'My heart has reshaped a thousand broken pieces, and for every moment I still want to heal him there are a thousand when I know he's perfect, exactly as he is'. This book will challenge your heart and change your views. Set between the summers of 1998 and 2005 in Cardiff, "Blue Sky July" is the true story of Nia, whose son Joe suffers a devastating brain injury. Through her intimate day-by-day musings, the book explores the impact of the tragedy on Nia's home life, love life, friendships and connection to the world, as the most extraordinary relationship unfolds between herself and Joe. Lyrical, inspiring and utterly compelling, Nia Wyn's powerful yet acutely sensitive account of her experiences will make an indelible impression on all who read it. A testament to the power of a mother's unconditional love for her son, "Blue Sky July" is a book that deserves to be read by everyone.

This book was written with the intention of promoting awareness of intellectual disabilities and Special Olympics. Intellectual disabilities affects many lives and it is the author's hope that by using this easy-to-read picture-book format she will acquaint children with other children who have physical or mental handicaps that make them appear different. She wants to make children's early experiences with the handicapped good ones, so that throughout life, they will accept everyone "just as they are." The wording used throughout this story keeps the reader focused on the fact that children who appear different are still "children just like them." Amanda, Just the way I am brings to light the issues handicapped persons face from a child's point of view. This book gives adults and children a perfect tool for understanding each others' differences and similarities.

Deciding to have laser vision correction may be one of the most important decisions of your life. With the increasing popularity of this procedure, it is imperative to be fully informed of both the risks and the benefits of this potentially life changing operation.

An eye surgeon for thirty years, author Dr. Julius Shulman has performed nearly a thousand laser vision procedures. In this completely revised edition, Dr. Shulman guides you through the myriad decisions you must make to see if laser vision correction is right for you.

In clear, easy-to-understand language, Dr. Shulman reveals key points in the decision-making process that may be critical for success: Who is and is not a good candidate for laser vision correction Which of the three main laser vision correction operations may be best for you Risks and possible complications of laser vision correction What to expect on surgery day How to get out of reading glasses

Let "No More Glasses" be your definitive information source for laser corrective surgery

On his 18th birthday, Ryan Knighton was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a congenital, progressive disease marked by night-blindness, tunnel vision and, eventually, total blindness. In this penetrating, nervy memoir, which ricochets between meditation and black comedy, Knighton tells the story of his fifteen-year descent into blindness while incidentally revealing the world of the sighted in all its phenomenal peculiarity. Knighton learns to drive while unseeing; has his first significant relationship--with a deaf woman; navigates the punk rock scene and men's washrooms; learns to use a cane; and tries to pass for seeing while teaching English to children in Korea. Stumbling literally and emotionally into darkness, into love, into couch-shopping at Ikea, into adulthood, and into truce if not acceptance of his identity as a blind man, his writerly self uses his disability to provide a window onto the human condition. His experience of blindness offers unexpected insights into sight and the other senses, culture, identity, language, our fears and fantasies. Cockeyed is not a conventional confessional. Knighton is powerful and irreverent in words and thought and impatient with the preciousness we've come to expect from books on disability. Readers will find it hard to put down this wild ride around their everyday world with a wicked, smart, blind guide at the wheel.

After 20 years of research, leading otolaryngologist Dr. Michael Seidman has developed a breakthrough all natural alternative treatment program to battle hearing loss safely and effectively. Using a specifi c combination of antioxidants, diet, exercise, and basic lifestyle changes, Dr. Seidman's program can help to prevent--and possibly reverse--hearing loss. The book offers a simple self-assessment test that identifies the type, severity, and prognosis of hearing loss, comprehensive advice on diet and supplements, and natural remedies and important lifestyle changes that can make a difference. This is the ultimate resource providing answers--and hope--to the millions of hearing impaired.

Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

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.

Already established as the author of the standard work for parents of Down Syndrome children, Cliff Cunningham has now produced the definitive study in this field. Practical and helpful, its sympathetic and understanding approach covers all the questions parents ask about the causes, characteristics and diagnosis of Down Syndrome and includes the difficult issues around prenatal tests. Cliff Cunningham deals with the early reactions and feelings that parents may have and how the family adapt and cope when a child is diagnosed. He explores the mental, motor and social development of children with Down Syndrome, from birth to adulthood. Cliff Cunningham has established a study of over 160 children born with Down Syndrome and followed their progress into adulthood, the largest survey of its type ever carried out.

Before his motorcycle accident, Travis saw himself becoming a pro football player. Now, paralyzed from the nipple down, he says, "At times it's a pain in the ass-literally and figuratively. But it allows me to not be as threatening to some people the way I was when] I was still an athlete. Because a lot of times male interaction is done on the basis of pissing contests: I'm bigger, I'm tougher, I'm stronger, I'm smarter. When you're in a chair, they don't look at you like that." At the same time, Travis complains that many people are uncomfortable interacting with him because of his disability. "I would rather you make a mistake and deal with me than not deal with me at all."
Meghan is a high-level quadriplegic, living alone, who uses a power wheelchair and requires daily attendant care. She laments, "There are so many people who think we're asexual, we're not pretty, and we're creeps and weirdoes." To dispel this myth, she envisions a fashion show of women in wheelchairs parading down a runway. Meghan has been involved in a number of sexual relationships since sustaining her injury. While she doesn't think her disability has diminished her sexual pleasure, she feels that it has affected her sexual performance: "Well, you can't move it. You can't, like, bump and grind."

In 32 unusually frank in-depth interviews like these, the men and women in this book freely discuss their sex lives, their beliefs about God, how they want others to treat them, and whether they want to walk again. In each chapter the author presents their complex voices and comprehensive research about different facets of spinal cord injury (SCI).

"Wheeling and Dealing" explores the extent to which people with spinal cord injury locate their challenges in their physical impairments or in the social environment. Some disagree with those disability activists who focus almost exclusively on the latter, but the author examines this issue in depth.

Topics include:
--Physical health from degrees of loss of function to problems like pressure sores, temperature regulation, and bladder control.
--The stages of psychological adjustment and rehabilitation.
--Obstacles to sexual intimacy, treatment of erectile dysfunction, and new sources of sexual pleasure and emotional intimacy.
--Religion and spirituality.
--Social and political beliefs, with those with SCI weighing in on everything from welfare services to embryonic stem cell research.
--Dating, marriage, and parenting.
--Friendship networks and social supports; concerns about transportation and accessibility; stigma.
--Education, employment, and economic consequences.

This book is the recipient of the 2004 Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Prize from Vanderbilt University Press for the best project in the area of medicine.

Before his motorcycle accident, Travis saw himself becoming a pro football player. Now, paralyzed from the nipple down, he says, "At times it's a pain in the ass-literally and figuratively. But it allows me to not be as threatening to some people the way I was when] I was still an athlete. Because a lot of times male interaction is done on the basis of pissing contests: I'm bigger, I'm tougher, I'm stronger, I'm smarter. When you're in a chair, they don't look at you like that." At the same time, Travis complains that many people are uncomfortable interacting with him because of his disability. "I would rather you make a mistake and deal with me than not deal with me at all."
Meghan is a high-level quadriplegic, living alone, who uses a power wheelchair and requires daily attendant care. She laments, "There are so many people who think we're asexual, we're not pretty, and we're creeps and weirdoes." To dispel this myth, she envisions a fashion show of women in wheelchairs parading down a runway. Meghan has been involved in a number of sexual relationships since sustaining her injury. While she doesn't think her disability has diminished her sexual pleasure, she feels that it has affected her sexual performance: "Well, you can't move it. You can't, like, bump and grind."

In 32 unusually frank in-depth interviews like these, the men and women in this book freely discuss their sex lives, their beliefs about God, how they want others to treat them, and whether they want to walk again. In each chapter the author presents their complex voices and comprehensive research about different facets of spinal cord injury (SCI).

"Wheeling and Dealing" explores the extent to which people with spinal cord injury locate their challenges in their physical impairments or in the social environment. Some disagree with those disability activists who focus almost exclusively on the latter, but the author examines this issue in depth.

Topics include:
--Physical health from degrees of loss of function to problems like pressure sores, temperature regulation, and bladder control.
--The stages of psychological adjustment and rehabilitation.
--Obstacles to sexual intimacy, treatment of erectile dysfunction, and new sources of sexual pleasure and emotional intimacy.
--Religion and spirituality.
--Social and political beliefs, with those with SCI weighing in on everything from welfare services to embryonic stem cell research.
--Dating, marriage, and parenting.
--Friendship networks and social supports; concerns about transportation and accessibility; stigma.
--Education, employment, and economic consequences.

This book is the recipient of the 2004 Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Prize from Vanderbilt University Press for the best project in the area of medicine.

Why do some spinal cord injury survivors succeed after injury and others spiral into inactivity and depression? Richard Holicky, himself a survivor, profiles 53 people and comes up with answers.

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.

Inside this book are reflections on the nature of vision and blindness. Further, there are explorations of interpretive research, and presentations of some seminal and contemporary publications in the field of blindness. The other major fodder for conversation with you the reader is an elaborated example of empirical research entitled Blind Online Learners. Each element of this inquiry is explicitly reflected upon as an example of interpretive research. This book is intended for four intersecting groups of readers. If you are a philosopher, closet or sanctioned, then you cannot ponder the nature of being without due consideration for vision, and cannot contemplate the role of seeing in our lives without listening to the stories of those who are blind. The tales within this text are particularly contemporaneous because they are contextualized by the cyber-phenomena of online learning. This segues to the second group of readers, as the described empirical research was originally intended to bring greater depth and breadth of understanding to the field of educational technology, particularly as it intersects with disability studies. There is a paucity of published literature that has inquired into disabled online learners, and this research study responds to that call. Third, this book may be used as a textbook on approaches to interpretive empirical research. It is as close as one may come to a recipe, walking students through a specific example. Because it is situated in actual empirical research, the intention was that it avoid the trap of being prescriptive or formulaic. Finally, the text is intended for readers interested in the field of blindness. The text reviews some of the seminal and contemporary research on blindness, and then presents an elaborated example of what we can and should expect to emerge in the knowledge production industry, changing what it means to be blind.

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.

This book is about enduring the many challenges of life with a handicap. The challenge is choosing to go on and live your life in spite of. Even though you may not like the tasks or understand them fully that are before you, you will learn to endure them. You will read many times I did not like what I was enduring, but I went through them and it has worked for my good. This book will help you recognize the "Goodness of God" in the midst of and after your challenges. This book will help you to know that inspite of a disability you can still have strength to accomplish your goals in life if you have Christ because the scripture says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4: 13

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,

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 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.

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

Author Marios Kyriazis brings a wealth of medical expertise to one of the most important breakthroughs in recent times to help combat a disease called senile cataract, which affects one in five people over the age of fifty-five. In the past, the only treatment available for this chronic condition was painful and potentially dangerous surgery to remove the cataract. Other treatments are now available, specifically, the new Russian breakthrough N-acetylcarnosine. In clinical trials, this treatment has shown dramatic and impressive results in treating age-related cataracts. The Cataract Cure also covers other associated eye disorders including: Glaucoma; Macular Degeneration; Infection of the cornea; Dry eye syndrome; Computer vision syndrome; Eyestrain; and Blurred vision. The Cataract Cure is an essential resource for those cataract sufferers who are looking for an alternative treatment and want to avoid eye surgery. The answer to curing senile cataract is clear - don't lose sight of it

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.

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.