Go Big Read book promotes disability advocacy as UW reckons with past

Each year, the University of Wisconsin-Madison features one book through the Go Big Read program. This year’s book explores the politics of growing up in a disabled body through essays by Rebekah Taussig in her memoir “Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body.”

The title, inspired by her social media handle, is also a reference to her disability. Taussig has been paralyzed from the waist down since she was three years old and said she struggled to conceptualize her body in a society where disability narratives felt black-and-white.

Taussig “writes to understand, to reclaim and to participate in changing the cultural narratives we have around disability, motherhood, and what it means to live in a human body,” according to her website. She holds a doctorate in creative nonfiction and disability studies.

Each Go Big Read book is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor. 

“This book is a wonderful opportunity for our community to engage in critical and timely dialogue around disability and accessibility,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement. “Rebekah Taussig’s memoir in essays is a thoughtful and nuanced exploration, grounded in her own life experiences and raising important questions about disability, ableism and the narrative of ‘normal.’” 

The selection of the book has led to UW-Madison exploring its history of disability services and accessibility.  

UW reckons with past

The Center for Campus History partnered with Go Big Read to compile a teaching guide on history, including UW-Madison records on disability from the mid- to late 20th century. 

One memo from this record, written in 1989, found campus accessibility to be “worse than anticipated,” with only 25% of buildings and 10% of restrooms being accessible. 

“The conclusion we had to draw was until there is a strong statement of commitment to disability issues from UW-Madison administration, the rights of the disabled person on this campus will not be taken seriously by the rest of the university community,” the author wrote.

In 1994, UW law student Brigid McGuire cut off a portion of her desk with a power saw after months of struggling to find adequate seating accommodations as a wheelchair user. 

These events happened after the McBurney Disability Resource Center was founded in 1977. 

These historical anecdotes, and more, are provided for students, professors and community members to consider while reading “Sitting Pretty.” 

Challenging disability narratives

Taussig wrote her story in part to challenge the one-dimensional views of disability. 

Earlier in her life, Taussig “never considered disability an identity worth understanding, let alone worth celebrating,” she told UW-Madison.   

“I was pretty sure I was the only one who experienced this world from this seat on the margins,” she said.  

Taussig hopes her book can lead to everyone, disabled or able-bodied, to critically analyze each person’s connection with disability, not just those who are disabled. 

“We have so many one-dimensional representations of disability in the world,” Taussig told Hamilton County Disability Services. “I hope readers get something new from my book, whether that’s language, feeling challenged, thinking about other human perspectives in a new way, feeling understood and not alone, or even a desire and curiosity to learn more.”

First year and transfer students received a free copy at convocation, and professors can request free copies for courses. Last year, 36 courses integrated the Go Big Read book into their curriculum.

As part of the Go Big Read curriculum, Taussig will visit UW-Madison for a panel discussion on Oct. 15. and keynote speech on Oct. 16. 

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