Disabilities Books

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Creating An Inclusive School is the collaborative editorial effort of education specialist Richard A. Villa and special education credential and masters programs coordinator Jacqueline S. Thousand (College of Education, California State University, San Marcos). Inclusive education, loosely defined as a process by which schools strive to give an education to all students with disabilities in such a manner that the differently abled students are not excluded from the general student body or separately schooled as little as possible, is described and presented as more than a series of strategies; it is a belief system that promotes and optimum educational environment for all. Individual essays by a diverse assortment of experts discuss such issues as the rationales for creating and maintaining inclusive schools, promising practices that foster inclusive education, practical advice concerning inclusive education, "voices of inclusion" individual and community testimonies. An excellent overview and resource guide especially recommended for teachers, principals, and other educational professionals.

This book provides all the answers for people who think inclusion can't work--that it's too expensive, that parents of typically-developing kids will reject it, that severely disabled kids won't get anything from it.

While I appreciated all the "how-to's" and a clear description of the philosophy behind true inclusion, I found most inspiring the true stories of how children with very involved disabilities grew, learned and became friends with their classmates through an effective inclusion model.

This is a must-read for both parents and educators.

This is embarrassing...I'm the only person who's ever written a review for this book even after 4 years & 2 months have past. ...I've ed my e-mail since then. This book covers so much information about Cued Speech. It has stories from zillions of native cuers aka "Cue Kids". The stories speak for themselves. The book makes a fabulous resource to any parent of a deaf/hard-of-hearing child. Consider all of your options, read these countless success stories & choose Cued Speech for your child. If you get the book, you can read about some of my friends. Pages 480-487 is a touching story of one of my close friends. You'll probably relate to the trials, tribulations & sacrafices this family had to undergo to help the education of their child. Pages 602-607 is a cute story written by my friends' husband. Also check out pages 595-597; 626-628, 308-310. Each story is unique & touching & will make you feel better about choosing Cued Speech. I personally would recommend ASL for later use in the child's life. My friend from pages 595-597 advises future Cue Kids to "Embrace the deaf community by learning how to sign, but don't forget your roots, you wouldn't be where you are today without Cued Speech." If you would like more information about Cued Speech search the web for the National Cued Speech Association as well as the Maryland Cued Speech Association. Happy reading & happy cueing! =)

The Cued Speech Resource Book for Parents of Deaf Children is an excellent book for anyone to read if you know a deaf child. I had the honor of meeting Dr. Orin Cornett, the Father of Cued Speech and Mary Elise Daisey, the first mother to use Cued Speech with a deaf child. Dr. Cornett is a very intelligent man. Cued Speech is a phenically based hand supplement to speech reading which makes spoken words visible and clear on the lips for deaf cue reader to understand better. Broaden your horizons and learn Cued Speech as well as American Sign Language. The two go hand in hand.

I grew up hard of hearing and never had any contact with the deaf community before age 19. In 1981 I lost two jobs because I was unable to communicate effectively with customers. My hearing loss was progressive; at the rate it was going, I fully expected to become completely deaf by age 30.

After wondering what I would do in the future as a deaf man, I went to the library to learn what I could, and discovered this book. It was my first exposure to deaf culture and deaf education. I learned about Gallaudet - then known as Gallaudet College - University while reading Dancing Without Music, and made up my mind to go there. If I was going to become deaf, then I would go live with deaf people and learn from them.

I followed through and attended Gallaudet at age 19, and I've never regretted that decision. After 25 years of deep engagement in the deaf community, it is my home now. I came in as an immigrant, was taken in and embraced, and every year since has been rich and rewarding. I shudder to think different my life might be if I had not read this book.

There are more current books available now about the deaf community, but this one does a terrific job of documenting the community's emergence at a time when ASL began earning respect as a genuine language. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to understand what deaf culture means, what the deaf community is, and how it began in America.

This is an awesome book, i totally recommend it!

Marie Rothenberg is an excellent writer, and in her book David, she describes her point of view on her son's terrible tragedy. This is an incredible book, and anyone should read it. David is a must-read book.

I first recieved the book DAVID as a young child... too young maybe. I read the book from start to finish, and I could tell I had a different outlook on life. The things that David went through, and the things that Marie went through, gave me my own strength for my own life. The book shows excellent detail on everything from Marie's fear when she recieved the telegram, to her pride in her son when he went to the park for the first time since he got back. There is nothing I would like more then to read up on David, a sequel? Maybe? Thank you... Jessica, Michigan Please Write with your opinions...

Jabeb4me2u32@hotmail.com

Madan Vasishta was struck deaf at age 11 after a bout of typhoid fever and mumps. What a remarkable story of being thrown from the hearing world into the world of deafness. This book is filled with humor and insight, and a complete lack of self-pity.
I enjoyed the depictions of village life in rural India, and the stories of all the "cures" that Vasishta was subjected to by well-meaning family and friends. Faced with many challenges, the author refused to see his deafness as a handicap.I admired his resilience and ingenuity in finding ways to get what he needed, rather than just accepting that his deafness was the result of fate or karma.

Through his perseverance and dedication to getting an education, Vasishta was able to rise from being a cowherd to being accepted as a student at Gallaudet University in the USA.
Truly, a story that inspires.

I look forward to the next book.

My favorite thing about Deaf in Delhi is the narrator's voice. He tells so many entertaining, heartbreaking, and funny stories from a perspective that captures him at a particular age in his life, but also with the wisdom of a man looking back at his life. A very inspiring story that easily connects reader to writer--you will feel as if you have just started a new friendship after reading it.

Being a physician, albeit a hearing one, I considered myself fairly insightful about communicating with deaf people. How wrong I was! This book educated me in terms of "deaf awareness", helping me to understand better the challenges, and above all, the incredible hard work that deaf people face when functioning in a hearing world. For the first time, I glimpsed the rationale behind a deaf culture where sign language reigns supreme, where those of us who hear and talk with our voices are superfluous in a rich, rewarding personal life. I imagine that signing feels like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers after struggling all day in uncomfortable leather shoes that do not fit well!

In the book, the three women profiled show us three different approaches to communicating with others in their world. Most importantly for me is that they tell their stories as women - women who have made their way through life with courage, determination and great good humor. Such is the measure of success. In their work, these women have ministered to the deaf, as well as families, schools, and communities. Through this book, they minister to all of us, helping us understand some extraordinary people who cross our paths.

The collaborative effort of Bainy Cyrus, Eileen Katz, Celeste Cheyney, and Frances M. Parsons, Deaf Women's Lives: Three Self-Portraits presents the lives of three deaf women through their own eyes and in their own words. One works as a counselor for mainstreamed deaf and disabled students; one survived harrowing Nazi attacks upon England during World War II; and one has traveled the world to teach administrators and deaf students how to communicate better. Black-and-white photographs illustrate this inspirational triple biography of women who refused to let their inability to hear limit their lives or their dreams.

This book is fine. It is getting right to the point.

I highly recommend this book for everyone who has, or cares about someone who has diabetes. If you ever heard, "test this, restrict that, and by the way, you'll probably end up going blind anyway" and then thought "Why should I?" this is a great eye-opener. This book offers real-life feelings and experiences of other DM-ers (both types) in support of the idea that major adjustments are being/have been required in your life, and there are emotional side-effects of those changes that most of our doctors are not trained to deal with. It has some good tips, but more importantly, helps you ask the question: exactly how is this going to effect my self-image? Great section about thinking of yourself as "good or bad" based on choices that most make without a second thought. (i.e. should I go for a run?) There are also good chapters on how parents feel when a child is diagnosed, teenagers and their control issues, and sex. I especially recommend this book for anyone with diabetes experiencing depression, whether recently diagnosed or going on the 40th anniversary. One drawback - the book is a bit old, so references to the med stuff is dated

This is a great book if you work with the developmentally disabled population and mental health.

Diagnostic Manual-Intellectual Disability (DM-ID): A Clinical Guide for Diagnosis of Mental Disorders in Persons with Intellectual Disability


this book is a MUST HAVE for all clincians. It is important for mental health and disability providers.

If you are trying to implement RTI, this book and his other one "Response to Intervention" are clear guides for professionals.

Both general and special education teachers and college-level collections catering to them will find essential the second edition of Differentiating Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities. This offers standards-based teaching techniques that incorporate the latest brain research studies, and offer new information on universal design strategies for the classroom. From teaching tips to reflective teaching and exercises, DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION holds plenty of tested, tried applications suitable for both specialty teaching and the general classroom alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is one of the best books on theology and the disabled that I have ever read. As a student preparing for the ordained ministry I would recommend this book to all seminarians and pastors. It is time that the church rethink it's response to the disabled. Nancy Eisland does this wonderfully when she reminds us of the wounds of Christ.

I was assigned to read this text for a course. It was one of the most life changing reads of my entire life. I have recommended the book to family and friends and I will continue to do so.

It was a liberating read which caused me to evaluate my own thoughts towards those that are able bodied and those that are not. My concept of what is whole and what is not has also been affected. And although I do not live with a handicap the book gave me insight that I could have never imagined.

Thank you Nancy Eisland for a marvelous work.