Disability-and-Health Books

Large color photos, clearly written, appreciated by disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged kids alike.

This book is, for me, that great rarity, a book I just could not wait to get to the next bit of. I read it in two days and was fascinated and inspired by what I read. The book is autobiographical, and deals especially with Ingrid's dogged determination that her handicapped son will not end up in an institution, a determination that is ultimately proven to be right. It also inspires with her determined attitude to her own personal learning. Having come to North America, via the jungles of Paraguay, and speaking only High German, and with little education at all, she confronted the world head on and refused to be classified. By her own efforts she became a well educated woman and a published novelist, and if this book is an example of her descriptive writing, I want to read more. Some of the complainers in society should read this book as an object lesson in stopping blaming others and pulling oneself up by the bootlaces. Truly, Ingrid Rimland teaches us all that "Whatever the mind of man can concieve and believe, it can achieve". Sheer inspiration.

Getting The Most Out Of Diabetes Camp: A Guide For Parents And Kids published by the American Diabetes Association is a practical, useful, authoritative guide for the parents of diabetic children considering a summer vacation option that can teach young people with diabetes about fun, independence, and the importance of taking proper care of themselves. Getting The Most Out Of Diabetes Camp is a superbly presented and unique preparatory guide covering everything from telling when a child is ready for camp to the application process and packing, to dealing with homesickness and evaluating the experiences of camp. Getting The Most Out Of Diabetes Camp is an absolute "must-read" for every parent who is seriously considering diabetes camp for his or her child, as well as surprisingly applicable as well for parents who are considering sending their non-diabetic child's siblings to more ordinary camps.

TBI, or Traumatic Brain Injury, is devastating, it was for me as well. She doesn't belabour the fact that rehabilitation is a drag. More she writes about living post trauma, the first four years coping with what is now a different lifestyle. There are other books written about Head Injury and stating how hard you have to work after the accident to regain some semblace of normality. Most of the other books seem a little detached from the art of living, almost as if they forget how to live, she doesn't. This book made me pick myself up, begin to enjoy life again.
I would recommend it to anyone who feels a little hard done to by life As Gillian says, 'you're only here once, make the best of it'.

An outstanding book for preteenagers. The author has an incite into young people, and truly holds the readers' attention. I have given it to all the youngsters I know and highly reccomend it.

GREEN is the Cure: Everything You Wanted to Know About 504 Plans, IEPs, Learning Disabilities and What the Hell is in the Food

This book is a godsend. It's a quick read and easy to understand. I made the changes she suggested in her book regarding diet. Also, I purchased the green food supplement. Well, my daughter no longer has to take medication for bipolar disorder. It's amazing what a little green can do!

Handbook Of Disability Studies by Gary L. Albrecht (Professor of Public Health and of Disability & Human Development, University of Chicago, Illinois) is an informed and informative survey of the growing and evolving field of disability studies. Professor Albrecht presents the reader with an accurate picture of what it's like to live with various disabilities, and then examines how this critically important social issue has been regarded in the past, as well as its somewhat uncharted future. Handbook Of Disability Studies is very highly recommended reading for anyone interested in learning more about disabilities, how they affect life, and how the disabled adapt to their circumstances and conditions.

This book is probably the best book in the matter. I definitely recommend to students, early interventionist, and researchers. The content is vast and complete.

First a brief introduction: From 1986 - 1992 I was employed as an investigator at the Office of Capital Collateral Representative (CCR) in Tallahassee, Florida, where Scharlette Holdman worked as the supervisor of the investigators from October 1985 - March 1988.

I have known Scharlette since the mid-1970s. Her office, the Clearinghouse on Criminal Justice, was in the same wing of the Petroleum Building as my office at Common Cause in Florida, where I volunteered.

The Petroleum Building was next to the State Capital, the Florida Supreme Court and the State Archives and Library. When it was torn down, the Petroleum Building space and the space for the first CCR office became the Mary Brogan Art and Science Museum and a condominium. The Petroleum Building was called by those of us who worked or volunteered there the "Forces of Good" (FOG) Building -- as opposed to FOE -- Forces of Evil, such as Associated Industries, the Chamber and other big business interests in Florida. The FOG building also included (not an exhaustive list) the Clean Water Action Project, the ACLU, NOW, Florida Legal Services, Migrant Farmworker's Organization (directed by Cliff Thaell, who has more recently been a Leon County Commissioner for over ten years), Mike Vasilinda's television news service.

David von Drehle's excellent book "Among the Lowest of the Dead" provides the best history and analysis of the Florida death penalty, with Michael Mello's books a close second. Part of each of these books is about Scharlette Holdman. A bit of the negative aspects:

When Scharlette had essentially declared war upon CCR in 1987 and thereafter, some of us decided to investigate her background given some things that we had heard. Low and behold, Scharlette's claim of a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Hawaii and a Master's Degree from Memphis State (now University of Memphis) don't exist. A claimed undergraduate degree from Memphis State: I no longer recall if this was confirmed by the university.

We used Scharlette's Social Security number, her maiden name and her married name -- with all this information, both universities had no record of Scharlette having received any degrees from these institutions.

As I understand Scharlette, she needed the "degrees" to confer upon her "credentials" that she really never needed as she is indeed then and now a national expert on capital mitigation, litigation, etc. However Scharlette can be deceptive, as her lack of a PhD and Masters so demonstrates. Even today she claims to have the degrees as when she gives presentations regarding capital cases, she is identified as "Dr." A key word search of her name will bring up some of the presentations that she has made in the past several years with the title "Dr." preceding her name.

If she has received any honorary or other degrees since 1990, that would be new information for me. If so, please let me know: P.O. Box 38458, Tallahassee, FL 32315-8458.

I enjoyed the contents of this book because it provided my family and me an excellent background for understanding the behavior of LD and ADD patients. Ms. Wren's approach to these diseases is very unique among those in her field. I applaud her work because it is VERY reader friendly and devoid of jargon, which makes it an easy and enjoyable read. I would reccomend this book to anyone pursuing a better understanding of various learning diseases and ADD.