Disability Biography

Randy Pierce was 22 years old, fresh out of college, and thriving at an excellent job. His promising future seemed certain. Then, in just two short and devastating weeks, an unexpected neurological disorder plunged him into blindness. Randy, believing his future had vanished in the blink of an eye, wondered, “How can my life have meaning now?” Before he could fully answer, he had further to fall. Blindness was far from the worst challenge he would face. See You at the Summit is Randy’s uplifting personal account of his journey through adversity to accomplishment.

At 35, the same age as his mother when she had her accident, Mitch began experiencing symptoms of primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a particularly disabling form of MS, and his physical challenges grew to resemble his mother’s. In the ensuing years, he muddled through the ethical swampland of clinical trials, navigated the minefield of experimental treatments, and became a popular blogger and disability advocate. Equal parts entertaining and inspiring, Enjoying the Ride tells an extraordinary mother and son story.

Theresa Marafito, daughter of Irish immigrant parents, was born in 1933 in New York City, blind in one eye with partial vision in the other. She was a precocious child who wanted to appear “normal” to her peers and family, regardless of her disability. Her game was to be independent, not dependent, and would rarely ask for help. At 19, she graduated magna cum laude with two master’s degrees. Theresa and her husband, Jerry, who was also visually impaired, would build a house on a shoestring budget and had two daughters; one who was also born visually impaired.

I will state that though listed as a memoir, this is for the most part a fiction book subject (epilepsy Zen). They say that Yin Zen questioning is talking to your higher consciousness; epilepsy Zen meditation is contemplating your navel or lower than your tanzen - doorway to the hara and hearing the giant ocean roar from within a fragile seashell and learning the Yang illuminating answer.

Mit 15 Jahren verliert der Deutsch-Singhalese Saliya Kahawatte innerhalb von Monaten einen Großteil seines Augenlichts. Die Ärzte sagen, dass er eines Tages völlig blind sein wird. Er soll die Schule verlassen und in die Blindenwerkstatt, er aber träumt von Abitur, Studium und selbstbestimmtem Leben. 15 Jahre lang verschweigt er seine Behinderung, um in der Welt der Sehenden Karriere machen zu können. Fingerspitzen, Ohren und seine Intuition ersetzen seine Augen.

Blaze Ginsberg offers a unique view into his mind and life as a high functioning autistic teenager. Inspired by the format of the Internet Movie Database, Ginsberg organizes the events in his life as a collection of "episodes." Some of these are ongoing (like Thanksgiving dinners with his family), some are in syndication, and some (his crush on Hillary Duff, for example) have sadly come to an end. Using a style and a language all his own, Blaze reinvents the traditional memoir for listeners of all ages.

Blind from birth, Graeme Innes was blessed with a family who refused to view his blindness as a handicap, instilling in him a belief in his own abilities; blessed with a determination to persevere. After a long and successful career as a lawyer, company director and Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme has written his story. Finding a Way shares his memories of love and support, challenges, failures and overcoming the discrimination so many people with disabilities face.

In the mid-1970s, brothers Buddy and Jimmy Miley were close, both on the verge of impressive athletic careers. A promising high school quarterback, Buddy's potential was cut short by an injury that left him quadriplegic. Immobile and imprisoned in his body for decades, Buddy would watch life pass by from his wheelchair, living at home under his mother's and brother's care and wondering what his life could have been.

Gradually going blind in his 20s, Rich Ruffalo refused to face reality. And then, one rainy evening, unable to make sense of the road before him, he suddenly felt his car thud against a little girl. Jolted into reality, Ruffalo refused to be knocked down and, instead, put his all into achieving. As a teacher he excelled, winning the Princeton University Distinguished Secondary School Teacher of the Year Award and Disney's Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. Then, he set the bar even higher.

A young man with special powers is forced to retire from a life of violent crime and escape from New York City at the age of 18. He gets his life together and becomes a respected physician. Thirty years later, he is afflicted with a mysterious illness silently sweeping across the globe. While desperately struggling to find redemption and a cure, he learns that violent associates from his past and federal law enforcement agents are still relentlessly in pursuit.

The world spun and rolled as I collapsed at Macy’s in San Francisco to the voices of Christmas carols being sung and bells ringing. Fresh out of the ICU and a week later, a beige man gave me a beige folder with a dark diagnosis that would color the rest of my life - multiple sclerosis. This set off a tidal wave, a tsunami inside of me that ravaged my body and crushed my lungs. The MS Diaries is a memoir that seeks to impart the journey inside one man’s mind struggling with a severe chronic illness through uncensored personal anecdotes and humorous situations.

私たちは本当に「見て」いるのか?触れて、聴いて、初めてわかる、この社会のかたち。時に鋭く、そしてあたたかく。ユーモアに満ちた随想集。

They say if you want to make God smile, tell him you have a plan. Dwight’s plan was to live his dream, teach math, coach football, and build a comfortable life for himself. Fate had other things in store for him. The story of Dwight’s physical and emotional journey from life as an able-bodied young man chasing his dreams only to have his world turned upside down by the thoughtless act of a 71-year-old drunk driver.

In No Bad Days, JT details the incredible story of how he overcame what seemed like insurmountable odds and shares the many invaluable lessons he has learned throughout his life in the hope that others might reach their full potential. These lessons include how to: find your tribe, pull off the label, stretch yourself, listen to others, and learn to fall. JT’s improbable life story is evidence that regardless of the mental and physical challenges you might face, you can defy the odds to create the life you want and accomplish the things you’ve only dreamed about.

Look at It This Way answers questions we all may have been reluctant to ask, it gives us a glimpse into what blind people experience living in a sighted world, and it breaks through barriers that may cause people to think that differences equate to superiority or inferiority.

Stroke of Love is the life story of a young stroke survivor from Texas named Hether Flanigan. It is a story of resilience, determination, strength, and love. A story about the human spirit, the will to live life to the fullest, the power of the human mind, and the love that surrounds us.

Myrna was a vivacious and active youth, who, at the age of 14, was paralyzed from her waist down by polio in 1951. This is an inspiring story of how faith, positive attitude, persistence, and the unconditional love and support of family and a community led to her miraculous recovery from polio.

James Partridge was 18 years old in 1977 when his face and body were severely burned in a car accident. Refusing to succumb to society's expectations, James chose not to hide in the shadows, but to succeed despite his distinctive face and live a happy and hugely successful life, both personally and professionally. Face It tells the story of James' recovery and the work he has done ever since to support others with physical differences to cope with the isolation and discrimination they so often face.

Do you know an adult with autism, Down syndrome, or another special need? One in eight people on our planet live with some form of disability. And they all deserve to live productive, engaged lives. Are we willing to help them accomplish this goal? The mother of an adult with autism, Andrea Moriarty leveraged her son’s passion, talent, and personality to help him create an out-of-the-box vocation: A podcast. After more than 80 interviews, she recognized three vital attitudes that people with disabilities teach us - risk taking, humility, and kindness.

This honest, outspoken, and thought-provoking memoir by award-winning writer and appearance activist Carly Findlay will challenge all your assumptions and beliefs about what it is like to have a visibly different appearance. Carly lives with a rare skin condition, Ichthyosis, and what she faces every day, and what she has to live with, will have you cheering for her and her courage and irrepressible spirit. This is both a moving memoir and a proud manifesto on disability and appearance diversity issues.