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In Angie Kim's Happiness Falls, Eugene is diagnosed with Angelman syndrome, or AS, a neuro-genetic disorder caused by a chromosome-15 gene deletion on the maternal side. Most people with AS have limited speech and motor abilities. It is important to distinguish Angelman syndrome and other conditions that involve learning disabilities from anxiety-related speech conditions such as selective mutism. Some neurotypical people may believe non-speaking people are lacking in the understanding necessary for communication in general, when in fact their communication needs are simply not served by speech, as is the case for Eugene. The See Us, Hear Us campaign discusses how this attitude harms people in detail through a series of documentaries. While a non-speaking character is represented in Kim's novel, it is important to note there are non-speaking people who are actively involved in their own representation through writing.
Emily Grodin is a poet who has co-penned a memoir with her ...
