Max Starkloff and the Fight for Disability Rights by Charles E. Claggett Jr. with Richard H. Weiss

Max Starkloff and the Fight for Disability Rights takes readers on an extraordinary odyssey of hope and resilience—from Starkloff’s twelve years in a nursing home to his successful family life and career as a nationally prominent human rights leader. At the time of Starkloff’s accident, millions of Americans like him were confined to institutions with no hope of ever living life independently as respected members of society. But Starkloff and other disability rights leaders formed what became known as the Independent Living Movement, enabling thousands of disabled people to move out of nursing homes by encouraging local governments to remove physical barriers, make public transportation and housing accessible, and pass laws preventing job discrimination. Using firsthand accounts and interviews with Starkloff and those who knew him best, Charles E. Claggett Jr. powerfully retells how Starkloff became an influential advocate for people with disabilities and how today, his legacy continues to better the lives of disabled individuals throughout the country.

Hardback | 400 pages | 68 halftones | 6 x 9 | 2014