Around the world, people living with disabilities face barriers in the built environment, in employment and education, and in social attitudes and policies that can make it hard to live a full and satisfying life.

The ten women we meet in this book face physical and mental health challenges, some from birth and some who became disabled later in life. But they all share the determination to make the world a better place, not just for themselves but for those who will come after them. Their fields are as diverse as elite sport, neurosurgery, architecture, and environmental activism, and while some have devoted themselves to disability policy, others prefer to lead by example. In either case they have proved themselves to be unstoppable.

Helen Wolfe’s career spanned over forty years in publishing, social work and education. Her extensive teaching experience was in special education, history, English, guidance and English as a Second Language. For almost thirty years her work focussed on helping ESL adults to achieve their potential. Helen has also authored over thirty teacher’s guides to accompany books and a documentary for students for all levels and ages, with a particular focus on Holocaust literature and education. In 2011, Second Story Press published her first non-fiction chapter book for young readers entitled, “Terrific Women Teachers."

Helen Wolfe's profile page

KAREN PATKAU has been writing and illustrating picture books, with a focus on nature and non-fiction, for more than thirty years. She won the Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Medal for her first book, Don’t Eat Spiders by Robert Heidbreder, and since then her titles have appeared on lists including Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books, Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada Information Book Award finalists, Green Book Festival Award finalists, Ontario Library Association Best Bets and White Ravens selections. Karen has also illustrated Forest: A See to Learn Book. She lives in Toronto.

Karen Patkau's profile page

• Short-listed, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award for English Nonfiction
• Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens, Spring 2022

“An eclectic, accessible, and upbeat introduction to accomplished disabled women.”

Kirkus Reviews

"These brief biographies, insightfully presented by an author with a physical disability herself, may motivate readers to do further research on these inspiring women."

Booklist

"Unstoppable: Women with Disabilities is an inspirational showcase of female role models, highly recommended for both school and public library children's collections."

MBR: Children's Bookwatch