Redefining Disability: Lessons for Leadership and Inclusion

Hello NABU Team and Friends,

Disability isn’t a sidebar to inclusion—it’s one of its clearest teachers.

This week, I’m reflecting on what the disability rights movement can offer us as we build toward literacy access for every child. From history to lived experience to the wisdom of voices like Norman Kunc and Otto Lana, there’s so much here about what lasting, systemic change really requires.

If you’re short on time, I recommend starting with the short videos linked below—they speak volumes.

How Disability Informs Our Work at NABU and Beyond

While writing this, I found my understanding of disability beginning to shift. I had long seen it as something to accommodate, rather than something that reveals the fuller truth of being human.

Most of us will experience changes to our abilities over time, whether through ageing, illness, or unexpected events. This perspective opens up a more generous way of thinking: when we design with disability in mind, we design with everyone in mind.

Approaches like Universal Design for Learning grow out of this insight—they encourage us to build systems that are not only more accessible, but more compassionate, more attuned to real human variation, and often better in every way.

As we think about what it means to truly reach all children through our work at NABU, working with disability in mind offers us not only a challenge—but a path. A way to deepen our practice, expand our perspective, and move from accommodation toward transformation.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Redefining disability: Disability is not an error or deficiency but a normal part of human diversity. Bringing inclusivity into spaces and resources helps everyone, not just disabled individuals. How might we use tools like Universal Design for Learning to ensure that our app offers a range of ways for users to engage with our content?

• What do we mean by authentic book creation?: Featuring disabled characters in a few of our stories is doing the bare minimum. What might real inclusion look like? For example, how might we give disabled authors and artists a voice to share their unique perspectives that enrich all of our lives?

• Radical Inclusion: Watching the Crip Camp documentary reminded me of the importance of radical inclusion in building a movement for change. I believe that at NABU we are building a justice movement, and so we can learn from the way in which leaders of the disability rights movement, like Judy Heumann, went to extraordinary lengths to make sure everyone in the movement had their voice heard. Taking the time to gather everyone’s insights builds trust and recognizes the dignity and autonomy of every individual in the movement.

A brief history of disability and inclusion

Historically, society has often viewed disability through a lens of deficiency, rather than as a normal part of human diversity. This perspective has marginalized individuals with disabilities, limiting their opportunities and agency.

However, movements like the Disability Rights Movement, powerfully depicted in the documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, have challenged these views, advocating for the recognition of disabled people as full, autonomous individuals with the right to be seen and heard.

I highly recommend watching this award-winning documentary as it has amazing lessons for any leader of social change (a great weekend feel-good flick):

Again, one of the most profound shifts in thinking for me during our equity and opportunity seminars came with the realization that disability is not an error to be corrected, or a mistake, but a natural part of the human experience. If we are lucky enough to live to a ripe old age, for example, we will all likely experience disability in some form or another.

Norman Kunc explains that he spent much of his life trying to be as “non-disabled” as possible, until one simple interaction changed his perspective. A redefinition of disability shifts the focus from individuals as the "problem" to societal structures that fail to accommodate human diversity. "Revolutions begin when people who are defined as problems achieve the power to redefine the problem."

To learn more, I strongly recommend watching this playlist of Heumann-Armstrong Award winners to hear directly from disabled people themselves.

Key Takeaways for NABU and Beyond

Understanding and embracing disability and inclusion are essential for NABU as we work to create educational materials that reach all children, and we rally people around our mission. Here are a few key takeaways:

• Redefining disability: Disability is not an error or deficiency but a normal part of human diversity. Bringing inclusivity into spaces and resources helps everyone, not just disabled individuals. How might we use tools like Universal Design for Learning to ensure that our app offers a range of ways for users to engage with our content?

• What do we mean by authentic book creation?: Featuring disabled characters in a few of our stories is doing the bare minimum. What might real inclusion look like? For example, how might we give disabled authors and artists a voice to share their unique perspectives that enrich all of our lives?

• Radical Inclusion: Watching the Crip Camp documentary reminded me of the importance of radical inclusion in building a movement for change. I believe that at NABU we are building a justice movement, and so we can learn from the way in which leaders of the disability rights movement, like Judy Heumann, went to extraordinary lengths to make sure everyone in the movement had their voice heard. Taking the time to gather everyone’s insights builds trust and recognizes the dignity and autonomy of every individual in the movement. 

Engage with Me

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic, as I know that disability and inclusion has many cultural nuances. Here’s how you can get involved:

• Schedule a Meeting: Put time in my calendar here to discuss any topics further

• Group Zoom Meetings: Interested in a deeper dive? Let me know, and we can organize a group discussion.

• Email Suggestions: Email me with questions, thoughts, or a topic you want me to cover in future newsletters.

• Please take 10 seconds to respond to this poll: that way I can keep improving the newsletter for you.

Join Us on This Journey

This exploration of disability and inclusion is not just for the NABU team; it's for anyone passionate about education, technology, and media. Whether you're a donor, educator, partner, or practitioner, there’s valuable insight here for you. Together, we can collaborate, learn, and make a lasting impact.

Thank you for being an integral part of this journey. I’m excited to continue this exploration with you.

Tanyella Allison Leta

^{Note: The ideas presented here are my own, inspired by discussions and materials from my studies at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Any direct ideas are cited, and resources shared are in the public domain.}