With style and straight talk, musician and changemaker Lachi flips disability and neurodivergence into an empowering identity, a cultural movement, and an innovation engine
What if the most taboo parts of our identity—the parts we’re taught to mask—are exactly the ones that hold our greatest power? Lachi is an award-winning singer and leader who awakens the world to this truth: Disability has long shaped our culture and is an identity worth brazenly reclaiming. In this book, Lachi reveals why dropping the stigma is the ultimate glow-up, and inspires readers to celebrate the boldest parts of themselves.
I Identify as Blind pulses with energy. Through magnetic storytelling and pop-culture deep dives, Lachi challenges mainstream views on disability and neurodivergence with humor and heart. Because visionaries with disabilities have always driven progress. The book features trailblazing figures like Senator Tammy Duckworth, Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte, Microsoft executive Jenny Lay-Flurrie, and so many more. Lachi even takes readers behind the scenes at Coldplay concerts, since after Chris Martin developed tinnitus, he transformed his concerts into some of the most accessible in the world. Each story reframes disability not as a deficit but as a wellspring of collective strength. And inventions created for people with disabilities benefit everyone—from audiobooks to curb cuts to the internet. (Vint Cerf helped develop the first commercial email service, because he had trouble communicating by phone.)
With punchy humor and radical honesty, Lachi dismantles stereotypes and builds a new narrative of Disability identity. I Identify as Blind is just what the world needs right now: an invitation to a cultural movement that celebrates disabilities as a source of power and pride.
Come for the laughs, stay for the mic drops.
“Lively, wise, and candid, this book offers profoundly necessary insights into the complexities—and joys—of living with disability. A provocative invitation to rethink what it means to be disabled.”
—Kirkus
“I identify as a Lachi fan! Her book hits all the right notes, welcoming readers to the conversation about disability with the perfect harmony of sharp commentary and nuanced teaching. Composed with candor and courage, all of Lachi’s stories shine as brightly as her Glam Canes.”
—Emily Ladau, author of Demystifying Disability
“A vibrant celebration of disability culture and community. Lachi’s wit and wisdom shine through on every page.”
—Dr. Amy Kenny, Director of Georgetown University’s Disability Cultural Center, and author of the award-winning book My Body Is Not a Prayer Request
“Lachi’s story is powerful, raw, and deeply necessary. I Identify as Blind is more than a book—it’s a movement, a challenge to see the world differently, and an invitation to honor the fullness of our identities. As someone who has fought to create space in industries that often overlook us, I felt deeply seen and inspired by her words. This is a must-read for anyone ready to break barriers and embrace true representation.”
—Jillian Mercado, model, actor, and activist
“A fascinating journey into the complex world that people with disabilities navigate every day. Lachi provides many insights into how she found her true identity, and how everyone can celebrate their full identities as well.”
—Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of Visual Thinking and Thinking in Pictures
“Lachi, who “identifies as blind,” arrives on the literary scene with a memoir that will make readers laugh out loud on one page and consider the world around them in a new way on the next.”
—Booklist
“Buoyant… an inviting and entertaining account from a powerful voice in disability rights.”
—Publishers Weekly
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