Between Myself and Them: Stories of Disability and Difference

Ian W. Toal is a registered nurse in Winnipeg.

In this readable and heartwarming book, over 20 people who live with
disabilities tell their stories. Disability is not precisely defined,
but as represented in this volume it runs the gamut from medical illness
to significant intellectual impairment.

Between Myself and Them is not a resource book. The focus is not on how
the contributors overcame their disabilities in a day-to-day sense, but
rather on how they have struggled with the mental/emotional difficulties
that accompany any type of disability. Feeling isolated from
“normal” society is a recurring theme. At some point in their lives
all of the contributors wished that they were not disabled, but with
time they have come to accept themselves for who they are, and most
would not change themselves even if they could. As one young woman asks,
“[If] you don’t feel at home in your own skin how can you ever feel
at home?”

Although its primary audience will likely be people with disabilities,
Between Myself and Them will engage and inspire all who read it.