Books and Reading

A short reading shelf at the intersection of blindness, body knowledge, relationships, and sexual well-being. Each item names its creator and intended use. Outside books remain the work of their authors and publishers. A listing alone is not a BSAN endorsement; Dot Votes and community conversations are labeled separately.

Find a book

11 books. Browse the collections below.

Books to explore

Blindness-first books

OUTSIDE BOOK · BLIND AUTHOR · ADULT MEMOIR

The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight

Andrew Leland · Adult readers · Paperback, ebook, and audiobook download

Cover of The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight
Cover supplied by Penguin Random House.

A blind journalist’s memoir about entering blind community and exploring blindness as culture, identity, and everyday life. It includes personal reflections on desire and relationships, but it is a memoir, not a sex education guide.

View formats at Penguin Random House.

Not yet rated. Share feedback about The Country of the Blind.

DEAFBLIND AUTHOR · OUTSIDE BOOK

Dear Blind Lady: Disability Advice You Didn’t Know You Needed

Elsa Sjunneson · Sasquatch Books · October 6, 2026

Cover of Dear Blind Lady: Disability Advice You Didn’t Know You Needed
Cover supplied by Penguin Random House.

Adults, families, and allies · Paperback and ebook · Paid

A Deafblind author’s practical advice about dating, relationships, unwanted help, boundaries, and responding to ableism. Includes scripts for everyday conversations.

View publisher information and formats

Not yet rated. Share feedback about Dear Blind Lady: Disability Advice You Didn’t Know You Needed.

OUTSIDE BOOK · DEAFBLIND VOICE

Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism

Elsa Sjunneson · Tiller Press

Cover of Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism
Cover supplied by Simon & Schuster.

Adults, families and providers · Print, ebook and audiobook · Paid

A DeafBlind author’s memoir and cultural criticism exploring ableism, identity and disability representation, including romance. A companion for thinking about autonomy and belonging, rather than a sex-education handbook.

View publisher information and formats

Not yet rated. Share feedback about Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism.

OUTSIDE BOOK · WRITTEN BY A BLIND AUTHOR

The Blind Girls’ Guide to Puberty

Emma-Mae Schmidt · 2019 · Young people and families · Free PDF and Word booklet

A practical, descriptive introduction to puberty, menstruation, and anatomy, written from the perspective of a young blind woman for blind and low-vision girls and their families. The SPEVI page links to both PDF and Word versions.

Download the booklet PDF. Visit SPEVI for the accessible Word version and source information.

Dot Vote. Braille-dot rating: 6 out of 6. 1 rating.

Read the BSAN review and join the community conversation.

This is a focused puberty resource, not a complete sexuality curriculum.

C Is for Consent

Eleanor Morrison · Illustrated by Faye Orlove · Children reading with an adult · Print and Braille

Cover of C Is for Consent
Cover supplied by National Braille Press.

A starting point for conversations about everyday boundaries and choosing whether to hug or kiss. BSAN already features the book in Kids and Families and has one Dot Vote review.

Dot Vote. Braille-dot rating: 6 out of 6. 1 rating.

Visit Kids and Families or read the BSAN review.

OUTSIDE BOOK · BRAILLE EDITION

It’s Perfectly Normal, 2021 edition

Robie H. Harris; illustrated by Michael Emberley · Braille edition from National Braille Press

Cover of It’s Perfectly Normal, 2021 edition

Ages 10 and up, families and educators · Braille with four tactile illustrations · Paid

A straightforward book about changing bodies, puberty, reproduction, consent, masturbation, contraception, gender and LGBTQIA+ identities. This Braille edition includes tactile illustrations to support nonvisual learning.

View publisher information and formats

Not yet rated. Share feedback about It’s Perfectly Normal, 2021 edition.

Cross-disability companions

OUTSIDE BOOK · DISABILITY-INCLUSIVE · ADULT DATING AND RELATIONSHIPS

Dateable: Swiping Right, Hooking Up, and Settling Down While Chronically Ill and Disabled

Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp · Adult readers · Audiobook, ebook, and paperback

Cover of Dateable: Swiping Right, Hooking Up, and Settling Down While Chronically Ill and Disabled
Cover supplied by Hachette Book Group.

A practical, sex-positive guide to dating, dating apps, sex, breakups, and long-term relationships by disabled authors. It speaks across disability experiences and is not blindness-specific, so consider it a companion to blind-led resources.

View formats and publisher information at Hachette.

Not yet rated by BSAN.

CROSS-DISABILITY LIVED EXPERIENCE · OUTSIDE BOOK

Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire

Edited by Alice Wong · Vintage · April 30, 2024

Cover of Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire
Cover supplied by Penguin Random House.

Adults, partners, therapists, and community members · Paperback, ebook, and audiobook · Paid

Disabled people’s first-person writing about intimacy, relationships, care, friendship, and access. Broadens intimacy beyond intercourse and romantic partnerships.

View publisher information and formats

Not yet rated. Share feedback about Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire.

OUTSIDE BOOK · CROSS-DISABILITY

The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability

Miriam Kaufman, Cory Silverberg and Fran Odette · Cleis Press

Cover of The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability
Cover supplied by Simon & Schuster / Cleis Press.

Adults and partners · Paperback and ebook · Paid

An inclusive guide to communication, sexual self-image, pleasure and adapting sexual activities around different bodies and access needs. It includes visual impairment within its broader disability focus.

Published in 2007. Its communication and adaptation ideas can complement newer sexual-health information.

View publisher information and formats

Not yet rated. Share feedback about The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability.

OUTSIDE BOOK · PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE

Exploring Sexuality and Disability: A Guide for Human Service Professionals

Edited by Shanna Katz Kattari · Routledge

Educators, therapists, researchers and service providers · Print and ebook · Paid

An intersectional collection for disability-affirming practice, covering sexuality education, therapy, LGBTQ+ experiences and other aspects of sexual autonomy. Includes “Blindness and Sexuality,” by Robin Mandell and Hillary K. Hecht.

The full book is separate from our existing chapter listing. Read BSAN’s review of the Blindness and Sexuality chapter.

View publisher information and formats

Not yet rated. Share feedback about Exploring Sexuality and Disability: A Guide for Human Service Professionals.

How this shelf works

BSAN-created lessons, blind-led community work, and outside publications are identified separately. We link to authors, publishers, and original hosts instead of reproducing their work. A Dot Vote appears only when someone has submitted a rating and review.

For recorded conversations, visit Podcasts and Audio. For lessons written by BSAN, start with Kids and Families or For Young People.

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