She has never spoken a word; never walked, never fed herself, never combed her own hair. Trapped in a body that is functionally useless, her mind works perfectly. This is her story. Absorbing and heartbreaking, it was written with the collaboration of Ruth's friend, Steven Kaplan. Without any self pity Ruth recounts her early childhood with a loving family and some happy years at a rehabilitation center, then virtual incarceration at the notorious Belchertown State School in Massachusetts. After 16 years she was released and now she enjoys a life of purpose and personal triumph. I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes will permanently alter your perception of the severely disabled and it will inspire you with the extraordinary power of love, thought, and the human spirit.

    Author Jack Gannon interviewed such main characters as Greg Hlibok, president of the student government, and Elizabeth Zinser, the University's president for two days. I. King Jordan, Gallaudet's first deaf president, contributed the epilogue.

    She is isolated by her handicap and cannot participate in the work involved in surviving on the remote island where she lives, off the Scottish coast. Being a true islander, however, she has never stopped believing in miracles.When a wealthy American businessman buys the island and moves his family there, Shona -- surprisingly -- befriends his son. This relationship brings about an unexpected miracle that will forever change Shona's life.