decisions.
I really enjoyed one of the chapters on mixed organizing and all the facets to focus on when attempting to make events. It's indispensable to a chapter I'll reference when finding myself in charge of such decisions.
May 17, 2020
I learned so much from this! Such an accessible, compelling and holistic intro to disability justice, clearly written and compiled with deep care and love by people with lived experience of these issues
May 29, 2021
Essential resource and reference text for organizers of all kinds!
January 8, 2020
Good primer/anthology on the disability justice framework, including access principles for events and the intersection of disability and sexuality.
October 6, 2024
A thought provoking and important collection of pieces on disability justice.
March 28, 2023
Essential reading.
March 6, 2020
Primer is the perfect word! Easy to understand, totally accessible to read and comprehend, and written with so much care and compassion. Would highly recommend this to anyone who is curious about Disability Justice, or wants to center accessibility in their justice work but doesn't know where to start.
July 24, 2020
Review of the 2019 paperback second edition, not listed on Goodreads:
[5 stars] An introduction and history of Sins Invalid’s Disability Justice work, art, and thought leadership, formatted as a primer for political education and implementation. Provides an excellent overview of the Disability Justice framework, its divergence from Disability Rights / Access, and its possibilities for movement building. Includes useful accessibility tools for planning. I appreciated the emphasis and attention to mixed ability organizing and the nuances presented in the section on audism and D/deaf culture and community. Most of the writing and work is rooted in Sins Invalid’s Bay Area home base though some of the framework and theory remains applicable regardless of geography. Highly recommended for those new to and/or curious about Disability Justice (especially those familiar with Disability Rights & Access), disabled folks who want a deeper political understanding of their lived experiences, and organizers who need to address how ableism may be perpetuated through their work.
Goodreads Challenge: 54/72
Femibooks Nonfiction Reading Challenge: a speech (included within)
[5 stars] An introduction and history of Sins Invalid’s Disability Justice work, art, and thought leadership, formatted as a primer for political education and implementation. Provides an excellent overview of the Disability Justice framework, its divergence from Disability Rights / Access, and its possibilities for movement building. Includes useful accessibility tools for planning. I appreciated the emphasis and attention to mixed ability organizing and the nuances presented in the section on audism and D/deaf culture and community. Most of the writing and work is rooted in Sins Invalid’s Bay Area home base though some of the framework and theory remains applicable regardless of geography. Highly recommended for those new to and/or curious about Disability Justice (especially those familiar with Disability Rights & Access), disabled folks who want a deeper political understanding of their lived experiences, and organizers who need to address how ableism may be perpetuated through their work.
Goodreads Challenge: 54/72
Femibooks Nonfiction Reading Challenge: a speech (included within)
May 9, 2023
This book is about human rights for people America labels as disabled, but it is so much more than that. It's a deep dive into how intersectionality ties all isms together, about what is at the core of how we so deeply hate those who are not like us, and what that means about who humans are.
Which doesn't mean that it reveals magical solutions to our deep failures. But it does reveal how that deep fear and hate manifests in ways I, at least, never thought of before.
But don't just read this book. Watch the documentary Sins Invalid created about themselves. That will open your mind in ways you might never have imagined.
It's a difficult read because Americans have such a problem with sex. But also because intersectionality requires us to hold many conflicting thoughts in our minds at the same time, and to try to balance those conflicts to affirmatively secure the rights of every person.
If we could actually learn to achieve this balance and avoid violence, we might just save this planet.
Which doesn't mean that it reveals magical solutions to our deep failures. But it does reveal how that deep fear and hate manifests in ways I, at least, never thought of before.
But don't just read this book. Watch the documentary Sins Invalid created about themselves. That will open your mind in ways you might never have imagined.
It's a difficult read because Americans have such a problem with sex. But also because intersectionality requires us to hold many conflicting thoughts in our minds at the same time, and to try to balance those conflicts to affirmatively secure the rights of every person.
If we could actually learn to achieve this balance and avoid violence, we might just save this planet.
July 9, 2022
required reading honestly
have a couple criticisms: implying that Indigenous is synonymous with Native in the glossary – Native is Indigenous but Indigenous is much more broad and conflating the two is dangerous in particular as it erases the Indigenity of Blackness; no mention of DeafBlind cultural identity or lived experienced – while understandable that it may be a lot to take in for a primer geared towards a majority hearing and sighted audience, without acknowledging that dual sensory loss exists and the culture at that intersection it perpetuates the assumption that all Deaf are sighted and all Blind are hearing by leaving said assumption unchallenged.
have a couple criticisms: implying that Indigenous is synonymous with Native in the glossary – Native is Indigenous but Indigenous is much more broad and conflating the two is dangerous in particular as it erases the Indigenity of Blackness; no mention of DeafBlind cultural identity or lived experienced – while understandable that it may be a lot to take in for a primer geared towards a majority hearing and sighted audience, without acknowledging that dual sensory loss exists and the culture at that intersection it perpetuates the assumption that all Deaf are sighted and all Blind are hearing by leaving said assumption unchallenged.
August 17, 2022
Summary:
Skin, Tooth, and Bone is a primer of disability justice, touching upon the history and tips on how to practice DJ as compiled by Sins Invalid.
Impression:
3/5. Solid introductory book, that didn't go too in depth with the history behind disability justice, which is to be expected in a primer. However, I felt like I didn't learn that much about how to practice disability justice, or learn a lot about what other disabilities there are, and the strategies people use to organize for disability justice.
Takeaways:
1. The Sins Invalid principles of disability justice are helpful guiding points:
2. "A disability justice framework understands that:
• All bodies are unique and essential.
• All bodies have strengths and needs that
must be met.
• We are powerful, not despite the complexities
of our bodies, but because of them.
• All bodies are confined by ability, race,
gender, sexuality, class, nation state, religion,
and more, and we cannot separate them.
3. As a primer, it was a helpful introduction that indicated how much more I need to read about DJ!
Helpful bits:
- The access suggestions for mobilizations and public events.
- The use of image descriptions and suggestions on accessible fonts.
- The principles of mixed ability organizing.
Skin, Tooth, and Bone is a primer of disability justice, touching upon the history and tips on how to practice DJ as compiled by Sins Invalid.
Impression:
3/5. Solid introductory book, that didn't go too in depth with the history behind disability justice, which is to be expected in a primer. However, I felt like I didn't learn that much about how to practice disability justice, or learn a lot about what other disabilities there are, and the strategies people use to organize for disability justice.
Takeaways:
1. The Sins Invalid principles of disability justice are helpful guiding points:
2. "A disability justice framework understands that:
• All bodies are unique and essential.
• All bodies have strengths and needs that
must be met.
• We are powerful, not despite the complexities
of our bodies, but because of them.
• All bodies are confined by ability, race,
gender, sexuality, class, nation state, religion,
and more, and we cannot separate them.
3. As a primer, it was a helpful introduction that indicated how much more I need to read about DJ!
Helpful bits:
- The access suggestions for mobilizations and public events.
- The use of image descriptions and suggestions on accessible fonts.
- The principles of mixed ability organizing.
July 27, 2023
Excellent resource for broad strokes across the Disability Justice and Liberation movements and Sins Invalid organization. This workbook includes a glossary of terms, quotes from the people involved in the collective movements, and references for those seeking more detailed information on the topics briefly described in this overview intersecting disability among the most marginalized and vulnerable people of the world.
December 16, 2019
covers some concepts of accommodations, ableism, audism, deaf culture, disability justice, a brief history of disability justice and Sins Invalid and a glossary and resource guide.
January 11, 2020
excellent, accessible, holistic primer (imo). wish everyone in my critical disability studies program would give it a read before opening their mouths.
January 29, 2020
Holistic, easy to read, challenging concepts: the ideal primer.
June 23, 2020
I read the second (2019) edition, which expanded on the 2016. It's beyond great.
September 15, 2020
Reading this in a disability group and it's pragmatic and a great conversation-starter!
November 29, 2020
Must read for those being introduced to disability justice (DJ).
March 25, 2022
A very helpful resource with some very impactful, paradigm shifting passages. Grateful for it!
February 20, 2023
Great introductory point on Disability Justice. Very accessible read, variety of authors, and useful glossary.
February 4, 2024
amazing amazing amazing
Read
May 28, 2025I read this one for class and enjoyed learning more about Sins Invalid. It is digestible and accessible. The glossary and timeline at the end were very helpful.
July 21, 2025
I had to return this before finishing it (interlibrary loan). But I enjoyed it. It helped me expand my understanding of disability justice.
September 7, 2025
A foundational and transformational read. Grateful to Sins Invalid for this resource and guidebook on disability justice.
February 26, 2025
Great booklet for introduction to Disability Justice (only 70 pages). Everyone should read- would be happy to send PDF to anyone who wants it :)
February 2, 2021
Essential reading. And re-reading. And gifting.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews