The View from Down Here

Life as a Young Disabled Woman

By: Lucy Webster

Narrated by: Nicola Chegwin, Lucy Webster

Women's lives are shaped by sexism and expectations. Disabled people's lives are shaped by ableism and a complete lack of expectations. But what happens when you're subjected to both sets of rules?

This powerful, honest, hilarious, and furious memoir from journalist and advocate Lucy Webster looks at life at the intersection; the struggles, the joys, and the unseen realities of being a disabled woman. From navigating the worlds of education and work, dating and friendship; to managing care; contemplating motherhood; and learning to accept your body against a pervasive narrative that it is somehow broken and in need of fixing, The View from Down Here shines a light on what it really means to move through the world as a disabled woman.

© 2023 Lucy Webster © 2023 DK Audio

Witty, intelligent, and insightful.

The View From Down Here is incredibly well written. Lucy Webster had me nodding my head, chuckling, and laughing as well as sharing her frustration and anger at being disabled and female in a world mainly built and by able bodied males.

I finished it in 24 hours and will be listening again and recommending it to friends and others in the accessibility and software development space. (I do web accessibility and speak and write about coding with accessibility as the default for both end users and fellow tech professionals. )

Listening has been like rolling into a cozy accessible pub listening to a riveting friend share her stories.

(I’m also a wheelchair user.)