Author Ashley Shew, a Virginia Tech professor, bioethicist, and advocate for disability justice, will visit the Washington County Public Library in Abingdon on Sunday, October 8, at 3 p.m.

A self-described “hard-of-hearing, chemobrained amputee with Crohn’s disease and tinnitus,” Ashley Shew makes the case for combatting “technoableism,” her own pioneering concept. Her book, Against Technoableism, released on September 19, shines with a deft mix of thorough, expertly marshaled research and personal experience.

In a Kirkus starred review, Against Technoableism is described as “A powerful manifesto against ableist thinking. . . . essential reading for the disabled and nondisabled alike.” The Publisher’s Weekly review said, “Equally fierce and funny, this [book] will galvanize readers to demand genuine equity for people with disabilities.”

Shew was recently the lead researcher on a Virginia Tech research team that was awarded a grant from the Mellon Foundation for their project “Just Dis Tech.” Read about the project at https://liberalarts.vt.edu/news/articles/2023/05/liberalarts-just-dis-tech-project.html

There will be a book sale and signing following the event. This event is free and open to the public.

Cosponsored by Virginia Tech Southwest Center and part of our Community Read with Bristol Public Library.

Thanks also to the Friends of the Library and the Washington County Public Library Foundation for their continued support of library programs.