Showing titles in People with Disabilities

On Halloween day 1990, Sterling Krysler—husband, father, pilot, newly arrived in Hawai'i—suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury while body surfing at a local beach. Ever the optimist, Sterling accepted the life-changing injury becoming advocate and inspiration to many in the "disability community." This is a family-centered story brimming with love, joy, and humor. This is his story—before and after.

In 1895, a specialist straps five-year-old Katharine Hathaway, then suffering from spinal tuberculosis, to a board with halters and pulleys in a failed attempt to prevent her from becoming a “hunchback” like the “little locksmith” who does odd jobs at her family’s home. Forced to endure her confinement for ten years, Katharine remains immobile until age fifteen, only to find that none of it has prevented her from developing a deformity of her own. 

Riding the Rollercoaster invites listeners to embark on an emotional and enlightening journey. By sharing her story, the author gives a voice to countless individuals who grapple with this condition, offering a beacon of hope for a brighter future.

I don't know whether this is the story of Jeff the autistic individual, Jeff the man of God, or Jeff the medical enigma; but I do know it is the story of Jeff, my son. Jeff was so autistic, and yet not autistic at all if you used the textbook definition. He had huge sensory integration issues and appeared to be living inside of himself, but he cared so much for God and other people that their needs always came above his own. He had severe speech issues, only spoke one-word answers, but wrote beautiful papers and prayers when given the Canon communicator.

A survivor of Guillain Barre Syndrome, this is the walk that led me to Tik-Tok. This audiobook recounts the events that molded me into the man that lived in your phones. Encouraged by friends and family that I had a story worth telling, I became a self-proclaimed autoimmune advocate on social media, whose ramblings captured the attention of fellow autoimmune, chronic illness, and chronic pain sufferers along the way.

Ice hockey has long been considered one of the most dangerous sports. It's full-contact, played at high speeds on freshly sharpened blades while chasing a small puck. Despite the physical and visual demands, ice hockey is also the only professional sport to have a blind league. Craig Fitzpatrick is nearly completely blind but has taught over 300 blind adults and children to play ice hockey at a competitive level.

From the disability rights advocate and creator of the #DisabledAndCute viral campaign, a thoughtful, inspiring, and charming collection of essays exploring what it means to be black and disabled in a mostly able-bodied white America. Keah Brown loves herself, but that hadn’t always been the...

A junior at Columbia University on a full scholarship, Sandy had just started to see the world open up to him. But instead of his plans for a bright future, he now faces a new reality, one defined by a cane, a companion dog, jobs limited to his blindness. In the depth of his new darkness, Sandy faces a choice—to play it “safe” or return to Columbia to pursue his dreams. With the loving devotion of his girlfriend (and now wife) Sue and the selflessness of his best friend, Art Garfunkel, and through his own unyielding determination, Sandy forges a life of exceptional achievement.

Former high school teacher and New York-based comedian Mimi Hayes is a brain injury survivor. She wrote her first humorous memoir while recovering from a traumatic head injury at the age of 22. Her honest take on trauma and love followed her to the stage as a stand-up comedian, where she has performed on stages such as Denver Comedy Works, Broadway Comedy Club, Stand Up NY, Dangerfield's, and The Upright Citizen's Brigade. 

Born deaf and discovering encroaching blindness at the age of 16, Anthony Lawton’s future appeared to be full of locked doors. Prejudice. Delayed education. Distorted speech. Limited sight. But when benign strangers intercede and inner gifts reveal themselves the opportunity to pursue a childhood dream of speaking and participating in mainstream society become a realisable vision. He would need to do this before the consequences of dual sensory loss would again close the doors.

Carly-Jay Metcalfe was born with cystic fibrosis, survived a double-lung transplant at the age of 21 and faced a rare cancer at the age of 30. What she has endured should have killed her, but her humour, courage and optimism became her best survival skills. From her hospitalised childhood to her many friendships, loves and losses, Metcalfe shares the fickle nature of life with candour and warmth. She writes with compelling insight about organ donation, opioid addiction and survivor's guilt, while still managing to find joy amongst the wreckage.

With evocative storytelling and incisive research, Katie Rose Guest Pryal brings a new eye to the mental health crisis that higher education has faced for decades. Written from the perspective of a bipolar-autistic professor, A Light in the Tower is both a bracing account of the mental health crisis in higher education and a passionate and informed proposal for how to teach with mental health in mind. Pryal contends that higher education's mental health crisis is the result of long-term systemic problems in education that demand nothing short of a revolution.

During an ordinary Fall afternoon, Kimber Hanchey-Ogden was delivered devastating news: Seth, her 17-year-old son, had been hit by a car and airlifted to a hospital! Having sustained a traumatic brain injury, doctors told her that if Seth made it, he would never be able to walk or talk; he would not remember his past or understand humor. And that was just for starters.

The Sound of Her Voice: My Blind Parents’ Story is the inspiring chronicle of a remarkable couple (both blind since childhood) who—against all odds—lived full and productive lives. Mario became the first blind graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and was later elected Judge of two different county courts in Muncie, Indiana. Jane, who was fiercely independent from a young age, ran the household and raised four sighted children without outside assistance.

Max Toper isn't normal. His teacher segregates him at the back of the class, away from his peers. Other children make friends, yet he can't. He's told he has autism, a condition that seems to bring disaster after disaster, with no chance of achievement. But not all is hopeless. Change comes when he discovers his calling as a guild leader in the virtual world of Galactic Conquest, a place where he is respected and powerful. But can the digital world stop reality seeping in, or prevent him from addressing his demons?

Madness and genius are often said to be close bedfellows, although the link between the two is little understood. Chris Joseph has known both extremes, and in The Golden Straitjacket, he lays bare his struggle with bipolar disorder and the condition's pendulum-like swing between creative dynamism and dark despair. The 66 stories or "manicdotes" can be enjoyed together or in isolation - they tell the tale of an extraordinary man whose struggle to overcome physical and mental obstacles will be an inspiration to anyone facing the stigma of physical disability and mental illness.

He was told he'd never walk again. She was losing hope that she'd ever feel whole again. This is their miraculous true story of defying the impossible. "In my very first impression of Chris, I was blown away by his determination to stay positive, do the work, and trust that God had a bigger...

The astonishing life story from one of Australia's most inspirational athletes. Dylan Alcott has never let his disability get in the way of what he wanted to achieve. His family treated him no differently to any other kid, and it was the best thing they ever did. Growing up, Dylan always had a positive attitude to life. So when he discovered sport, he’d have a go at anything and could always be found at the centre of the action, giving his best and playing to win. Then he tried wheelchair basketball and tennis and was hooked.

Born without Legs, She Inspires Others to Overcome Jen Bricker was born without legs. Shocked and uncertain they could care for her, her biological parents gave her up for adoption. In her loving adoptive home, there was just one simple rule: "Never say 'can't.'" And pretty soon, there was nothing this small but mighty powerhouse set her sights on that she couldn't conquer: roller-skating, volleyball, power tumbling, and spinning from silk ribbons thirty feet in the air.

Discover the untold story behind one of Kathleen Norris's deeply personal relationships in Rebecca Sue. Best known for her insightful and poignant reflections on faith and life, Norris steps into uncharted territory by sharing an intimate memoir exploring the life of her younger sister Becky. Born with perinatal hypoxia, Becky's life was shaped by physical and mental disabilities, yet her spirit and resilience illuminate the hidden power of faith, family, and love.