Reviews

Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design by Bess Williamson

ksensei_k's review against another edition

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4.0

An accessible (ha!), interesting and overall great book.

Accessible America, as the title promises, tackles the topic of accessible design in the US: its history, its most important dimensions (industrial design, architecture, legislation, activism…), crucial events, personalities, developments etc.

The book is quite thesis-driven, but balanced, informative and pleasant nonetheless. The author shares historical facts and general info within a framework of tracking changing attitudes towards disability in the US over the decades, making a compelling argument. It is evident a wealth of research has gone into the book, and Bess Williamson is able to maintain an easy-going, even tone that only comes with mastery of the subject matter. Many facts she shares are truly fascinating, resources cited - valuable, and the illustrations are simply fantastic. I found myself not wanting the book to end.
There is a lot more to be told and learned about history of disability design in the US (and elsewhere), I do hope Bess writes more about it!
One thing I wish received more focus is the history of disabled people within minority populations in the US. I realize resources on disability history are scarce as is, and are borderline non-existent for minority groups, but if there anything the book could benefit from highlighting more - it is this.

Anyway, a recommended read for anyone, design professionals or not, disabled or able-bodied, American or from elsewhere.

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book.

putmanjulia's review against another edition

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5.0

Really fascinating book about the development of accessible design. It spans both product design and architectural design. Highly recommended.

weargray's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

msepulv2's review

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informative slow-paced

4.0

Very informative but I think it would have been more interesting to also explore digital accessibility and how it affects users. 

perfect_leaves's review against another edition

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4.0

Accessible America is an incredibly informative history of accessibility design in the United States. Williamson's history begins around World War II and ends in modern times. I must note here that her book is largely focused on those who are either paralyzed or missing limbs. Whether this is because disability discourse discluded other disabilities or whether Williamson herself chose to only focus on this subset of disabilities is not clearly explained. That said, the history seems rather thorough. Another reviewer noted that Willamson uses "disabled people" and "people with disabilities" interchangeably. This is true; it's up for you to decide how much you champion people-first language. A note on personal taste- Accessible America is a very dry book. This is pretty much to be expected from NYU Press, but I thought I'd point it out. Overall, it's a good book, but I'd reserve it for those who have a vested interest in the subject. Those who only want to gain general knowledge may want to steer clear of this one.
****
Thank you, NetGalley and NYU Press for the advanced reader copy.

ewelshie's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

4.25

zlibrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

This notable work provides valuable perspective on the history and public discussion on disability. This could be an important resource for anyone working in a public-facing institution (higher ed, social service, nonprofits) as well as large or small business owners. I work in a large urban community college system, and my work as a faculty Reference and Instruction Librarian involves teaching.. Although our faculty have already had training in Universal Design, I often wonder about students' larger campus experience. This book can help form a deeper understanding of context for public spaces, and help people without disabilities think about how to put empathy into action.

ellie_outdoors's review against another edition

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3.0

I was drawn to this book because of the title and intriguing front cover.

Sadly, I was not impressed with the book's usage of "disabled people" versus "people with disabilities." Granted the vernacular isn't that different at first glance, but for a book describing accessibility, I think the author should strive to make the distinction. Disabled people suggests that a person is their disability, whereas people with disabilities implores that the person comes first and their disability is secondary. Again, a seemingly small difference in phrasing, but one that I will fight for changing.

This book had heavy focus on WW2 vets and explained that it was this incident along with polio that really awoke the U.S. to the need for accessibility for all.

For me, the most interesting part was learning about how the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was ahead of its time with accessibility for post WW2 vets.

Thanks to #NetGalley, I had an advanced PDF to read and review.
*All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. *
#AccessibleAmerica #NetGalley

seethinglloron's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

4.5

Fantastic primer on crip theory through the lens of architecture and graphic design history in the United States. As someone with a sosh bachelor's in race and marginalization in the U.S., I'm appalled this was not part of my curriculum. If you care at all about disabled history and activism this is a must-read.

ellacat11's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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