Disability Biography

As two siblings, we were walking toward the light. In our mind's eye, it shined brightly, that green light of hope, as multiple sclerosis greatly impacted our lives. We accepted help along the way but not as a sign of defeat. A disabled person is seen as a burden and unfortunately is treated as such. The world doesn't have the patience or understanding of the tremendous struggle one bears living in a world not meant for frailty. This has been a journey of many decades. MS can lead to other health challenges that are formidable in and of themselves, like JC virus or PML.

We think of Alexander Graham Bell as the inventor of the telephone, but that’s not how he saw his own career. As the son of a deaf woman and, later, husband to another, his goal in life from adolescence was to teach deaf students to speak. Even his tinkering sprang from his teaching work; the telephone had its origins as a speech reading machine. The Invention of Miracles takes a new look at an American icon, revealing the astonishing true genesis of the telephone and its connection to another, far more disturbing legacy of Bell’s.

This is the biography of a young man with some neurological differences, written in the first person. Through his eyes, we see how he perceives his life and negotiates his reality. His world and his understandings of life may be different from the norm, but we learn to appreciate a special type of soul that should be acknowledged and celebrated as part of human diversity. This book demonstrates the love and nurturance of his mother and the dynamics of his relationship with her. We also enjoy hearing about the comfortable lifestyle that Marcelo has been given, including his worldwide travels.

Dietetics practitioners are food and nutrition experts who help people live healthier lives. They work in a variety of settings—from hospitals and research to sports, schools, nursing homes, and the food industry. Yet, despite the diversity of the populations they serve, the dietetics profession is predominantly female, white, and able-bodied. Only 2% of dietetics practitioners have a disability compared to 29% of US adults. There is an urgent need to diversify the field—especially by including practitioners with disabilities.

In this emotionally rich first memoir, the New York Times bestselling author of True Biz retraces her path out of the hearing world and into the deaf community—and seeks to understand the journeys her own children must take. Sara Nović’s early years were filled with music, Bible study, and a strong desire to fit in. But when she failed her school’s mandated hearing test, her worldview was thrown into chaos. Desperate not to be marked as different, she told no one, staying in the hearing world for as long as she could by brute force.

Mutter Anna Maria erlitt im Jahr 2013 eine schwere Gehirnblutung, einen Schlaganfall, welcher sie zu einem absoluten Pflegefall machte und ihren Charakter sehr wesentlich veränderte. Die Familie, Ehegatte Friedrich, genannt Fritz und Tochter Sabine (die Autorin), standen vor nie geglaubten Herausforderungen. Das Buch beschreibt sehr umfangreich die Facetten des geänderten Alltages, nimmt dabei Leser*innen sehr ehrlich auf eine „Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle" mit.

After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, Spencer West tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate a world set against those with disabilities. In this deeply personal and transformative guide, he reveals how he stopped living by the expectations of others and instead embraced his true identity, passions, and purpose.

Lauren Windas is one of the estimated 250,000 people suffering with CFS in the UK. Whilst at university in 2012, she fell ill with a viral infection and was later diagnosed with CFS. Since then she has devoted herself to reclaiming her health and being able to live a full life, drawing on the knowledge of experts to help manage her often mysterious and hard-to-manage condition. In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lauren recounts the highs and lows of her own health journey and experiences,.

Phyll Zone spent a lifetime feeling lost. Labeled “lazy,” “spacey,” and “careless,” he struggled in a world that refused to speak his language. The constant storm of ADHD and the silent sabotage of dyslexia weren't just academic challenges; they were emotional earthquakes that shattered his self-worth. Lost in Translation is more than a memoir—it’s a revelation. It’s the story of a late diagnosis that finally provided the map to a bewildering mind, transforming a lifetime of shame into a powerful new identity.

The life of Dr. Scott Hollier is not what you'd call typical. He is well-educated, has a good job, is a husband and father, is legally blind, loves computers and gadgets, goes to church, and enjoys travel, spending time with friends and following his favorite football team. For most people, the atypical part of this description will be "legally blind", but from Scott's perspective, it's his traitorous support of a football team outside his home state of Western Australia that makes him stand out from the crowd.

Discover how a woman wheelchair user with cerebral palsy found purpose in librarianship and in ordained Christian ministry. Glean hints on how to live with purpose as a person with a physical disability. Gain clues on practical everyday living with a physical disability. Gather insights as friends and health professionals on how to relate to people with a physical disability. Appreciate how Christian faith can inform and strengthen motivation in the experience of physical disability.

As director of legendary Pommery Champagnes, Philippe Pozzo di Borgo was not generally someone in the habit of asking for help. Then, in 1993, an accident left him a quadriplegic. Passing his days hidden in his Paris townhouse, Philippe found himself the modern equivalent of an “untouchable.” The only person who seemed not to be bothered by Philippe’s condition was someone who had been marginalized his entire life - Abdel, the unemployed, uninhibited immigrant from the outskirts of society who would become Philippe’s caretaker.

Speaking My Truth is about a young man named Abdulahi Hassan who is born with a physical disability called Cerebral Palsy and tries to live a normal life. Regardless of his daily struggles he faces physically and mentally he is slowly learning to speak his truth and taking control of his own narrative one step at a time with a single beautiful smile.

" On ne saura jamais quel aurait été mon destin sans cette maladie – une méningite bactérienne foudroyante à l’âge de six ans –, mais je n’aurais sans doute pas vécu le quart de ce que j’ai eu la chance de vivre jusqu’à présent. Je suis Théo Curin, vingt-deux ans, amputé des quatre membres, bien dans ma tête, bien dans ma peau. Quand on me demande comment je réagirais si on me rendait bras et jambes, je réponds : “Non, merci, je ne saurais qu’en faire !” J’ai des choses à dire et le sentiment d’être écouté, que demander de plus ? "

Kristy Sheridan survived a deadly plane crash and a sixty-foot plummet off a cliff before she learned to seek God’s will over her own desires. The crash of American Airlines Flight 1420 broke Kristy’s neck and stripped away the identity she found in her prized career. A decade later, she broke her neck again when she fell more than sixty feet down a canyon in Germany. Still, Kristy’s faith remained stagnant.

My stroke occurred on December 10, 2021. During the hours that my mind was deteriorating, my life was sent down an inevitable pathway that would include emergency medical intervention, brain surgery, and months of therapy addressing physical and emotional health as well as speech and cognitive skills. What was not inevitable in all of this was the unique inner duality that emerged. Buddy (right brain) embraced the realm of peace and tranquility. Sir! (left brain) controlled the management of the brain: order, details, time, and knowing the feeling of being in charge.

She's never taught a class in her life. But when the City of Chicago calls on blind writer Beth Finke to teach a memoir-writing class for older adults, she reluctantly agrees. What she learns about her students, their stories, and herself will move and inspire you. Written the way Beth hears life, you will come to know and love Minerva, Wanda, Hannelore, and the whole colorful cast of characters who build a community around Beth's classes. Generously sprinkled with excerpts in her students' own voices, Beth's book will convince you to get your own stories down on paper.

Imagine if you were to lose your sight? Would it feel like the end of everything worthwhile? There is a way forward. Once you realise that blindness is a word and not a sentence, life takes on a new perspective. There are ways to thrive with vision loss. This book reveals how to turn such a life-challenge into a lifestyle you can fully manage and enjoy.

In her moving account of how she came to understand the world around her despite being blind and deaf since childhood, Helen Keller confirms that no physical obstacle can hinder the achievements of the human mind. Included with Keller's poignant autobiography are her letters, spanning 15 years, which reveal her remarkable intellectual growth and empathic soul. Commentary by her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and the book's original editor is also featured, providing illuminating insight from two of Keller's closest companions.

Do you know an adult with autism, Down syndrome, or another special need? One in eight people on our planet live with some form of disability. And they all deserve to live productive, engaged lives. Are we willing to help them accomplish this goal? The mother of an adult with autism, Andrea Moriarty leveraged her son’s passion, talent, and personality to help him create an out-of-the-box vocation: A podcast. After more than 80 interviews, she recognized three vital attitudes that people with disabilities teach us - risk taking, humility, and kindness.