Boldly Belong

People with disabilities often face societal pressure to conform to the comfort of others, leading to a sense of inadequacy or a feeling that they need to hide aspects of their identity, yet most acceptance books talk about viewing the disability and its traits as a positive. The fact is, limitations do exist. Accepting them as a neutral fact rather than a negative allows us to use limitations as parameters rather than something to ignore or reframe as positive. Boldly Belong: The Power of Being You In a Disabling Society serves as a guide for individuals with disabilities by taking them on a transformative journey that challenges deeply ingrained stigmas and belief systems and provides actionable guidance on self-advocacy to incorporate the mindset of acceptance into everyday life. By guiding readers to embrace self-acceptance, the book helps alleviate the pain of internalized stigma and empowers individuals to recognize their inherent worth and value--limitations and all. Experienced disability inclusion advocate Julie Harris delves into topics including "fitting in" as a short-term solution and "belonging" as a long-term solution, developing a strong sense of self and strength to ease the rejection that disabled individuals unfortunately often experience, recognizing, understanding, and reshaping your self-perception of who you are as a person, and shifting your mindset from an external to internal locus of control, where you give yourself the permission and agency to have greater control over outcomes in your life. Filled with practical tips and strategies as well as often cathartic examples to learn from, Boldly Belong: The Power of Being You In a Disabling Society is an essential read for all individuals seeking to navigate true disability acceptance in themselves, along with leaders who want to understand more about disability and cultivate disability inclusive environments.