Our intention in writing this book is to provide three distinct but closely related groups with insight into the factors required to help a blind child attain his/her maximum level of cognitive abilities. The first group consists of parents who face the day to day reality of helping their blind child deal with the challenges imposed by the lack of sight. The second group consists of beginning and future professionals who will find themselves deeply involved with providing social, psychological, and educational support of these parents. The third group includes friends, family, and others who are not and will not be on the front lines of working with blind children, but who are interested in understanding the issues for their own reasons. There are many articles and books available that discuss the various aspects of the development of both sighted and blind children from almost every possible perspective related to the factors that impact the learning and developmental processes of children. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these have been written by professionals to professionals, using the jargon of the author's chosen field of study. As a result, people who are not part of the "in groups" often find these publications hard to understand, boring, or both. In this book, we do not aim to provide any new insights to established professionals or other individuals who are knowledgeable in this area. Rather, our purpose is to translate the knowledge provided by these professionals into ideas and concepts that can be readily understood and applied by parents, teachers, and other caregivers of blind children. Throughout the book, we will be dealing with highly specialized concepts and theories of education, psychology, and human development. We have done our best to translate the professional and academic jargon into what most people would call "simple English. Throughout the text, we have provided our definitions of key terms as we have come to understand and apply those terms. We recognize that others may have different interpretations for the same terms, and we do not dispute that their definitions serve their particular purposes.

When Deb Willows was diagnosed with cerebral palsy 50 years ago, her parents were advised to "put her in an institution and get on with your lives." Experts believed parents were incapable of raising disabled children. But God had other plans. Deb's parents challenged her to see her severe limitations as opportunities, to dream big dreams and to work hard to accomplish them. Overcoming many challenges, Deb has blazed the trail for other disabled people, representing Canada around the world as a Paralympian and the first disabled boccia ball referee. Her story is one of hope and inspiration for everyone who has a dream they want to achieve but with obstacles to overcome. Deb Willows has truly lived beyond her circumstances and demonstrates that with God's help we can all accomplish great things Deb represented Canada numerous times on the world stage in swimming, slalom, wheelchair soccer and boccia. At her first international boccia event (New York, 1984), she won a bronze medal in the women's CP1 category. She competed at the 1988 Paralympic Games and set a Canadian and world record in the 50m backstroke at the 1986 Paralympic Games. In 1990, Debbie broke this record at Assen, and then demonstrated slalom for the Queen of Holland.

Meet Marty, a very special seven -year old boy who is just like any other boy, except that he has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair. Unfortunately, some people just ignore Marty because they cannot see anything beyond his wheel chair and do not take the time to realize how special he really is,

Marty loves to create art, likes animals and enjoys going to the beach; he even won a very special Gold Medal because of his determination. Meet Marty and you will never forget how big of a heart he has and how special he really is

For several decades, the University of Calgary, Canada, housed an otherwise community-based service for people with dual diagnoses: developmental delay, plus a behavioural disorder. The mandate of "The Behaviour Support Team" was to support clients who were transitioning from institutions into community living. The Team was for many years considered the agency of last resort. Virtually all people who were receiving service were diagnosed with a mental health disorder, along with a second disabling condition; for example, visual impairment, brain injury, genetic skin disorders, deafness (not always considered a disability) and many others, coupled with an intellectual challenge. As practitioners, we were expected to offer support groups along with individual counselling as well as outreach support. Drama groups were a hit, and this book tells the evolutionary story of the ultimate development of a theatre company, mandated to tell the stories, and to provide the thrilling opportunity for its "actors" to experience the spotlight This book, complete with scripts, takes a political stance, which is not always easy for some readers to accept. Herein lays some of its appeal as the narrative, at times, challenges the rehabilitation and theatre communities. This fact, coupled with the reality that the artistic director has a disability of her own, makes for an interesting, if not edgy, yet educational read. The book provides theoretic considerations, which are often contradictory, but virtually always controversial where mental health is concerned. Theoretic considerations are contrasted and compared to feminism, shamanism (depicted by turtle on the book cover; more specifically trickster, depicted by coyote), and trends in rehabilitation within a Canadian context. The final draft of the book goes on to include some American context provided by my theatre colleague Leslie Fanelli, who began similar work within the disability theatre movement on the other side of the continent, decades before we had the pleasure of meeting. The reader will also find practical application and instruction for the development of three levels of theatre experience for acting enthusiasts. In essence the stories gleaned from the chapters and accompanying scripts, speak of our inherent right to creative expression, one which is often denied those who are differently able.

Essential Elements in Early Intervention is a complete sourcebooks and guide for early interventionists, teachers of students with visual impairments, and other professionals who work with young children with visual impairments, dual sensory impairments, and multiple disabilities. It includes comprehensive information on vision and hearing examinations, functional vision and hearing assessments, and effective methods of providing early intervention services. The new edition includes expanded, updated information on federal special education legislation, best practices in early intervention, evidence-based outcomes, and the role of the early interventionist, as well as strategies for working with families and educational teams successfully.

The second edition of this popular and classic text, now updated for the 21st century, provides a complete manual for the beginning O&M instructor that serves as a reference for the experienced practitioner as well. An invaluable guide for teaching travel techniques to students of all ages, the second edition of The Art and Science of Teaching Orientation and Mobility provides step-by-step presentations of each O&M technique and describes in detail how to individualize and teach each one; outlines the scope and sequence of a complete O&M curriculum; offers a guiding philosophy as well as principles and strategies for effective teaching; includes a new chapter on assessment and provides more extensive content on today's more challenging traffic environment.

The use of active echolocation is growing in popularity as a perceptual mobility tool for the blind and visually impaired. As more scientific research is compiled the skepticism around the skill is slowly fading away and making way for accelerated development and implementation of this unique tool.

Echolocation is a fundamentally simple skill that many blind people use daily to navigate and understand their environment on a broad scale. With proper implementation, however it can be used to identify precise distance, sizes, shapes, edges and even the density of surrounding objects. This skill is sometimes misunderstood, but it's far more realistic and much easier than you may think.

The author demystifies the growing practice of active echolocation in a way that anyone can understand, and gives the reader simple exercises, examples, and lessons as a starting point for launching you into a successful practice of active echolocation.

Sound waves - like ripples in a pond - reflect differently off of all objects and surfaces. This makes it possible for the trained ear to distinguish shape, size, distance and material of our surroundings. Musicians will tell you that "reverb" causes each room or surface to have its own unique sound response. With sensitization and applied practice of this skill, it's possible for people with visual impairments all over the world to become increasingly independent, supplementing their existing forms of orientation and mobility with the intrinsic awareness that echolocation can provide.

Echolocation requires no special equipment nor any special talent. The human body and mind are truly marvels of nature that grant us with capabilities you may never know you had. If you can hear, you can echolocate.

Understanding the simplicity of this skill will allow you to shift your way of thinking to accommodate an expanded awareness of your environment. With this awareness comes independence, confidence, new possibilities and new opportunities.

Jewel at 33 is a Princess in her own right.
She's a fun-loving, demanding Diva who loves to shop as much she loves to write. Jewel is the apple of everyone's eye--be it her doting family, her doctor for her never-ending bowel issues, her pushy book editor and especially her frugal husband's soft spot. So, what's Jewel 's weakness? Her pet dogs: Snowie and Dolly. Particularly, naughty Snowie who is known to pee wherever he fancies--including Dolly's face
For Jewel, her physical disability doesn't dampen her spirits. Rather, it enhances them. She gets to use an unusual fashion accessory (Imagine: A hot pink elbow crutch.) She gets out of doing housework. She gets carried up-and-down stairs like a Princess a la command. Jewel may be horribly messy, terrible with numbers and a workaholic, but nobody can imagine life without her. Not that she would let them, anyway She has a big mouth, remember?
About the Author
Once a teen runaway, Jewel Kats is now a self-made Diva. Her closet is stuffed with fashion and beauty accessories.She's overcome sexual abuse, disabilities, you name it... Jewel interned in the TV studio of Entertainment Tonight Canada. She appeared in a documentary series by the Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada) in 2012.
Learn more at www.DitzabledPrincess.com
From Marvelous Spirit Press www.MarvelousSpirit.com

Oliver Medhurst sustained a traumatic head-injury in 1982, leaving him without speech or functional movement, but mentally unimpaired. This anthology of documents generated by his father over a thirty-year period illustrates the challenges the family have tried to confront in their son's care, treatment and education. All royalties from this book will be donated to the Oliver Medhurst Wheelchair Fund.

A groundbreaking memoir about love, disability and perseverance, Ink in the Wheels: Stories to Make Love Roll is the unlikely story of Barton and Megan Cutter, and their journey to build a successful marriage despite others expectations. Barton Cutter, who has Cerebral Palsy never expected to fall in love, never mind getting married, and Megan was still grieving over the loss of a relationship and the death of her mother. Until now, there have been few accounts of a couple that addresses the themes of disability, intimacy, and marriage. Ink in the Wheels: Stories to Make Love Roll delves into themes of family influences and dynamics, creating external and internal support networks, direct support staff and the balance of caregiving, losing faith in one another and themselves-and finding it again.

Learning to Listen/Listening to Learn is the first comprehensive work to address the systematic development of skills in listening for and interpreting auditory information for students who are blind or visually impaired. Listening skills are a crucial but often-overlooked area of instruction for children who are visually impaired and may have multiple disabilities, essential to literacy, independent travel, and sensory and cognitive development. Chock full of practical strategies, this volume examines the development of and instruction in learning skills at different ages, from infancy through high school. It also addresses listening skills in orientation and mobility and the needs of children with multiple disabilities, hearing impairment, and learning disabilities, as well as English language learners. Appendixes provide a Listening Skills Continuum chart and a checklist to use in assessment.

1912. A handbook for teachers and for self instruction. Nitchie, principal of the New York School for the Hard-of-Hearing, has embodied both his system and methods into this book, which is the result of years of study, and of experience in teaching. They were all carefully worked out, even to the smallest detail, and arranged in accordance with the newest psychological principles. In fact, the book has been pronounced psychologically perfect. Partial Contents: The Eye as a Substitute for Deaf Ears; Teaching Aims; To the Friends of the Deaf; Conversation Practice; How to Use Stories; The Study of the Movements; Vowels; Consonants; Word Practice; Sentence Practice; Mirror Practice; and more.

Wendy on Wheels Saves the Day takes Wendy on an extraordinary adventure. After seeing a superhero movie on television, Wendy is motivated to bring smiles and laughs to her friends and children in need. Aimed towards children between the ages of three and ten, Wendy on Wheels Saves the Day is sure to put a smile on your child's face. With discussion questions at the end, this book is an excellent teaching resource for children of all abilities. Wendy on Wheels Saves the Day is the highly anticipated third book in the Wendy on Wheels series, following Wendy on Wheels Goes to the Beach and Wendy on Wheels Goes to the Zoo.

A volume in Critical Concerns in Blindness Series Editor Edward C. Bell, Louisiana Tech University All parents hope for an independent future for their blind/visually impaired child. To turn that hope into a reality, parents need to understand the scope of skill development that must be addressed, along with the importance of equal expectations for the child's development, proper training, and opportunity to practice and develop skills. But what if expectations are low, training in blindness skills is scanty or even absent, and overprotection prevents the blind/VI child from learning and practicing skills? The idea of an independent future can remain a distant dream. The purpose of this book is to guide parents and teachers in fostering the blind/visually impaired child's skill development in such critical areas as academics, independent movement and travel, social interaction, daily living, and self-advocacy, so that he or she will truly be on the road to an independent future. A practical, easy to use guide, written in plain English, the book warns about common problem areas and provides ideas for getting and keeping the child's education and development on track. It highlights the interplay between skills and competence, confidence, self-respect, and the respect of others. Of the small number of books and videos available on the subject, most were written by professionals in the field and many begin with the supposition that blindness is at best sad and at worst tragic. Few --maybe none --have the ardent passion for independence that the parent of a blind/visually impaired child brings to the subject. Instead of overwhelming parents and teachers with the difficulty of the undertaking before them, Getting Ready for College Begins in Third Grade will inspire their confidence and enthusiasm for the task at hand.

Expanding William F. Pinar's notion of autobiography from an individual to a national scale, this book takes the reader on an inner journey to explore the fragmented condition of the post-9/11 American national psyche. It excavates the many layers of the emerging social context within which multiple, conflicting national narratives of identity compete, and uses notions of democracy, nation, and citizen as signposts of contested terrain inside a troubled nation. While reminding us that the old, enduring questions remain unresolved, the book identifies and grapples with new questions that are central to emergent visions of 'educating for democracy' in contemporary America, situated now within a frenetic post-9/11 world.

This is the first book to study adult and child art students actually participating in courses designed with their needs in mind in universities and schools for the blind. In doing so, it uniquely delves into the topic of the culture of education and society and its affects on an understanding of blindness and the visual arts. Furthermore, through an analysis of individual and group behaviour, the book also introduces a new cultural model for studying blindness and disability, investigates the social influences on the nature of blindness and the treatment of people who are blind, and examines the influences that have affected the self belief of blind students and the way they create art. There are a number of books on the education of people who are blind or deaf. However, these are largely descriptive or based on experimental rather than observational or social research. Furthermore, books that have analysed blindness and the arts only analyse tactile perception in the education of students who are blind, not social and cultural factors. In addition, although there have been many books and articles analysing research on the perception of aesthetics and blindness, there are only two, one first published in the 1950s and now long out of print (Lowenfeld V & Brittain WL, 1987), and the other published in 2003 (Axel E & Levent N Eds., 2003) that consider the practice of this subject in depth. In particular, there have been no books solely addressing the culture of arts education by non-visual means. This book represents a unique study of the theory of blindness and the arts. In its first section it analyses traditional models of blindness and disability, finding that the history ofdisability is more a reflection of changes in society towards its scientific study and classification. This book then presents a unique social psychological study of arts students, both children and adults, in situ, their understanding and practice of the arts, particularly the visual arts, and their reaction to the attitudes of their teachers, past and present. In researching the material for the book, the books author has collaborated with internationally renown charities in the area of blindness, galleries, exhibitions and art, such as Art Education for the Blind, New York and BlindArt, London, leading to interest from museum and gallery professionals in his work. University courses and practising teachers can also benefit from this book. In particular, there are few resources which directly relate to studies of teaching practise in undergraduate and postgraduate courses specialising in the education of students with physical disabilities, or students studying for undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees in subjects such as Disability Studies, Sociology, Social and Applied Psychology, and Fine Art and Design.