Disability-and-Health Books

I recommend this book for professionals. Good clear ideas, well-written, many different authors.

Plenty of literary and social references speak of disabled children, but CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN AMERICA: A HISTORICAL HANDBOOK AND GUIDE takes a different tactic in considering the historical and social milieu of their issues. Chapters consider changing ideas and perceptions of disability, ability, behavior, and differences with articles surveying all types of disability, different movements in handling such children, and narratives on disability management. An excellent historical overview recommended for any college-level collection strong in health literature.

This short work of three chapters explores the implications of genetic science on the possibilities of designing our children to specifications. It covers the practical possibilities and the attendant moral decisions that apply to our decisions. Much of the discourse on this subject involves the question of what counts as "disabilities" and to what extent are we justified in producing children without them? Delving deeper, Glover asks the fundamental question, "To what do we owe our children?" On the surface, some decisions appear straightforward. If we know beforehand that our child is likely to be born with Down's syndrome, or blind, or deaf, should we not prevent the birth of that child? In answering "yes", are we not transferring our own perception of what happiness and enjoyment of life mean to us to that of the unborn child? Many have criticized the deaf lesbian couple who obtained the sperms of a male donor that ensured that their child was born deaf. The couple disputes the suggestion that being deaf was a disability. Many examples - blindness, etc were given and discussed. Glover also discusses the competing rights of parents and their children. The right of choice we give parents exposes the problem of what rights we ought to recognize in the children. It makes us wonder what rights are, and whether there are different levels of rights, entrenched rights, and inalienable rights, and who decides. It forces us to contemplate the diversity of human emotions and psychology that makes for true humanity. Human identity surely must allow for such diversity. Atheists, for example, may mount irrefutable rational arguments against the assertions of the existence of god; but would we be right to deny people the right to believe if that belief makes them happy and keeps them comforted? Ought we to apply the Kantian principle that people must not be used as a means? If so, can we justify having a second child so that we can use its bone marrow to save our first child from a fatal bone marrow disease? This is a profound book but short and extremely lucid. It points the way, and the reader may not agree with the author's own inclinations, but he must surely think for himself what grounds he has for choosing a different path.

This is a great read. The author uses interviews with Brown's siblings and friends as well as his private letters and unpublsihed works. His childhood, and its challenges - handled so admirably by his mother - are evoked beautifully. It will make you laugh and make you cry.
The book is also a must for Day-Lewis addicts as the author interviews people who worked with him on the film (including Christy Brown's brothers and sisters), and has some great stories therein.
Overall, this is a wonderful book about a man who overcame the odds, beginning with so little - but led a life most of us could only imagine living - Brilliant.

A Jewish friend showed me this book, because although I am not Jewish, my children go to parochial school. The advice and information in this book certainly applies to them, too. I showed this to the head of our school and he was very impressed with the advice and information, and felt it would be very useful for all of the students. I highly recommend it to anyone who is involved with religious instruction, or practices their faith religiously at home. This is a wonderful book.

Having noticed and become more familiar with symptoms and failures of ADHD, it is helpful for how often these factors show up in society. For example, the "enigma" of Bill Clinton may be confusing to many, but may be a result of the class symptoms of many of the characteristics of ADHD undiagnosed persons whose spouses often compensate for them in many situations and circumstances. This can be seen in many cases where she "spoke for him," in interviews, for example, to explain what he meant, or to clarify his views, specifically in the 1995 interview about Flowers when he said "he had caused pain in his marriage." Reviewing the many complaints or observations of his staff about his personality suggests that he was indeed not only brilliant, but also suffered the effects of ADHD that had never been diagnosed, and should be looked at with what we are beginning to learn about adults with undiagnosed ADHD. All signs point to this problem and may explain much of his approach and his behavior, especially the desire to do everything at once, and to jump around from thing to thing. The extent of the effects of childhood trauma and the possibility of undiagnosed ADHD together make for a very interesting analysis of this complicated person, and how his family and friends deal with, or cover for him, in many situations. Hillary has classic characteristics of many of the compensating ADHD behaviors that unwittingly spouses fall into using to cope with their ADHD mates over time.

If you're interested in the culture of disabilities, you'll find this book informative and interesting.

"Subpart A---General
Section 36.101 Purpose
The purpose of this part is to implement title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12181), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by public accommodations and requires places of public accmmodation and commercial facilities to be designed, constructed, and altered in compliance with the ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS ESTABLISHED BY THIS PART."
[from the book]

Dear Dr. Taylor:
I am so grateful for this book. Normally I don't buy
textbooks, but after borrowing a copy from the Utah State University
library I realized I needed to have it at hand as I work with a person with fibromyalgia. I've ordered it through Amazon today.

I'm finding that not only is this approach appropriate for physical illness, but I have unknowingly used CBT for most of my clients in this program. The book legitimizes my approach with unique populations and also gives me tools I find most useful in clarifying and expanding my skills.
Rev. Lee Merrick

The second, updated edition of Congenital Disorders Sourcebook adds to the 'Health Reference Series', offering consumers a wealth of the latest information and research on the prevention and treatment of birth defects. Chapters explain conditions, survey historic treatment options and new alternative paths being explored, and explain terminology and facts, offering bibliographic references at each chapter's conclusion. Health collections at the college and public library levels will find it a welcome reference addition.