Emily Ladau has more than one reason to return to the Montclair Art Museum this month.
The disability rights advocate was married there. On Monday, Oct. 19 — her wedding anniversary — she will be back at MAM, this time to discuss the newly revised and expanded edition of her book, “Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally.”
It is a fitting setting for a writer whose work is, in many ways, about making spaces more welcoming — and helping people become less tentative about disability in the process.
Ladau has spent much of her life doing exactly that. Her advocacy began when she was 10, with an appearance on “Sesame Street” discussing her experience living with a physical disability. She has since built a career as a writer, speaker and consultant, with work appearing in The New York Times, CNN, Vice and HuffPost, and has spoken before audiences ranging from the U.S. Department of Education to the United Nations.
Making Disability Less Mysterious
“Demystifying Disability” grew out of a problem Ladau has encountered repeatedly: people often have genuine questions about disability but are so worried about saying the wrong thing that they avoid the subject altogether.
Her book aims to close that gap without turning disability into a set of rules to memorize. It examines ableism and the language surrounding disability, but also the more ordinary interactions where inclusion can succeed or fail: what to say, what not to say, what accessibility actually looks like and how to become a better ally without making the conversation about yourself.
The newly revised edition brings that discussion into the present, including updated guidance on disability etiquette in a post-pandemic world — a period that changed the way many Americans think about illness, accommodation, remote access and whose needs are considered when public and private spaces are designed.
At MAM, those ideas will move off the page and into conversation. Ladau will be joined by Rebecca Cokley, director of the Ford Foundation’s U.S. Disability Rights program and a three-time presidential appointee, who will moderate the evening. A book signing will follow.
An Anniversary, a Homecoming and a Conversation
There is an appealing symmetry to Ladau returning to MAM on her anniversary. The museum is not simply hosting an author appearance; it is welcoming her back to a place already woven into her own life.
The evening begins at 7 p.m. at the Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Ave. Tickets are $15, or $10 for museum members. A $35 ticket — $30 for members — includes a 6 p.m. meet-and-greet with Ladau as well as admission to the talk.
Copies of “Demystifying Disability” can be added when purchasing tickets and will be supplied by Watchung Booksellers. Preordered copies of the newly revised edition will be waiting at the event.
MAM will provide live CART captioning. Guests with accessibility questions or requests can contact the museum’s ADA coordinator, Celene Ryan, at 347-455-1241.
The conversation takes place Monday, Oct. 19, with tickets available through the Montclair Art Museum.
Image: Montclair Art Museum and GAI
