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Controlling Our Destiny: A Board Member’s View of Deaf President Now
By Philip W. Bravin. 2020
In March 1988, students at Gallaudet University led a successful protest to demand the selection of the university’s first deaf…
president. The Deaf President Now (DPN) movement was a watershed event in American deaf history; it achieved self-governance for the deaf community and placed Gallaudet in the center of a national media spotlight. Controlling Our Destiny is Philip Bravin’s personal perspective of these momentous events. A lifelong member of the deaf community and proud Gallaudet alumnus, Bravin was a member of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees and the chair of the presidential search committee during DPN. Although the deaf community had been strongly advocating for a deaf president to lead the university, the board (which had a hearing majority) selected the lone hearing candidate. Bravin recounts the discussions and decision-making that happened behind the scenes leading up to and following the ill-fated announcement. He reflects on the integrity of the process and the internal conflict he experienced as a deaf person who supported a deaf president yet felt compelled to abide by his duties as a board member. After the protests, his leadership was recognized when he was selected as the first deaf chair of the board. Photographs and documents add depth to Bravin’s account, many of which will be seen by the public for the first time. I. King Jordan, the first deaf president of Gallaudet, provides a foreword in which he shares his own unique insight into these events. Controlling Our Destiny captures the energy and the urgency of DPN. Readers will understand the complexities of the presidential search process and the cultural and historical contexts that triggered the protest. Bravin’s memoir contemplates power, access, community, and the enduring legacy of a movement that inspired deaf people around the world.Let’s Go In: My Journey to a University Presidency
By T. Alan Hurwitz. 2020
Alan Hurwitz ascended the ranks of academia to become the president of not one, but two, universities—National Technical Institute for…
the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology and Gallaudet University. In Let’s Go In: My Journey to a University Presidency, Hurwitz discusses the unique challenges he encountered as a Deaf person, and the events, people, and experiences that shaped his personal and professional life. He demonstrates the importance of building a strong foundation for progressive leadership roles in higher education, and provides insights into the decision-making and outreach required of a university president, covering topics such as community collaboration, budget management, and networking with public policy leaders. He also stresses that assessing students’ needs should be a top priority. As he reflects on a life committed to service in higher education, Hurwitz offers up important lessons on the issues, challenges, and opportunities faced by deaf and hard of hearing people, and in doing so, inspires future generations of deaf people to aim for their highest goals.My Heart Is Not Blind: On Blindness And Perception
By Michael Nye. 2019
My Heart Is Not Blind: On Blindness and Perception is a collection of stunning portraits of blind and visually impaired…
people taken by photographer Michael Nye. Each image is accompanied by an intimate story told by the subject concerning his or her experiences and unique perspective. The causes of vision loss range from genetic predispositions (retinitis pigmentosa) or disease (glaucoma) to external circumstances such as accidents (struck by a train) or violence (gunshot wound). The people in this diverse group differ not only in their particular conditions and losses but also in their cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Taken as a whole, however, the accounts of adapting to changing modes of perception are bound by a common theme of resilience, revealed in shared reactions and unexpected insights. The subjects depicted in My Heart Is Not Blind share their experiences and unique perspectives in a personal narratives that accompany their respective portraits. Most speak of the transition from sight to vision loss, and how that has changed―and not changed―their ability to perceive the surrounding world. Some question the classification of blindness as a disability. One participant proposes that blindness may, in some ways, even aid in perception, musing, “if you can always see the sun, you can never discover the stars.” My Heart Is Not Blind offers a window into the world of the blind and visually impaired, revealing surprising similarities and fascinating differences alongside compelling accounts of survival, adaptation, and heightened understanding. The collection invites us to reconsider what we think we know about blindness in order to gain a deeper understanding of vision and perception.Some Kind of Genius: The Extraordinary Journey of Musical Savant Tony DeBlois
By Antonia Felix, Janice Deblois. 2005
The inspiring true story of an exceptional autistic savant whose musical gifts thrill audiences the world overEver since he was…
born--blind and weighing less than two pounds--Tony DeBlois has been defying the odds and wildly surpassing others' expectations. Diagnosed early on as autistic, at two years old his talent for music was revealed when he played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" on a toy piano. Going on to graduate with honors from the Berklee College of Music, today Tony leads an improvisational jazz ensemble and performs solo shows from Dublin to Taipei and even Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center. Some Kind of Genius weaves details of Tony's amazing musical accomplishments--he can play 20 instruments--with a fascinating look at savant syndrome, in which a person with certain developmental limitations exhibits brilliance in some other aspect of his life. Tony's fiercely devoted mother, Janice, also tells of her own crusade--not only for the rights of her son but also on behalf of all those with special needs.Ready To Be Heard: How I Lost My Hearing And Found My Voice
By Amanda McDonough. 2018
When author Amanda McDonough started losing her hearing at the age of 4 she swore her parents to secrecy. She…
hid her hearing loss for 18 years from her friends, family, teachers, and acquaintances. As the author grew older, her hearing gradually decreased, causing her to begin struggling in school, in her relationships with family and friends, and with her identity. By age twenty-two, she could no longer rely on her wit to hide her hearing loss. She became one hundred percent deaf in both ears. Amanda found herself unable to hear, talk, lip-read or sign. Her only method of communication with the world was through writing. Ready to be Heard is the story of how Amanda taught herself to speak again, to lip-read, and to sign. McDonough explains how she discovered a new culture, language, and most importantly, herself. In this memoir, the author narrates how she managed to finish college after becoming deaf. How she garnered straight As in school, entered the workforce, enjoyed a successful Hollywood acting career (Freeforms Switched at Birth, ABCs Speechless, NBCs Bad Judge, Google, 7UP, Deaf West/ Pasadena Playhouses Our Town, etc.), fought for her independence, and found her purpose. Ready to be Heard tells about the authors journey to find a balance between the hearing world she was raised in and the Deaf culture to which she now belonged.No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality
By Michael J. Fox. 2020
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A moving account of resilience, hope, fear and mortality, and how these things resonate in…
our lives, by actor and advocate Michael J. Fox. The entire world knows Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, the teenage sidekick of Doc Brown in Back to the Future; as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties; as Mike Flaherty in Spin City; and through numerous other movie roles and guest appearances on shows such as The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Diagnosed at age 29, Michael is equally engaged in Parkinson’s advocacy work, raising global awareness of the disease and helping find a cure through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the world’s leading non-profit funder of PD science. His two previous bestselling memoirs, Lucky Man and Always Looking Up, dealt with how he came to terms with the illness, all the while exhibiting his iconic optimism. His new memoir reassesses this outlook, as events in the past decade presented additional challenges.In No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, Michael shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality. Thoughtful and moving, but with Fox’s trademark sense of humor, his book provides a vehicle for reflection about our lives, our loves, and our losses. Running through the narrative is the drama of the medical madness Fox recently experienced, that included his daily negotiations with the Parkinson’s disease he’s had since 1991, and a spinal cord issue that necessitated immediate surgery. His challenge to learn how to walk again, only to suffer a devastating fall, nearly caused him to ditch his trademark optimism and “get out of the lemonade business altogether.”Does he make it all of the way back? Read the book.Adventures In Darkness: The Summer of an Eleven-Year-Old Blind Boy
By Tom Sullivan. 2006
From the book jacket: Blind since birth, author and well-known entertainer Tom Sullivan recounts with wicked wit and captivating clarity…
the hair-raising adventures of his eleventh year in 1950s New England... escaping from his blind school, reliefpitcher in the neighborhood league, and boxing in a backyard bout with the neighborhood bully Adventures in Darkness is a classic tale of boyhood adventure through a formative season, a summer of hilarity and heart, tears and triumph! armed with a daring dream, and the fearlessness and mischief of youth. Tom refused to settle for the conventional confines of his blindness, and set in motion a chain of events that dynamically changed his life forever.The Puzzle Solver: A Scientist's Desperate Quest to Cure the Illness that Stole His Son
By Tracie White. 2021
A Father, His Son, and an Unrelenting Quest for a CureAt the age of twenty-seven, Whitney Dafoe was forced to…
give up his life as a photographer who traveled the world. Bit by bit a mysterious illness stole away the pieces of his life: First, it took the strength of his legs, then his voice, and his ability to eat. Finally, even the sound of a footstep in his room became unbearable. The Puzzle Solver follows several years in which he desperately sought answers from specialist after specialist, where at one point his 6'3" frame dropped to 115 lbs. For years, he underwent endless medical tests, but doctors told him there was nothing wrong. Then, finally, a diagnosis: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis.In the 80s, when an outbreak of people immobilized by an indescribable fatigue were reported near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, doctors were at a loss to explain the symptoms. The condition would alternatively be nicknamed Raggedy Ann Syndrome or the Yuppie Disease, and there was no cure or answers about treatment. They were to remain sick.But there was one answer: Whitney's father, Ron Davis, PhD, a world-class geneticist at Stanford University whose legendary research helped crack the code of DNA, suddenly changed the course of his career in a race against time to cure his son's debilitating condition.In The Puzzle Solver, journalist Tracie White, who first wrote a viral and award-winning piece on Davis and his family in Stanford Medicine, tells his story. In gripping prose, she masterfully takes readers along on this journey with Davis to solve one of the greatest mysteries in medicine. In a piercing investigative narrative, closed doors are opened, and masked truths are exposed as Davis uncovers new proof confirming that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a biological disease.At the heart of this book is a moving story that goes far beyond medicine, this is a story about how the power of love -- and science -- can shine light in even the darkest, most hidden, corners of the world.Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption
By Vaneetha Rendall Risner. 2021
The astonishing, Job-like story of how an existence filled with loss, suffering, questioning, and anger became a life filled with…
shocking and incomprehensible peace and joy.Vaneetha Risner contracted polio as an infant, was misdiagnosed, and lived with widespread paralysis. She lived in and out of the hospital for ten years and, after each stay, would return to a life filled with bullying. When she became a Christian, though, she thought things would get easier, and they did: carefree college days, a dream job in Boston, and an MBA from Stanford where she met and married a classmate.But life unraveled. Again. She had four miscarriages. Her son died because of a doctor's mistake. And Vaneetha was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome, meaning she would likely become a quadriplegic. And then her husband betrayed her and moved out, leaving her to raise two adolescent daughters alone. This was not the abundant life she thought God had promised her. But, as Vaneetha discovered, everything she experienced was designed to draw her closer to Christ as she discovered "that intimacy with God in suffering can be breathtakingly beautiful."The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story
By Rosalind Perlman. 2007
The Blind Doctor: The Jacob Bolotin Story reveals the amazing life of a remarkable man who was born blind to…
poor parents in Chicago in 1888. Rejecting the conventional wisdom of his time that marginalized the blind, he fought his way into and through the Chicago College of Medicine, graduated with honors at twenty-four, and became the world's first totally blind physician fully licensed to practice medicine. By the time he was thirty, he was one of the top heart and lung specialists in the city.Jacob Bolotin's story is both fascinating and inspirational. He was one of the first to raise the awareness of the world to the plight of the blind. His speeches about his own life and the need for treating people with disabilities as capable and productive citizens were in such demand he often gave four talks a day while working full time as a doctor and teaching at three medical colleges. When Jacob Bolotin died at the age of thirty-six, five thousand people attended his funeral.In The Key Of Genius: The Extraordinary Life Of Derek Paravicini
By Adam Ockelford. 2008
Derek Paravicini is blind, can't tell his right hand from his left and needs round-the-clock care. But he has an…
extremely rare gift - he is a musical prodigy with perfect pitch whose piano-playing has thrilled audiences at venues from Ronnie Scott's to Las Vegas, the Barbican to Buckingham Palace. Born prematurely, Derek remained in hospital for three months and technically 'died' several times before he was finally strong enough to go home. It was not long before his blindness became apparent and later it became clear that he had severe learning difficulties and autism. Desperately trying to find something to engage and stimulate baby Derek, his nanny discovered a toy organ and put it down in front of him. Miraculously, Derek taught himself to play. Music proved to be an outlet for expressing himself and communicating with others - his way of dealing with a strange and confusing world.Memoirs of Tilly Aston: Australia's blind poet, author and philanthropist
By Matilda Ann Aston. 1993
An autobiography of the Australian poet, author and philanthropist who was blind by the age of seven. She describes her…
work for the blind, and her difficulties in gaining acceptance as a blind teacher. She also writes of her literary work and relates her experience as an Esperantist.Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance
By Mallory Weggemann. 2021
The Paralympic gold-medalist, world champion swimmer, ESPY winner, and NBC Sports commentator uses her extraordinary story to equip others to…
meet whatever challenges they face in life.On January 21, 2008, a routine medical procedure left Mallory Weggemann paralyzed from her waist down. Less than two years later, Mallory had broken eight world records, and by the 2012 Paralympic Games, she held fifteen world records and thirty-four American records. Two years later a devastating fall severely damaged her left arm, yet Mallory refused to give up. After two reconstructive surgeries and extended rehab, she won two golds and a silver at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships. And perhaps most significantly, she found confidence, independence, and persevering love as she walked down the aisle on her wedding day.Mallory's extraordinary resilience and uncompromising commitment to excellence are rooted in her resolve, perseverance, and sheer grit. In this remarkable new book, Mallory shares the lessons she learned by pushing past every obstacle, expectation, and limitation that stood in her way, including the need to:redefine limitations;remember that healing is not chronological;be willing to fail;and embrace your comeback.Mallory's story reminds us that whatever circumstances we face, we have the capacity to face down whatever challenges, labels, or difficulties confront us--and to do so on our own terms.Los increíbles
By Óscar Caro, Diego Rubio. 2019
La historia de dos superhéroes de la vida real La vida de Óscar Caro cambió por completo cuando Luis David,…
su hijo menor, sufrió dos eventos cardiorrespiratorios que le ocasionaron una parálisis cerebral a los seis meses de nacido. Al conocer la historia del Team Hoyt -un equipo en el que un padre corre maratones empujando la silla de ruedas de su hijo-, Luis David le propuso a su papá que persiguieran ese sueño y, así, Óscar decidió convertirse en atleta profesional a los cuarenta años para correr, nadar y pedalear cientos de kilómetros con su hijo al hombro. El Team Caro Wagner, como se hace llamar este equipo de superhéroes de la vida real, ha corrido maratones y triatlones en Colombia y en el exterior, y aunque el esfuerzo de terminar una competencia de estas es monumental, no es nada comparado con el que debe hacer una familia con un miembro en condición de discapacidad. Los Increíbles es el inspirador testimonio de un padre que hace hasta lo imposible por su hijo, y es también una historia que nos demuestra que es posible salir adelante, a pesar de las complicaciones que la vida nos presenta. Al comprar este libro, estás ayudando a los niños de la Fundación FIDEC, Luis David Caro Wagner.What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt
By Tessa Miller. 2021
"Should be read by anyone with a body. . . . Relentlessly researched and undeniably smart."—The New York TimesWhat Doesn't…
Kill You is the riveting account of a young journalist’s awakening to chronic illness, weaving together personal story and reporting to shed light on living with an ailment forever.Tessa Miller was an ambitious twentysomething writer in New York City when, on a random fall day, her stomach began to seize up. At first, she toughed it out through searing pain, taking sick days from work, unable to leave the bathroom or her bed. But when it became undeniable that something was seriously wrong, Miller gave in to family pressure and went to the hospital—beginning a years-long nightmare of procedures, misdiagnoses, and life-threatening infections. Once she was finally correctly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, Miller faced another battle: accepting that she will never get better.Today, an astonishing three in five adults in the United States suffer from a chronic disease—a percentage expected to rise post-Covid. Whether the illness is arthritis, asthma, Crohn's, diabetes, endometriosis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, or any other incurable illness, and whether the sufferer is a colleague, a loved one, or you, these diseases have an impact on just about every one of us. Yet there remains an air of shame and isolation about the topic of chronic sickness. Millions must endure these disorders not only physically but also emotionally, balancing the stress of relationships and work amid the ever-present threat of health complications.Miller segues seamlessly from her dramatic personal experiences into a frank look at the cultural realities (medical, occupational, social) inherent in receiving a lifetime diagnosis. She offers hard-earned wisdom, solidarity, and an ultimately surprising promise of joy for those trying to make sense of it all.Todo marcha sobre ruedas: Testimonio de un renacer
By María Paz Díaz. 2020
Testimonio de superación de la ex tenista paralímpica y modelo María Paz Díaz. A los dieciocho años, cuando regresaba de…
una fiesta, María Paz Díaz recibió un impacto de bala a la altura de la cintura que dañó parte de su médula espinal. El autor del disparo fue un gendarme que portaba su arma de servicio. «¿Por qué lo hizo?» es la gran pregunta que ella y sus familiares se hicieron, y que hasta el día de hoy se mantiene sin respuesta. Esa misma noche, y mientras luchaba por mantenerse con vida en el hospital de Talca, Marita supo que no volvería a caminar. Pese al dolor y a la impotencia, pese a las innumerables dificultades y sinsabores que tuvo que enfrentar, esta mujer, que ahora tiene 31 años, no se rindió y luchó cada día por tener una existencia luminosa y cumplir sus sueños. Con esfuerzo y tenacidad recobró su independencia, fue tenista paralímpica, modelo sobre ruedas y logró viajar por el mundo recogiendo experiencias. Ahora, a trece años de su accidente, ha decidido contar toda su verdad en este libro.The Clearing: A memoir of art, family and mental health
By Samantha Clark. 2020
This house has been a regular presence in my life for as long as I can remember. My heart has…
sunk a little every time I walk in . . .Samantha Clark enjoyed a busy career as an artist before returning home to Glasgow to take care of the house that her parents had left behind. Moving from room to room, sifting through the clutter of belongings, reflecting on her mother's long, sedated years of mental illness and her father's retreat to the world of amateur radio and model planes, Samantha began to contemplate her inheritance.A need for creativity and a desire for solitude had sprung up from a childhood shaped by anxiety and confusion. Weaving in the works and lives of others, including celebrated painter Agnes Martin and scientist of dark matter Vera Rubin, The Clearing is a powerful account of what we must do with the things we cannot know.'Samantha Clark writes on the subtle edge of words and thought. She renders the world within and the world of ideas with electric sensitivity and acute intelligence' Jay GriffithsPrivileged Hands
By Geerat Vermeij. 1997
You don't have to be blind to see
By Jim Stovall. 1996
In You Don't Have To Be Blind To See, Jim Stovall shows you how to choose a new path that…
will lead to success in every area of your life. This powerful, inspiring book will help you dream big dreams and define success for yourself. It will also give you the tools to make your dreams come true and succeed on your own terms.How Did You Get Here?: Students with Disabilities and Their Journeys to Harvard
By Thomas Hehir, Wendy S. Harbour, Laura A. Schifter. 2015
When their children were young, several parents interviewed in this book were told &“you can&’t expect much from your child.&”…
As they got older, the kids themselves often heard the same thing: that as children with disabilities, academic success would be elusive, if not impossible, for them. How Did You Get Here? clearly refutes these common, destructive assumptions. It chronicles the educational experiences—from early childhood through college—of sixteen students with disabilities and their paths to personal and academic success at Harvard University. The book explores common themes in their lives—including educational strategies, technologies, and undaunted intellectual ambitions—as well as the crucial roles played by parents, teachers, and other professionals. Above all, it provides a clear and candid account—in the voices of the students themselves—of what it takes to grapple effectively with the many challenges facing young people with disabilities. A compelling and practical book, How Did You Get Here?offers clear accounts not only of the challenges and biases facing young disabled students, but also of the opportunities they found, and created, on the way to academic and personal success.