I Won’t Stand for This!

I Won’t Stand for This!

Phil Nealy

In I Won’t Stand for This! Embracing My Disability to Empower Others, Phil Nealy shares his experience of life after a spinal cord injury that resulted in quadriplegia. With clarity and honesty, he reflects on rehabilitation, self-advocacy, and the ongoing work of building a full and independent life.
Rather than presenting disability as tragedy or inspiration, Phil challenges common assumptions about ability, productivity, and worth. He writes about navigating physical limitations, social barriers, and shifting identities, while emphasizing resilience, persistence, and personal agency.
Written with Kyle Hawke, this autobiography offers an engaging and thoughtful perspective on disability grounded in lived experience. I Won’t Stand for This! will appeal to readers interested in memoir, social issues, and stories of determination that highlight dignity, community, and the power of refusing imposed limits.

Editions:

Categories: Biography, Memoir, Disabilities
Publication date: March 2026
Format Paperback | E-book
ISBN: 978-1-989467-85-5 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-989467-86-2 (e-book)
Size: 6in × 9in
Page count: 278 (including b&w photos)

ISBN: 978-1-989467-85-5
278 Pages
CDN/USD

Phil Nealy is a career counsellor with a long history of working with students to help them find new directions. He currently acts as the senior admissions advisor for the Victoria campus of Sprott Shaw College.

Following a diving accident, Nealy was diagnosed as quadriplegic who would need a lifetime of constant care. Refusing predictions of his limitations from doctors, he strove to regain movement. He now lives independently, spending his leisure time exploring nature across Vancouver Island, swimming and snorkelling in the Caribbean.

He lives in Langford, BC.

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Phil Nealy is a career counsellor with a long history of working with students to help them find new directions. He currently acts as the senior admissions advisor for the Victoria campus of Sprott Shaw College.

Following a diving accident, Nealy was diagnosed as quadriplegic who would need a lifetime of constant care. Refusing predictions of his limitations from doctors, he strove to regain movement. He now lives independently, spending his leisure time exploring nature across Vancouver Island, swimming and snorkelling in the Caribbean.

He lives in Langford, BC.