Disability Memoir

Public Hostage, Public Ransom starts with the autobiographical story of William Bronston, the activist physician whose early professional California training steels him with a deep moral, professional, and cultural bond to the huge 6,000-person disabled population he encounters incarcerated in Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, NY, on whose behalf he daily battles to humanize and ultimately catalyze a federal class action lawsuit against the state to close the death-making institution.

On an island off the coast of Massachusetts, six miles across the cobalt blue Waters of the Nantucket Sound, there is a place where hope flourishes. The island is Martha’s Vineyard. The place is Camp Jabberwocky, a sleepover summer camp for people with a variety of disabilities.

My Autistic Fight Song is a memoir that follows Rosie Weldon’s journey from a college drop out as she tries to achieve her dream of being a qualified accountant. With the odds stacked against her and the stakes high, she refuses to give up on her dream. Of two things Rosie was sure. First, she wanted to be an accountant. Second, she was destined to be alone. But when life threw at her an autism diagnosis and a mystery girl, she was left asking: Who would employ her and was she capable of falling in love?

Ada d’Adamo est danseuse. Elle a passé sa vie à rechercher la grâce, la perfection du geste. Lorsqu’elle met au monde Daria, rien ne l’avait préparée à devenir la mère d’une enfant lourdement handicapée, qui jamais ne pourra voir ni marcher. Elle commence alors à écrire et penser cet amour hors du commun qui la lie à Daria, où tout est sans cesse à inventer. Mais une dizaine d’années plus tard, Ada découvre qu’elle-même est malade.

What if the very thing that once held you back… became your superpower? In Breaking the Limits, renowned neuromuscular physician Dr. Nivedita Jerath takes you on an unforgettable journey through the lives of extraordinary individuals living with disabilities—people who refused to be defined by their diagnoses and instead, reshaped their futures. From courageous patients to trailblazing athletes, scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs, this powerful audiobook explores how strength can be found in struggle, and how disability can be a launching point for purpose, innovation, and greatness.

They were part of the Baby Boomer vanguard, three boys thrown together in a 1950s Southern California subdivision looking like most other boys of that era. Under coonskin hats they ran free all summer long inventing their own games and endless challenges, fought imaginary Indians and pirates in a nearby orange grove, and on occasion battled a neighborhood bully or two. Their greatest enemy, however, was an infectious disease called polio – a paralyzing scourge that maimed and too-often killed little kids.

Layered with physical, emotional, and relational tension, Through Blurred Vision brings forth the life of a young man that was given a diagnosis that appears in 0.0001% of births. As a result, Kurt Pangborn’s life was encompassed in darkness. Yet despite the daunting realty of this diagnosis’ limitations, Pangborn sought the true light of life in his darkness, and found a message that extends past human reason. Kurt Pangborn’s Through Blurred Vision inspires listeners to turn their pain into praise and apply the “Three P’s” of higher living.

Jon Attenborough, a visually impaired football fan, embarked on an extraordinary journey across Scotland with his guide dog, Sam, visiting every single one of the 42 Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) grounds. Jon and Sam made each journey by public transport – legends! This memoir chronicles their shared experiences, blending Jon's love for football with the profound bond he shares with Sam. As they travel the length and breadth of Scotland, Jon navigates the challenges of accessibility, the unpredictability of live sports, and the warmth of Scotland's football community.

The power of communication is essential; some say a necessity. We all do it, humans, insects, birds, cats, dogs, etc. No matter which species we belong to, we all communicate. Unfortunately, some people struggle to do so. Damian was one of them. Developmental Language Disorder, a speech and language disability, which Damian has had from birth, causes sentences to come out muddled and slow, even though all Damian's ideas are there. Here Damian talks about how DLD has affected his life, and how the charity Afasic has been there to support him throughout.

In Queen of Hearts: Born a Lemon, Nova tells on herself; candidly, unapologetically, and often hilariously. She takes you through the surgeries, the setbacks, the sarcastic remarks that got her through, and the signs that kept showing up to remind her that she was never as alone as she felt.

A story of chemotherapy, of ancestral trauma, of parenting, and of religious and spiritual questions. Here you will find camaraderie—a friend for the journey. This book weaves together the story with the most potent Integrative resources for finding peace, hope, and health through difficult medical experiences.

Living with multiple sclerosis was never going to be easy. The phrase 'I rule it, it doesn't rule me' was to become Lydia's benchmark. She clung fiercely to these words. They would booster her strength in the years ahead when at times, fear of the pain and its affects, especially the horrendous agony of an MS attack, would almost break her.

I matti ci incuriosiscono, ci costringono a riflettere, ci cambiano lo sguardo, ci mettono davanti ai nostri fantasmi, non ci lasciano mai indifferenti. La storia dell’uomo è costellata di individui eccentrici, bizzarri, anticonformisti, visionari, in molti casi con disturbi psichici gravi, ma altamente creativi in campo letterario, artistico, scientifico. Partendo da queste considerazioni, è nata l’idea di una sorta di calendario che racconti, al posto del santo del giorno, il matto del giorno.

My name is Joseph A. Peragine. I am a paranoid schizophrenic. On October 22, 2000, I tried to kill myself in a severely hallucinogenic state due to undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia. I was suffering from this illness for many years leading up to that day. Every October since I started my recovery in 2000, I reflect on my life and am extremely thankful that I was fortunate enough to have been given a second chance.

Tommy Jessop is a multi-award winning actor, theatre performer, and campaigner. Tommy has been at the vanguard of bringing awareness of the potential of people living with Down syndrome to the media, and to government. A Life Worth Living will be Tommy's story - from his journey into acting and campaigning while showing his unstoppable determination, charisma, and love for life.

Aos 22 anos, um acontecimento inesperado tornou Andrea Schwarz em uma pessoa com deficiência, desafiando seus sonhos e projetos para o futuro. Enfrentando as barreiras impostas pela sociedade, a autora transformou seus desafios em asas. Com coragem, disciplina e uma pitada de rebeldia, ela enfrentou as dificuldades e demonstrou que é possível construir uma vida admirável e alcançar realizações significativas.

Thirty-four-year-old Rebecca Alexander is a psychotherapist, a spin instructor, a volunteer, and an athlete. She is also almost completely blind, with significantly deteriorated hearing. Not Fade Away is a deeply moving exploration of the obstacles we all face-physical, psychological, and philosophical. Rebecca's story is an exquisite reminder to live each day to its fullest.

While most people meet their child for the first time in a delivery room, some parents have to meet their child in the reception area of an administrative building. Not Always Happy is a humorous and sharp chronicle about adopting and raising a son with Down syndrome from the Maine foster care system. The author quickly learns that life is best lived by expecting the unplanned when she makes the decision to become a parent in her late forties.

Im August 2015 macht Katherine May sich auf, um den 1014 Kilometer langen South West Coast Path entlang der Küsten von Somerset, Devon und Cornwall nach Dorset zu wandern. Sie will den Kopf freibekommen, endlich verstehen, warum ihr so vieles in ihrem Leben schwerer zu fallen scheint als anderen: Warum hat sie immer wieder das Gefühl, nicht recht zu verstehen, was andere meinen, wenn sie mit ihr sprechen? Warum verspürt sie so oft den Impuls, aus einer Gruppe Menschen in die Einsamkeit zu flüchten? Und warum empfindet sie es als besonders herausfordernd, Mutter zu sein?

Perhaps, you are one of three girls, or one of five boys that was sexually abused by the time you were 18 years old. Unfortunately, I fell into that nasty category. In preparing to write my first memoir, Identifying and Healing Childhood Sexual Abuse, I came upon a list of approximately 99 different after-effects that come as a result of sexual abuse. Finally, I held in my hands, a list of words that totally and completely described myself! I pray that this audiobook will give you the information that you need for a total and complete healing in your life!