No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement

This was a good read up till chapter 5 when the author began writing about inclusion and how it should be mandatory in all facets in such a away that people with disabilities should not have their own groups, like Special Olympics. He wrote that people with disabilities wanting to compete in sports should participate in sports with non disabled peers. This is a great idea, but people in wheelchairs cannot possibly compete on an equal level with runners that do not use wheelchairs. I really liked his experience and thoughts until he tore down Special Olympics and the groups created to equalize opportunities for people with exceptionalitirs and disabilities.

It's great to see so many reviews for this book from students who were assigned it for college and other curricula. Such books should be required reading for any course covering the spectrum of civil rights. Yes, it's outdated by now, but still one of the most comprehensive studies of the decades before the passage of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). My own focus involved research on real-time events in the disability movement, and how I could weave actual events into the life of a disabled main character in my novels, 'Every Time I Think of you' and, more extensively, its sequel 'Message of Love,' which includes a realistic (I hope) depiction of a protest in 1980s Philadelphia. 'No Pity' proved essential for my research as well as expanding my understanding of the struggle of millions of people.

No pity is an intriguing read. This book is geared to show non-disabled people, that people with disabilities are more than just disabled. A disability does not have to be an identity. The metaphors that Shapiro uses are hilarious. The author uses humor in his examples well; he had me laughing before I finished the introduction. The book gives a light hearted feel to a civil rights hot topic. He gave real life examples of disability discrimination and ignorance. Shapiro gives examples that illustrate the lack of understanding that non-disabled people have towards people with disabilities. The book gives a history of people with disabilities battling for their rights. It also explains who is covered by the disabilities act. You might be surprised to learn who is covered by the act. Not all disabilities are visible, and this book gives examples of such. There is a strong message conveyed in this book, and that is, people with disabilities are trying to break stereotypes and fears that society has toward them. This read was informative, witty , shocking, and statistical. At every seam of this book the cry for equality oozes. This book screams for justice and hopes for acceptance, understanding and integration. People with disabilities just want to be apart of society. They just want people to understand that they can live a life just as meaningful and worthy as the next guy.

I had to use this for a class, and it had interesting facts in it. It was nice to read and very informative for someone new coming into the special education field.

As a deaf person and an educator, I find myself very involved whether I like it or not in being an activist. I was taking a law class on disability law, and the second footnote in the required text was on this book. That intrigued me, and when I read the reviews about the book, I was even more intrigued. This book is a must-read for anyone who might or does work with the disabled. We no longer want the pity, the institutions, and the exclusion from society. We want to be viewed as normal except with one part or a few parts that may not function as some would consider normal. We want an equal education, equal opportunity to jobs, equal opportunities to participate in society. And everyone will be the better for it. Mr Shapiro as a non-disabled person, wrote a book that was compassionate but strived hard to see things from our point of view. This ability probably stands him in good stead as a journalist. He even taught me things I didn't know about other disabilities. Educators, lawyers, politicians, parents, social workers, and health care professionals need to get off their duff and read this book. They can no longer turn a blind eye or claim ignorance as an excuse to not allowing those of us with differences our rights under the law.

No Pity by Shapiro is a great read that taught me a lot about the hardships people with disabilities have to endure in their everyday lives. One of the big lessons I learned after reading this book is that disability does not discriminate, and can happen to anyone. I was originally assigned this text book as an elective course I took on issues/topics in disabilities, but found myself enjoying it more than I had previously enjoyed any other college textbook.

Yes, it's really old (published in 1994). And yes, some of the facts are out of date. (I can only attest to the autism section on that part, given that autism is the disorder I know most about, but that part was really factually out of date...our knowledge of autism has hugely changed since 1994.) That said, what I read this book for wasn't to learn facts so much as to gain a different perspective and a sense of history with regards to the disability rights movement. And WOW did this book deliver. Highly recommended.

I loved the read. Shapiro influences readers to become more informed about individuals with disabilities. Very enlightening

It embraced all the intricate on the historical ignorance on people's and organizations' approach to developmental disabilities. It exposed the treatments persons with developmental disabilities were subjected. It gave the step by step stuggles, reactions, success and laws that came about as a result of the fight persons with developmental disabilities fought to this date. If you need to be an activist, advocate, or educator, for persons with and without developmental disabilities, this book, No Pity: People with Disabilities... is a must read book. Eat it, chew it thoroughly you will not regret it. I am glad my instructor recommended it for my class ( Developmental Disabilities Institute at Wayne State University).

This is a feel good book that also reminds us of our terrible past. The treatment of people with disabilities over the history of the United States is at times appalling and at others inspiring. Be prepared to be shocked at the length of time and drastic conditions Americans have endured simply because they were different. This is indeed a book about civil rights.

This was a good read up till chapter 5 when the author began writing about inclusion and how it should be mandatory in all facets in such a away that people with disabilities should not have their own groups, like Special Olympics. He wrote that people with disabilities wanting to compete in sports should participate in sports with non disabled peers. This is a great idea, but people in wheelchairs cannot possibly compete on an equal level with runners that do not use wheelchairs. I really liked his experience and thoughts until he tore down Special Olympics and the groups created to equalize opportunities for people with exceptionalitirs and disabilities.

It's great to see so many reviews for this book from students who were assigned it for college and other curricula. Such books should be required reading for any course covering the spectrum of civil rights. Yes, it's outdated by now, but still one of the most comprehensive studies of the decades before the passage of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). My own focus involved research on real-time events in the disability movement, and how I could weave actual events into the life of a disabled main character in my novels, 'Every Time I Think of you' and, more extensively, its sequel 'Message of Love,' which includes a realistic (I hope) depiction of a protest in 1980s Philadelphia. 'No Pity' proved essential for my research as well as expanding my understanding of the struggle of millions of people.

No pity is an intriguing read. This book is geared to show non-disabled people, that people with disabilities are more than just disabled. A disability does not have to be an identity. The metaphors that Shapiro uses are hilarious. The author uses humor in his examples well; he had me laughing before I finished the introduction. The book gives a light hearted feel to a civil rights hot topic. He gave real life examples of disability discrimination and ignorance. Shapiro gives examples that illustrate the lack of understanding that non-disabled people have towards people with disabilities. The book gives a history of people with disabilities battling for their rights. It also explains who is covered by the disabilities act. You might be surprised to learn who is covered by the act. Not all disabilities are visible, and this book gives examples of such. There is a strong message conveyed in this book, and that is, people with disabilities are trying to break stereotypes and fears that society has toward them. This read was informative, witty , shocking, and statistical. At every seam of this book the cry for equality oozes. This book screams for justice and hopes for acceptance, understanding and integration. People with disabilities just want to be apart of society. They just want people to understand that they can live a life just as meaningful and worthy as the next guy.

I had to use this for a class, and it had interesting facts in it. It was nice to read and very informative for someone new coming into the special education field.

As a deaf person and an educator, I find myself very involved whether I like it or not in being an activist. I was taking a law class on disability law, and the second footnote in the required text was on this book. That intrigued me, and when I read the reviews about the book, I was even more intrigued. This book is a must-read for anyone who might or does work with the disabled. We no longer want the pity, the institutions, and the exclusion from society. We want to be viewed as normal except with one part or a few parts that may not function as some would consider normal. We want an equal education, equal opportunity to jobs, equal opportunities to participate in society. And everyone will be the better for it. Mr Shapiro as a non-disabled person, wrote a book that was compassionate but strived hard to see things from our point of view. This ability probably stands him in good stead as a journalist. He even taught me things I didn't know about other disabilities. Educators, lawyers, politicians, parents, social workers, and health care professionals need to get off their duff and read this book. They can no longer turn a blind eye or claim ignorance as an excuse to not allowing those of us with differences our rights under the law.

No Pity by Shapiro is a great read that taught me a lot about the hardships people with disabilities have to endure in their everyday lives. One of the big lessons I learned after reading this book is that disability does not discriminate, and can happen to anyone. I was originally assigned this text book as an elective course I took on issues/topics in disabilities, but found myself enjoying it more than I had previously enjoyed any other college textbook.

Yes, it's really old (published in 1994). And yes, some of the facts are out of date. (I can only attest to the autism section on that part, given that autism is the disorder I know most about, but that part was really factually out of date...our knowledge of autism has hugely changed since 1994.) That said, what I read this book for wasn't to learn facts so much as to gain a different perspective and a sense of history with regards to the disability rights movement. And WOW did this book deliver. Highly recommended.

I loved the read. Shapiro influences readers to become more informed about individuals with disabilities. Very enlightening

It embraced all the intricate on the historical ignorance on people's and organizations' approach to developmental disabilities. It exposed the treatments persons with developmental disabilities were subjected. It gave the step by step stuggles, reactions, success and laws that came about as a result of the fight persons with developmental disabilities fought to this date. If you need to be an activist, advocate, or educator, for persons with and without developmental disabilities, this book, No Pity: People with Disabilities... is a must read book. Eat it, chew it thoroughly you will not regret it. I am glad my instructor recommended it for my class ( Developmental Disabilities Institute at Wayne State University).

This is a feel good book that also reminds us of our terrible past. The treatment of people with disabilities over the history of the United States is at times appalling and at others inspiring. Be prepared to be shocked at the length of time and drastic conditions Americans have endured simply because they were different. This is indeed a book about civil rights.

What an excellent book that relates the work and times of personal advocacy in the 20th century. Though it was published in 1993, the author's information and insights help to clarify and aggregate the work, meaning, and consequence of the day -- and still rings true into the 21st century. Highly recommended.

Really enjoy this book. Originally, purchased for my disability grad course, but I found myself reading every page required or not.

It was very informative

Speedy shipping and excellent quality.

Great book!

This book contains a lot of history about he Disability movement. If you really want to understand and not pity the disabled this is a great read. It takes time to get through but it is worth it.

This was used as a text for a Rehab course and I found its personal accounts of PWDs as related to ADA and the years prior to its passing, to be informative using a human interest approach w/o being overly sentimental.

Fascinating & thorough study of disability rights, though slightly dated in some regards: lacking somewhat in discussion of intersectionality, for instance.

A Great book on a relevant and urgent topic

This is an excellent book on the topic of disabilities. I gained a new appreciation and perspective for those with physical disabilities.

This is a well written review of disability activism and the growth of civil rights in the 20th century. The Americans with Disabilities act was a ground breaking piece of legislation, but it did not change the landscape for citizens with disabilities overnight. It would be interesting to see this book updated for 2010.

Very interesting read on the history of the disability rights movement. Great examples to help put concepts into perspective. It was hard to put down once I started it.

This book is very good at telling the history of the ADA, disability laws, the conflicts, and people involved in creating the the 504 and greater laws of today.

This book gave me a great deal of insight into the lives of people with disabilities. I am a special ed teacher and this book helped me to see further how I can be more effective. The book gets rather repetitious at times and borders on being clinical which may not appeal to all.

Arrived as expected. No issues

Powerful must read book!!

This is an important report of the disability rights movement in the United States. I wish we could expand its readership because every American should know and understand the reasons and struggles that have occurred with the movement.

An absolute essential for anyone interested in the disability Right's movement.

Everyone in the disability community- heck anyone - should have this as required reading. It should be in high school history classes.

Talk about enlightenment... This book is amazing. Must read, especially for today's world.

Book came on time. Looked great

No longer really relevant yet still interesting.

Great condition

Great book if you want to learn more about individuals with disabilities!

Still an unparalleled comprehensive look at the movement. Read it originally back in the 90s, and now own it again!

this has been a very informative read do to people with a disability. And emotional topics for me. But have learned a lot, Thank you

I gave this as a gift to someone who has been a local and national advocate for disabled persons for 20+ years. She said she liked it. I give it high marks because of her level of experience with legal and personal matters surrounding the topic.

Got this for a grad class, found the book an easy read and very interesting. If special education is an area of interest, it gives a perspective from the individuals with disabilities.

I am learning something new with every chapter, while encouraging advocacy for the civil rights movement for persons with disabilities.

It's a place to start but you'll find contradictions both of fact and agenda in this book as well as in the field of disability studies as a whole. The movement doesn't seem to be cohesive even on paper- a movement in which there's not much common agreement on agenda or common goals or techniques to reach those goals- is it really a movement at all if there's no unity among those effected by it? Also found the book condescending in tone in many places. Wanted to like this volume but couldn't. Like many movements this one seems to exist only on paper and not anywhere else due to a lack of unity among people who could help each other if there wasn't such apathy- reflected in this book and others in disability studies as a whole.

I had to buy this for a class and have found it to be very enlightening. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in what people with disabilities live with

it was fine a little more worn than i was expecting

So far, this is a very well written, and very informative book. I am reading this as one of my main textbooks for a course I am taking about Disabilities in America. It is the correct and appropriate text for the course.

great book

Very good book well written, It drives a good point about people and disability's. but mainly about how we deal with it.

This book was in excellent shape however it was advertised as New but it had a sticker on the dust jacket. It arrive promptly and it was well packaged.

Awesome

Victimizes individuals in the stories and treats them like children. Constant contradictions. Working in the field, I would NOT recommend this to anyone who wants an unbiased view.

This is a great book. It was delivered quickly. The condition of the book was exactly how it was stated on the website. This is a great book. Very interesting and I could not put it down.

I bought this for school. It was cheaper here than at the college bookstore, and it was quite interesting. I enjoyed it.

The book came in good condition the only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because it had highlighter/pen writing inside and that was not in the description. I did buy Used. Other than that I can not complain.

As a young man with cerebral palsy who has had to struggle for anything that I have accomplished whether it was graduating from high school in all regular education classes to graduating college with a Masters Degree while having to deal with a wide array of government agencies along the way, part of me related to the stories of those who laid the foundation of the disability rights movement as depicted in Joseph Shapiro’s No Pity. But on another level, I found myself disconnected because I find it hard to envision a world where I wasn’t able to do something as simple as go to a movie. But I have always had a really awesome Mom. Also being that I am high functioning, I had difficulty relating to many of the nursing home scenes in the later parts of the book. I guess one can take my reaction as a good sign that we as a community have made some progress. Overall, it helped me to realize that I need to be more grateful for the life I have. If readers want to understand the struggles that persons with a disability went through and still go through, then No Pity is a terrific place to start

Its important for anyone who wants to read about the disability rights movement that this is first book to read, even if one has a negative impression of it. The goal of the independent living movement as identified in the book is for full community integration for people with disabilities and complete civil rights and equal rights. Unfortunately when one reads about the disability rights movement, there is talk about "politically correct language", "burdensome lawsuits" and the like and I can't deny that these things happen (as with any movement there are extremists and people who focus on surface issues) but "No Pity" details the independent living movement starting with Ed Roberts (who had been paralyzed to the point where he required a respirator, then called an iron lung, his whole life) who founded the independent living movement from scratch and from there, there were networks of these centers and now they are a vital resource. And its not just linguistics but the thinking behind them, empowerment, integration and the idea that disability is ultimately a universal experience. And the important thing is for every negative experience you hear about you can read about workable constructive solutions, many of which save taxpayer's money and put people to work and most importantly people with disabilities being thought of not as "the other" but as people in general. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but if you have a negative impression of the disability rights movement why not read through "No Pity" and then post a review after as you'll have a fuller understanding. And as a disability rights activist myself and someone who has pushed for the Olmstead Decision, Mental Health Parity and the upcoming Community Choice Act whom many of the people discussed in here initiated (you can look up these terms for more information) you can see that the end goal is yet another civil rights movement with equality and social justice as the end goal and a community that people often eventually become a part of as disability is a universal experience. So take a fresh mindset, read this and know that much has been achieved and much remains to but often the first steps towards understanding people with disabilities must come from self acceptance and a willingness to understand new ideas. This primer will give you some key ideas and if you are a person with a disability yourself, in understanding the term "no pity" you may understand the essential empowering nature of the ever expanding freedoms that are part of America and want in whatever way you can contribute. A book that changed my life in real world terms and may do the same for others.

The Essential Primer from a non-disabled person's view. The 1994 book covers history, policies, and the interdependence we have together. Judy Heumann and Evan Kemp recommended this to me in 1990's, and my eyes were opened wide after I read it. Ch. 1 and Tinytimism (as I call it)applies to many groups. Some call it 'Uncle Tom','assimilationist', or other. 'No Pity' describes why the charity model is fatalistic and damaging. You can see this played out in the Congress about 'welfare', 'healthcare', Clint Eastwood's attack on the ADA, and 'special needs'. Sorry folks - we just want what you think we have, but we don't really have it: civil, legal, accessible, culturally affirming human rights. Even if you have a disability, it is vital to read the sections that you think you know- and definately read the ones you don't know. Anyone working in health care, Addiction, Mental Health, VA, CILS, advocacy for any disability related group should read this first. My only regret was I didn't read it sooner. Access is a civil right and an attitude, not just a ramp (TM)!

This book was introduced during Disability Awareness Month by my employer, an international bank. I myself have a hearing impairment and use hearing aids. Since I am not deaf but I am not all-hearing, people don't understand the levels of hearing or how the hearing impaired hear. Even I myself have experienced ignorance by others lack of understanding and knowledge. I had so many aha moments while reading this book. I also learned a great deal about other disabilities that I just had no idea and could not even conceive the struggles. The double amputee being thrown on a baggage dollie, like a sack of potatoes, the poster children being used to show a camparison, the wheel chair population being stranded without public access were all stories that I had just not thought about. Unlike one of the previous reviews, who didn't like the comparison to other groups who experienced discrimation, I thought Mr Shapiro did a great job. Since our American society is more sensitive to the struggles of the African American commnunity.......... and ignorant to disability discrimination, it helps the reader to look inside and see ones own lack of understanding and short comings. I find it interesting that people with disabilities all seem to have positive comments regarding this book (that being us who live it) and others who are not disabled critizise. And to the reviewer who was offended by the comparison..........really? Why is it that you can not find compassion for people with disabilities? Can't you offer to this group, "I understand your struggle"? The book was not about showing who had it the worst (feel sorry for me). After all, it's perfect title is "No Pity". It's about acceptance. My son had a sitter when he was an infant who is blind. She was very capable of providing love and care for my infant son. I have experienced discrimination at school and at work, and even our management team and HR turned a blind eye. If I was being discriminated for other reasons under ADA, there would be no or less hesitation. But that's my road to travel. I have a sister who was born deaf, my sibling's brother was born with mental retardation and lived in an institution all his short life. I am also the daughter of murderer, a unwed/single mother of a bi-racial son, and a birth mom, all of which I have been treated differently and looked upon with unacceptance so I understand judging people. Joseph Shapiro.......thank you for writing this book.