The development and promotion of appropriate services for students with disabilities has been an integral part of the academic library since the 1990s. There remains, however, a dearth of literature-in marketing, library and information science, and other disciplines-that applies quality assessment instruments to existing programs. With this in mind, Hernon and Calvert present two versions of a data collection instrument, designed to compare the expectations of special students with their perceptions of how well a given service met their needs. Descriptions of successful initiatives at a variety of academic libraries are also included. Adaptive technologies. Anti-discrimination laws. Equity and compliance issues. In-house policies (and politics). All of these support, in one form or another, the development and promotion of appropriate services for students with physical, learning, or, increasingly, psychological disabilities. But what of service quality? To date, there is a dearth of literature-in marketing, library and information science, and other disciplines-that applies quality assessment instruments to programs for special student populations. Not until now has anyone compared the expectations of such students with their perceptions of how well a given service meets their needs. Peter Hernon, Philip Calvert, and their colleagues-Kathleen Rogers, Todd K. Herriott, and Ava Gibson-discuss the circumstances affecting services for the disabled, and provide two versions of a data collection instrument, loosely based on SERVQUAL, that individual institutions can modify to reflect their particular needs and situations. International in scope, it incorporates the perspective of university attorneys and compliance officers, as well as descriptions of successful initiatives by senior library administrators in the U.S. (Larry Hardesty, Rush G. Miller, Sarah Hamrick, and Jennifer Lann) and New Zealand (Helen Renwick, Philip Jane, and John Redmayne.) Improving the Quality of Library Services for Students with Disabilities will assist libraries and other service components of academic institutions to adopt a proactive position, as well as challenge staff assumptions of service expectations and information needs.

100 Questions & Answers About Autism: Expert Advice from a Physician/Parent Caregiver focuses on issues of critical importance to those who love and care for autistic children and adults. This book gives you authoritative, practical answers to the most common questions about autism, including causes, diagnosis, treatment options, sources of support, and much more. Written by a physician who is the parent of an autistic child, this text combines the author's medical knowledge, extensive research, and personal experience. The text is supplemented with thoughts and comments from other parents of autistic children, making this an invaluable resource for all loved ones of people coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of autism.

This personal account details the pioneering attempt to train miniature ponies to guide the blind. Training tiny ponies to ride escalators, safely guide the blind through urban traffic, and tolerate flight in the passenger cabin of a commercial airliner are among the challenges discussed with humor and drama. This work tells the compelling story of how animal and human cooperation has provided a new assistance alternative for the blind.

This New Zealand book was written by Max Crarer of Wairoa while in his mid-70's. It tells the true story of how several years earlier he accidentally healed his Glaucoma (of 12 years standing) by the use of minerals and vitamins. Max was well known to listeners of Radio Pacific and shared his story with them before writing this book. There appears to be no other book like this in the world. Max Crarer's combination of herbs, vitamins and minerals have helped thousands. Following his healing, Max researched eye healings by studying the findings of eye researchers from all around the world. Since then, through his own experience and the numerous personal experiences of others and his Radio Pacific listeners, he has discovered a combination of herbs, minerals and vitamins that have helped thousands of NZ sufferers of various eye complaints. He calls this natural course of treatment 'Triple Therapy' as it combines the three effects of herbs, minerals and vitamins. This book reveals the full Triple Therapy treatment.

This guide provides an overview of the approaches and strategies to improve job opportunities for disabled jobseekers. It is intended for vocational guidance and placement personnel in mainstream and specialist employment services in governmental and non-governmental organizations. It is a useful resource for personnel experienced in providing such services to disabled people and for those new to the task as well as policy-makers in labour administration.

A practical handbook for adults suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder combines insights from others with the condition with helpful suggestions and advice that explain how to identify one's individual strengths and weaknesses, find the right career path, improve communication, follow through and complete projects, and track appointments, time,

Written by nationally known leaders in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities, Core Curriculum contains easy-to-read, comprehensive information on health concerns for persons of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Designed for classroom use and self-study, the text is presented in a straightforward outline format, with extensive resources and references throughout. The authors address the most important health issues affecting this population, and the subsequent management of these issues.

The trauma of brain injury affects many people besides the injured one, and this book offers hope to all of them. A guide to psychological recovery after the loss and upheaval that follow such an event, this book is full of new ideas and experience -- something many survivors and their caregivers have run out of. In clear language and with easy-to-follow exercises, the authors lead the reader through the four stages of psychological recovery: becoming more self-aware, recovering emotionally, thinking in new ways, and changing behaviour.

We have all been there: not feeling good about ourselves and not feeling whole. But at some point you must accept what has happened to you and move on. But how do you accept what you think may be unacceptable?

"Laugh or Cry: Finding the Lighter Side of disabilities" will hopefully, put a smile on your face and laughter in your heart. It was written with all readers in mind because my associate and I both have disabilities, and if we are able to find humor in our circumstances, perhaps we can help others also find some acceptance and relief in difficult times. We have put together some essays and anecdotes that hopefully will show all readers that humor IS the best medicine. After all, sooner or later we will all face some disability.

So, whether you have a disability or not, this book was written for you. If you do, we show how humor has helped us overcome our hardships and frustrations, and for the temporarily able-bodied, we want to show you how you too can find humor in your situation; whatever it may be or become.

Offers parents of children with disabilities inspiration and advice from those whove been there

Reflections from a Different Journey presents 40 stories by successful adults who grew up with disabilities. They provide insights into what it is like to persevere in the face of community prejudices, and what it takes for families and children with disabilities to work together toward fulfillment.

While there are many books for parents on raising a child with a disability, this is the first to help them learn from people with disabilities, and to help children face the unique challenges and rewards of growing up with a disability. Reflections from a Different Journey will also encourage and inspire older children and adults with disabilities, other family members, and education and health care professionals who serve these families.

While much has been written about dyslexia and literacy, little has been written about dyslexia and counselling. Good counselling remediates problems in relationships. Good teaching remediates problems in literacy. When the principles of effective counselling combine with the principles of effective literacy teaching, then dyslexia becomes not only manageable but potent, a source of individual strength and wisdom.

This book is designed to be a practical resource for busy counsellors and therapists working with dyslexic clients in the time-constrained world of modern therapy. It is also a reference for anyone who is interested in the counselling perspective on dyslexia: parents, teachers and anyone working in, for example primary care or the social services.

A resource for parents, caregivers, and counselors. What measures can parents and advocates take to insure that people who have mental retardation live full, rewarding lives from infancy to old age? Understanding Mental Retardation explores a diverse group of disorders from their biological roots to the everyday challenges faced by this special population and their families. With parents and those who care for people who have mental retardation in mind, Patricia Ainsworth and Pamela C. Baker write in a style that is at once accessible, informative, and sympathetic to the concerns of those affected. The authors provide practical information that will assist families and other advocates in obtaining needed services. They discuss assessment and treatment, education and employment, social and sexual adjustment, as well as regulatory and legal issues. This book covers the causes of mental retardation, the signs and symptoms of the most common forms of these disorders, and issues of prevention. For the sake of comparison, the book describes basic concepts of normal human development and references the history of Western civilization's responses to those with mental retardation. Understanding Mental Retardation sheds new light on mental illnesses that can complicate the lives of those with mental retardation, and the way symptoms of mental illness may appear confused or masked in a patient with mental retardation. Along with information on treatments and diagnoses, the book offers contact information for governmental resources, as well as a brief summary of the legal issues pertaining to mental retardation in America.

The most common complex birth defect, spina bifida affects approximately one out of every 1,000 children born in the United States. In this comprehensive guide, Dr. Adrian Sandler offers a wealth of useful information on the medical, developmental, and psychological aspects of this condition. Accurate, accessible, and up-to-date, "Living with Spina Bifida" is written especially for families and professionals who care for children, adolescents, and adults with spina bifida. This edition contains a new preface by the author, addressing recent developments in spina bifida research and treatment, as well as an updated list of spina bifida associations.

"This book will be very useful for hearing aid users and their families. It helps demystify many of the uncertainties surrounding the purchase of hearing aids, and is written in a highly readable style." --David Fabry, past president, American Academy of Audiology Approximately 10 percent of Americans (nearly one-third of people age seventy and older) have some degree of hearing loss that, if left untreated, causes frustration, isolation, and depression. A hearing aid is a simple tool to improve careers, relationships, and self-esteem, and to provide independence and security. Yet of the nearly thirty million people with hearing impairment, only about 20 percent choose to use one. This is true despite the fact that technological advances have enabled hearing aids to address a greater range of hearing losses, while making them smaller, better designed, and easier to use than those of the past. Overcoming Hearing Aid Fears can help readers take that first step to a better life. Audiologist John M. Burkey addresses common fears, concerns, and misconceptions about this topic. He provides practical information about hearing aid styles, options, and costs. His experience in caring for more than 50,000 patients will help people with hearing loss address their concerns. The book also helps family and friends understand why a loved one migh resist getting a hearing aid, and offers tips on counseling. Audiologists will find this text an important educational tool in advising their own patients. John M. Burkey is the director of audiology and speech at the Lippy Group for Ear, Nose, and Throat in Warren, Ohio. He is coauthor with his colleagues at the Lippy Group of Hearing Better: Understanding Your Hearing and Ear Care Options.

Baffled by your new inability to hear? Know someone who is? Then "I've Lost My WHAT: A Practical Guide to Life After Deafness" is for you. It talks about assistive devices, the psychology of adult-onset deafness, communication, relationships, cochlear implants, hearing aids, the Americans with Disabilities Act, telephone use, and daily life for people who've gone deaf post-lingually.

"This book should be required reading for anyone who's lost their hearing or works with late-deafened individuals. "I've Lost My WHAT" could very well be the late-deafened adult's Bible."--Michele Bornert, Late-deafened freelance writer

"A top-notch reference for those who become deaf."--Mary Clark, former executive director, Hearing Loss Link

"Shawn learned all this stuff the hard way. Now he's making sure you won't have to do it too."--Cheryl Heppner, Exec. Dir. Northern Virginia Resource, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons

This book was written primarily for vocational rehabilitation counselors. It is expected that it will assist them in planning better rehabilitation programs. The need for awareness of the psychological adjustment mechanisms of the physically disabled is not confined to the counselor, however, and it is hoped that physicians, social workers, psychologists, and placement specialists may profit from the contents of this publication. The cooperation and coordination of the various specialties is the most important element today in providing rehabilitation services for the disabled whereby they may take their rightful place as contributing members of society.

I have worked extensively with Dr. Silver educating people on how to win the battle over osteoarthritis. His book will be of tremendous value to the people trying to combat this disease.
--Joe Namath

Expert advice from the arthritis specialist who keeps athletes in the game and at their best

For every active person sidelined by the pain of arthritis, whether a would-be weekend softball champion or potential marathon runner, rheumatologist Dr. David Silver offers a game plan for getting back in the action.

Dr. Silver is the clinical chief of rheumatology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center and consultant to a roster of celebrities and athletes. Dr. Silver has developed a pain reduction program specifically designed for active people.

In Playing Through Arthritis, he shares his plan for maintaining an athletic lifestyle by combining exercise, nutrition, the latest medications, and the best alternative therapies.

Key features include:

• Unique focus on those among the 43 million arthritis sufferers who are physically active
  
• Targeted exercises to dramatically lessen pain and stiffness in specific joints
  
• Expert medical advice on nutrition, medications, and alternative therapies
  

"Disability: a Life Course Approach" provides students and teachers with easy access to many of the most important current disability issues and debates. It provides a clearly focused account, and bridges some important gaps in the existing disability literature by including issues relevant to disabled people of all ages. If offers a unique approach to understanding disabling societies in a systematic way, using a novel life course approach.

This book examines how contemporary societies organise and control generational boundaries and progression through the life course for disabled people. There are specific chapters on birthrights and eugenics, childhood, youth transitions, interdependence and adulthood, old age and death and dying. The emphasis is on contemporary policy and politics (located within a broader sociological and cultural context) including the claims and struggles of the disabled people's movement. The discussion is framed within a social model approach and draws extensively on contemporary international debates about the citizenship and human rights of disabled people.

The book functions both as a resource guide and as a tool for learning. The various chapters include reviews of existing literature and theoretical debates, alongside specific examples of disabling policies and practices in different countries. There are also case studies illustrating key issues, together with relevant discussion and teaching points, and suggestions for further research and reading.

The book addresses an international readership and will be of particular interest to students and teachers of disability studies, sociology, human development, social policy;to professionals and students within rehabilitation and social work; and to disabled people and lay readers with an interest in contemporary disability issues and debates.

This work contains two smaller related works. In the Lost Senses: Deafness, the author, having become deaf at the age of twelve, pens this book as a record of his experience. It is not his intention to refer to the events or studies of his life, but to use them to bring out the points and peculiarities of the deaf condition. He selects only those events which arise from, which illustrate, or which are in any remarkable way connected with his deafness. Also found in this volume is the Lost Senses: Blindness. In this book, Mr. Kitto compares deafness to blindness. He includes some notable deaf and blind persons, discussing how they have overcome the loss of their sight and hearing. Also found within are several famous musicians, poets, divines, philosophers and travelers, all of which are incredible blind figures in our history.

Eyes. They are two of our most precious assets. And everybody wants them to work perfectly. I know I do. When they don't, life becomes proportionally more difficult to the degree that they don't work. Thanks to modern technology, though, much can be done to help the weaker and diseased eye. But is modern technology the end-all of eye treatment? I hardly think so. People have been dealing with eye problems since the earliest days of his creation, and eyeglasses, contacts, and laser surgery are all relatively new. Now, don't get me wrong. Many of the latest advances in eye treatment are absolutely marvelous and we'll be discussing some of those in this report. Because if you don't have a particular eye problem now, there's a good chance you probably will somewhere down the road. If you decided to wait until you have the problem, it may be too late. And a little prevention goes a long way. Our eyesight will deteriorate with age: Decreased visual acuity and the need for glasses, cataracts, and eventually macular degeneration are an inevitable part of the aging process in most people. That isn't a pleasant thought, but it is reality. I've included in this book information about how the eye works, brief descriptions of various common eye conditions, traditional remedies to eye problems, and a few simple suggestions that may help you maintain your eyesight for years to come. - William Campbell Douglass II, MD

This book is a story of how a family copes with a son and a brother who has been afflicted with cerebral palsy. It also suggests some ideas for seeking help for any child with this frustrating disease.

From the author of the highly successful Maybe You Know My Kid comes a desperately needed follow-up–the first comprehensive guide for dealing with the unique challenges of raising an adolescent with ADHD.

Adolescence is a tumultuous turning point for everyone, but for teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, it can be especially challenging, and for some of their parents, downright terrifying. Predictably, stress ensues over inconsistent or poor school performance and over inevitable decisions regarding higher education and life after high school. Adolescents with ADHD get more traffic tickets, have higher school-expulsion and drop-out rates, and are more likely to experiment with alcohol and drugs.

Maybe You Know My Teen brims with management strategies for parents new to ADHD as well as those who have coped with it throughout their child’s life. Explaining the roots of the disorder clearly and extensively, while discussing situations most likely to cause symptoms to manifest themselves, ADHD authority Mary Fowler presents step-by-step advice, along with in-depth personal stories and first-person advice from leading experts in the field. This is the one-of-a-kind lifesaver thousands have been awaiting.