Duluth Public Library hosts Disability Visibility fair

The Duluth Public Library hosted their 2024 One Book Northland project on Saturday. This year, their title was Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, a project edited by Alice Wong.

Guests were invited to the library for the Visibility Fair to hear from keynote speakers from the Twin Ports area and beyond. Gaelynn Lea, a local musician and disability culture advocate, was in attendance to open the program and lead a community book discussion. People could also participate in a community art project.

“Part of being visible in the community can be through art,” said Marie Brown, advocate from Choice Unlimited. “It’s a great opportunity for individuals with disabilities to express ideas that they have, complaints if they have any, or even something they’re proud of. Art is an exceptional way to get that message across.”

Local organizations were also at the event to highlight how they advocate for Northlanders who live with disabilities.

Alice Wong created the Disability Visibility Project back in 2014 in hopes to raise awareness of the nearly 61 million people in the U.S. who live with a disability. The project collects stories from individuals living with disabilities and sheds light on their perspectives in a world designed for non-disabled people.