Disabilities Books

If you have ever felt alone and overwhelmed as a parent of a child with special needs, this book is for you. Even though the book covers various disabilities, the feelings expresses are universal to parents.

I read this book as a project for school, being 15 the idea of motherhood is beyond me. But it touched me how strong the mothers in this are. Their stories tell of experiances, not "how to" which I liked. My heart goes out to all who have children with special needs. God be with you all!

This book really hit home for me. As a mother of a child with special needs, the stories told by these women validated my feelings, and mirrored some of my personal experiences. The stories range from heart-warming to tear-inducing...but every one rings with honesty. A good read...take some time to ponder this one, then pass it on to your child's doctor, therapist, or teacher.

I've actually reviewed this book for a journal and now have the chance to do so online. This book is a must read for ALL Professionals that are in the lives of children with special needs! The message that the Moms in this book want every single professional to hear and see is -- LISTEN TO US! WE KNOW OUR CHILDREN BETTER THAN ANYONE! As a parent myself of a child with special needs, I know exactly what the moms are saying. We do NOT want to work against the professionals, we want to work with them! Such a simple, yet complicated message to convey!

If you are a parent with a child with special needs, read this book so that you know you are not alone when you feel you've been treated poorly. If you are a professional, read this book with your eyes and mind wide open. The message is extremely important and it can make a very positive difference in the life of a child!

People who are working toward becoming special education teachers need to know about special ed. law. This book is a very detailed resource and very helpful to future special ed teachers.

It's a great book for any of those who work in the field of education. The book arrived new (great condition) and very fast

I am an adjunct professor in an educational leadership program. I teach the "Administration of Pupil Services" course. I found this book to be great for its coverage of the major legislation for the handicapped. Would love some ideas for other materials related to the pupil services piece, i.e. roles of various personnel in school systems who have reponsibility for pupil services, the range of services and supports available to administrators related to all aspects of pupil services from attendance/truancy, to suspensions/expulsions, and the court system, etc.

Like most potential buyers of this book, it's probably a required textbook you are needing to buy for a graduate level course. Let that not daunt you, it's one of the finest textbooks I've had...and I've had a few.

If your job requires you to work with children with disabilities, oversee programs that work with children with disabilities, or if you are a parent with a child with a disability I would highly recommend this book. It's the single best overview of the big three laws concerning disabilities, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are an administrator you can use the text to inform you and guide you in your work. If you are a parent you can use the text to let you know what your rights are to securing Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for a child with a disability.

You can tell by the set-up and structure of the book that Dixie Snow Huefner took painstaking care to make the book student-friendly. There are ample margins for good note-taking right in the book. Each chapter has a wonderful review summation of the key points (perfect for working professional graduate students that may not have time to digest the Full Monty reading of the entire chapter). Also, there is a great acronym glossary that helps you make sense of the alphabet soup abbreviations of the world of special education law.

I really can not say enough good things about this book whether you pick it up as a textbook or to be better informed.
--MMW

Getting Life offers a rare glimpse behind the closed doors of long term care. This fictional story draws readers into the wheelchair of Emily Mason, a 35-year-old nonverbal woman with Cerebral Palsy, and allows you to share each of her experiences -- painful, thrilling, or confusing. This book will confirm the worst fears of many when it comes to congregate living, but it also demonstrates clearly the power of the human spirit. Anyone involved in personal attendant care for another, should join Emily on her journey. I promise the next time you look around your world -- the view will be different.

Author Julie Shaw Cole creates a painful, joyful, enthralling journey toward self-discovery in GETTING LIFE. Told from the first person point of view, she draws the reader deeply into the horrific and frustrating world of nursing home care, seen through the eyes of thirty-five-year-old Emily Mason. Emily spends seventeen years in a wheel chair, watching the play of light on rooftops seen through the window of the nursing home.

When her mother died in an accident, Emily went to live with a tender uncle and an abusive aunt. When these relatives die, Emily comes to live at the nursing home. Her life seemed to be characterized by abuse and neglect, as the people around her assume that because she cannot speak she cannot think. When a devastating accident results in a hospital stay, Emily meets Dr. West, a woman who will change her life. For the first time, someone speaks to her, rather around her or about her. For the first time, her humanity is recognized.

It takes three years and remarkable discipline for Emily to free herself from the nursing home. As she struggles to communicate, to read, to become mobile, and to learn the skills she needs to live independently, her lessons become lessons for the reader about the strength of the human spirit and the weakness of human perception. She confesses her own prejudices and fears, thereby forcing readers to reevaluate themselves. Indeed, readers will find their most basic assumptions challenged; from the accessibility of sidewalks to the way we see those who are different from ourselves. A must read for all caring human beings, GETTING LIFE comes very highly recommended.

this book is true to life for many people with disabilities. Slipping into Em's shoes and reading about how the patients were treated reminded me of a friend that i would visit in a nursing home and found her not quite sitting right in her chair having to eat cold food at mealtimes. Days i would come i would bring some fast food that i bought so she would have something warm to eat.This book is one book that people who are thinking about putting a love one in a nursing home need to read first.

This book will challenge - and possibly alter - your perceptions of the disabled. The disabled person that you know (your uncle, spouse, neighbor, or client) will be seen in a new light. A friend, working wonderfully with the disabled for years, now sees her clients in yet a new way. You will, also. Read this book. You owe it to yourself. It is beautifully written, with great and moving senstivity.

I got this book off of half.com. I would recommend this book for all the Special Ed Schools to have. I am sending out letters hoping to talk to Schools in are County about getting more Athletes. Are County has mostly older Athletes. This is one book I would show them.

Special Olympics Indiana Tippecanoe County.

I AM A SPECIAL OLYMPIAN AND HAVE BEEN for 17 years. this book really touched me. i do not own the book but i have borrowedit from the library several times. where can i get my own copy. i am a global messenger for special olympics. I love this book i totally recommend this book to any person that is physically or mentally challenged.and it would be a real blessing to those families that have a handicappedperson in their family.special olympics has helped my self esteem. and my family is so happy that i am involved in special olympics.

I am a Special Olympian and have been for 17 years. This book is totally amazing. I recommend this book to anyone with a mental or physical challenge. The families with a challenged person in their family will totally be in awe after they read this book. I am also a global messenger for Special Olympics. I have gained self-esteem because of Special Olympics. Whatever I do in Special Olympics, I know my family is behind me 100%.

This book is one of the most enjoying books I have had the priviledge of reading. I am saying this as a parent whose son Chad Kocabinski is one of the featured athletes. He is the young man talked about in the equestrian events section.

I and my wife will have this book forever as a living memorial to our son who passed away from cancer on the 23rd of December 2000. The way the author did her interviews and the way the book has been written and it's content is something that makes us to be very proud. We had it on display at the funeral home as a tribute to not only him, but to Special Olympics as a whole.

As a matter of fact, we would like to get 8 more copies of this book to place in each one of the schools in our community in his memory.

Mimi Gold has expertise and wisdom...and is willing to share it all! I have had the good fortune of working with Mimi and seeing her put her ideas into action. This book is a phenomenal assistant for anyone working with/living with children who require a little extra help. If offers activities and strategies to help students overcome challenges that can be extremely detrimental if not addressed. I highly recommend this book!!

Although I have no diagnosable learning disabilities, Ms Gold points out that we each learn in our own style, which can translate into stronger and weaker styles. Then she proceeds to inform on how to strengthen our weaker styles. This book is for everyone who is curious about the way we learn and for anyone who would like to strengthen their comprehension and learning speed. Great practical advice. Highly recommend. So interesting.

We recently found out our son has genius IQ, auditory processing problem and needs occupational therapy for his handwriting. Problem is, we live in Kuwait where there are no services in private schools. I ordered several books and this one has given me the most help to help him. We are working through it and he is reversing his b and d's less and learning organizational skills. So often it is assumed that kids know how to do all these things, but they need to be taught how. Thank you for putting together a sequential set of activities to help children. It is also written in an easy to understand way.

I have taught children with learning disabilities for many years and yet this book offers ways to reorganize my thinking about any student that struggles. It's not that I haven't thought about some of these things before, but this book reminds me to observe behaviors I sometimes overlook in the press of daily teaching chores. You know how special education teachers are always seeking ways "to change the brain". Well, it is apparent that it is also Ms. Gold's objective and she offers effective examples to get a teacher moving in the right direction to do this.

This book takes you into the daily life of the author and shares the difficult things that can happen when you have a child who has special needs--and of course all the difficult questions that you will want to ask--or shout at God. She shares how she processes God through this experience. She reaches across the page to truthfully share her grief with parents so they too can know that the grief they feel is not a problem to be solved and not a goal to be worked through, but rather something that we live through and adjust with while God works on us along the way. She speaks about how these experiences relate to belief in a loving God and how over time God can help you process and shape a new reality with your child. Most of all, this book provides hope...seeing how this author has come through her difficulties--not with pat answers--but truthfully asking some very difficult questions and finding strength in meeting the challenges that have come along the way. I'm anxiously awaiting her sequel...

If you want to know how you can really help someone who has a family member with disabilities, you must read this book. It is funny and sad. Mrs. Bolduc transforms her feelings into easily read words. You will want to meet this special mom and child for yourself!

I have finally found a book written by a mom who was a Christian before the birth of her son Joel.This mom tells of her journey of
of raising her son(from birth) to be included in her church family and of the rejection of that same community by their indifference. Finding a church when you have a child with special needs is still a challenge in the year 2001! I have met Kathy and know that her journey with her son and finding a welcoming church are not over but,she is hopeful. This book will affirm anyone else who has been here. Her other book A Place Called Acceptance is also another five star read.

Dyer Bolduc brings the reader into her family and her heart as she tells the story of her son's autism and retardation. Her scriptural references and prayers add to what is already a deeply spiritual journey. I didn't turn a page without learning something new or being touched. Any mother can relate to her struggles.

I have read and used this method with success. It works in the classroom (I was a third grade teacher) and with my grandchildren. The approach is straight forward and easy to follow. I especially appreciate the 10 minute per night limit. Ms. Hasty encourages us to set a timer so that instruction is completed while the work is still enjoyable. Suggestions that will praise and encourage your student without using candy are also included in this book. I especially recommend this book to parents and anyone who can work individually with a non reader. This approach will work with all ages, including adults.

I have taught adult non readers to read for over twenty years. Most have had dyslexia. Ive tried several ways, with limited results, though most have improved markedly. My present student had more difficulty than I have ever encountered, I worked with her for three years, with little progress. Then my friend Ruth Hasty, the author, sold me her book, and the unheard of happened. In just a few weeks my student was reading almost normally. It is an amazingly simple and effective method, I highly recommend it. Try it, you'll like it. Sincerely, Jan M. Goucher

We were lucky none of our children had any reading problems. I am sure not having TV in the house until the youngest one had learned to read helped a lot.

Since then, however we have seen children close to us with reading problems. This is why I think the book by Ruth Hasty is wonderful. She tells us, in words I understand, "How to Teach Dysexics and Other Nonreaders". The case histories and simple instructions make it easy for anyone, with a desire, to teach someone to read.

It must be very satifying for everyone who has used this system to see the results.

Springboard Press guarantees satisfaction or a refund of this book's price. The book gives step-by-step guides for understanding and actually helping dyslexics and struggling readers learn to read while enjoying the effort! The chapter on finding a person's Thinking Vocabulary helps parents and teachers select the best reading level for starting work with a dyslexic or struggling reader. The described teaching method has been used successfully with nonreaders ranging in age from 6 years to 70 plus. This book has many years of research, history, and instructions crammed into 60 easy-to-read pages.

This is an excellent book about a Sacramento woman who did away with many people and written by a reporter that really got to know her and wrote an exceptional book on her. Gave away my first copy to someone else and then bought myself another copy. . . .

This is the story of the notorious Sacramento Black Widow killer who preyed upon the aged and the invalid in the 80s. Dorothea Puente used the weakness of our social net to exploit the less fortunate while stealing their social security checks. Running an illegal boarding house for invalids, she was able to maintain the illusion of respectability because the Social Welfare bureaucracy was simply to overworked to root her out. Although some did try to bring her to the attention of authorities when her charges continued to cash their checks even after they disappeared. Dorothea, a petty con woman turned mass killer, simply killed them and planted them in her well groomed garden, all without even batting an eye. Her cold blooded grandmotherly persona even allowed her to escape the police and flee to LA as the cops were digging up her yard. She simply walked away, escorted though the gawking public by the very police who were investigating her. While it is true that she was not a serial killer per say (since her killings were not sexually motivated) she still gives lie to the myth that women are less willing to kill to men. Her selfishness dominated her so completely she was unable to feel remorse, indeed, when caught red handed; she still tried to play the injured party and attempted to bask in the limelight. She worried continually about who would own the rights to her story and complained about all sorts of imagined slights, never once acknowledging guilt for her crimes.

One thing that I come away with is that Dorthea Dix said the elderly people died of natural causes . She said she didn't kill anyone. It's a thought. She's guilty of hiding the deaths & cashing their checks.

Great book about one of the most notorious female mass murderers in American history. Human Harvest is like two books in one -- the fascinating story of the woman who killed the people she was caring for, and buried them in her yard, and an indictment of our Social Security Administration, who continued to blindly send the killer the victim's checks long after they had been killed.

OK, so the author is my dad! It doesn't change the fact that any fans of the true crime genre will be fascinated by the story of the old woman who killed and buried those who were supposed to be in here care.

I have not yet had the chance to read the entire book.... but after recently seeing Patrick Henry Hughes and his father Patrick at our annual meeting here in Louisville, the crowd of 600 or so was blown away.

Being in Louisville, we have seen a lot more coverage than most on this story since Extreme Makeover: Home Edition rolled into town in late 2006 to film, tear down the house, and rebuild. I thought I had heard it all, but the book and seeing them in person paints an even deeper story.

Patrick Henry Hughes and his family are the real deal, with he and his father delivering a heart-wrenching motivational message in a one-two punch with lots of humor, mixed in with lots of piano and singing by Patrick Henry. He is SO talented. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Patrick Henry. This book is just one part of the story. Read the book, but go see him if you get the chance. They are on motivational speaking tours across the nation.

Thank You Patrick Henry!!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful story with the World. Thank you for allowing us to know you and your delightful family. Thank you for all that you have done to help the Crusade for Children, the March of Dimes, etc., etc.,. But mostly, thank you for inspiring both the physically able, and the disabled into being the BEST person we can be. God doesn't make mistakes. We were made the way we are, for a reason. I think, Your purpose is to share your many special gifts with the World. Through you, we see the World in a new light! Shine on, Shine on Patrick Henry!!

Thank you for sharing your world, I learned so much. My son shares the same March 10th birthday as Patrick Henry. My son was also born with severe Bilateral Microphthalmia or small eyes, he is also blind. My son is now 19 months old and reading this book gave me some insights on what I might expect in the future. Reading about the struggles and hardships that Hughes family has tackled and overcome is inspiring. As a father of a boy with a similar condition - Patrick John Hughes insight as a father was enlightening. Anyone wishing to read a good book should sit down and read this story. I know my opinion is biased - but again it is only my opinion. It will be interesting to see what book gets written 20 years from now about the young adult life of Patrick Henry. I wish Patrick and his family the best. His optimism has helped my family and other families that I know that are dealing with blindness. Hopefully Patrick will continue to break down barriers and share his talents with all.

If you saw the Hughes family on the ABC TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" this past February (2008) you may have wondered who they were and why they where chosen. The bigger story is however much deeper and more loving and certainly one that is most inspirational. The book " I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams" is a wonderful true life tale as told to Bryant Stamford by Patrick Henry Hughes and his father Patrick John Hughes. It goes well beyond just telling you who this family is and what makes Patrick Henry so special - it gives depth to the family experiences and gives the reader a look at something very special indeed.

This book is about how a young man, who has not only over come his disabilities, but inspired a community; and now, he inspires an entire nation with his positive zest for life. It also shows how his father coped and dealt with it and how the whole family made it work. This is one of those feel good stories that would make a great feature movie by Disney. The story is uplifting and not about what is wrong, or what someone cannot do. It is a positive message that makes the greater family of mankind feel better.

I enjoyed reading the book but I also found it impossible not to love this young man and to wish him all the best. He may be in a wheel chair and unable to see with his eyes - but he is moving others at light speed towards something much greater within their own selves. The book has a spiritual message without any lectures or ego driven, self-serving attitudes - it is honesty and pure love!

This book has gotten the highest book rating of FIVE STARS from "The American Authors Association" and is on my short list of recommended must read books! I give this my personal endorsement. This is a book that all family members can read.

It is hard enough to go through life suffering from a hearing loss. The job market is so competative thet my disability makes it difficult for me to be able to find work. In this book, I found usful information to use as I went out to get a job. The book explained my rights and how I should approach getting a job. This book is not just for disabled people. My brother used it as a referance after getting out of college. He and i highly recomend it!

I am a job placement counselor for MERS/Goodwill in Missouri and work daily with people who struggle with barriors to employment. Disabilities of all types cross my desk as I meet these fabulous, determined individuals. This book helped me understand how to put these issues in perspective and really help my clients and represent them the best way possible! I really recommend this book to anyone who feel they want to work but have any disability that could be an obstacle. I also recommend this book to anyone who is in Human Services and work with people (or live with someone) who need extra support. It was a great guide for me!

Now in a revised and expanded second edition, Job Search Handbook For People With Disabilities by vocational counseling expert Daniel Ryan (Adjunct Professor of Education, Canisius College and the University at Buffalo) is a handy and comprehensive career search and job planning guide. Chapters cover how to assess one's skills and abilities, recommended education and preparation, how to create one's resume, preparing for interviews, what to do after the interview, accomodating one's disability on the job, employment laws and how they apply to the individual, and much more. Packed with absolute need-to-know information for all job seekers, but especially brimming with critical tips, tricks, and techniques for those adapting to the challenge of a disability, Job Search Handbook For People With Disabilities is highly recommended.

There are not many books i have found on this topic of disabled people finding and keeping jobs. DR Ryan has written a very helpful book for me and some of my friends. I read it and I hope to get a good job soon. Thanks.