Adelle Purdham, Author

Hi! My name is Adelle Purdham (she/her) and I’m the author of the memoir-in-essays, I Don’t Do Disability And Other Lies I’ve Told Myself (Dundurn Press, 2024). I’m a qualified French teacher with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, and I’ve been fortunate to give talks, as a parent disability ally and speaker, around the world. I’m also a mom to three girls—one of whom has Down syndrome. I write about disability parenting, motherhood, writing, and the experience of being a woman in a patriarchal world. In my work, I strive to call out ableism (my own included), debunk stereotypes, and offer a counter-cultural view of individuals with Down syndrome and those who parent them.

My essays are finalists in several literary contests, including: The Writer’s Union of Canada’s Short Prose Competition, EVENT Magazine and The Fiddlehead’s Creative Nonfiction Contests. I currently work as a Sessional Part-time Faculty member at Trent University where I teach creative writing. For more about me and my professional bio, please visit my bio.