How can we build more accessible cities? Living Disability brings together vibrant perspectives on disability justice and urban systems.

A musician and snow removal expert, a queer curator, a public pool aficionado, and a journalist turned city councillor – these are just some of the disabled writers exploring disability justice, analyzing urban systems, and proposing more equitable approaches to city building in this anthology. Essays and interviews push the conversation about accessibility beyond policy papers and compliance checklists to show how disabled people are already creating more inclusive spaces in cities of all sizes.

Living Disability is universal in scope but intimate and local in focus, grounded in personal struggles and celebrations. Decisions about public transit, affordable housing, and park design all disproportionately impact disabled communities; by sharing stories and strategies, contributors consider the ways disabled thinkers and doers are embracing overlooked aspects of urban design and tackling the toughest problems facing cities. Each chapter provides context to welcome both disabled and non-disabled readers into conversations about the future of inclusion so that all readers can develop their own understanding of what accessible cities look and feel like. This book appeals to city builders of all stripes committed to learning from and working with underrepresented communities. It equips architects, designers, community leaders, innovators, and citizens with the key concepts they need to collaborate with rather than care for disabled neighbors.

Emily Macrae is a disabled writer, organizer, and twin. Having lived and worked in Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver, and rural Quebec, her work combines policy analysis and lived experience to build accessible urban and digital environments. Her words have appeared in Canadian Architect, Spacing, and NOW magazines, as well as publications in Britain and the United States.

Emily Macrae's profile page

Jenny Hiseler is an accessibility professional who started her career as a wheelchair technician. Since then, she has worked with architects and designers, arts groups, universities, and more to make policies, spaces, things, and events more accessible. She still keeps tape measures at her desk.

Jenny Hiseler's profile page