Best of
Disability

2013

Tall, Tatted and Tempting


Tammy Falkner - 2013
    But he might be the key.Logan Reed is tall, tatted and tempting. Kit’s a woman with a mean right hook and a secret.Kit wants a tattoo, but Logan sees more than she intends to share in the drawing of the tat she wants. He sees her in ways no one ever has.Logan’s not disabled; but he hasn’t spoken in eight years. He hasn’t needed to. Until he meets Kit.Logan doesn’t know everything about Kit. Kit doesn’t know anything about herself, until she has to sacrifice all she ever wanted to save what’s most important to him.This book is not meant for individuals under the age of 18 due to adult language, adult sexuality and adult situations.

Silent


Sara Alva - 2013
    He knows what role to play and what things to keep to himself. He’s got it all under control, until one lousy pair of shoes kicks him out of his world and lands him in a foster care group home. Surrounded by strangers and trapped in a life where he could never belong, Alex turns to the only person lower on the social ladder than he is: a “special” mute boy. In Sebastian, Alex finds a safe place to store his secrets—those that sent him to foster care, and the deeper one that sets him apart from the other teenagers he knows. But Sebastian has secrets of his own, and when tragedy rips the two boys apart, Alex will stop at nothing to find the answers—even if it means dragging them both through a past full of wounds best left buried. It might just be worth it, for the slim chance at love.

Feminist, Queer, Crip


Alison Kafer - 2013
    Challenging the ways in which ideas about the future and time have been deployed in the service of compulsory able-bodiedness and able-mindedness, Kafer rejects the idea of disability as a pre-determined limit. She juxtaposes theories, movements, and identities such as environmental justice, reproductive justice, cyborg theory, transgender politics, and disability that are typically discussed in isolation and envisions new possibilities for crip futures and feminist/queer/crip alliances. This bold book goes against the grain of normalization and promotes a political framework for a more just world.

I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults


Cynthia Kim - 2013
    What do the symptoms of ASD look like in adults? Is getting a diagnosis worth it? What does an assessment consist of and how can you prepare for it?Cynthia Kim shares the information, insights, tips, suggestions and resources she gathered as part of her own journey from "aha!" to finally being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in her forties. This concise guide also addresses important aspects of living with ASD as a late-diagnosed adult, including coping with the emotional impact of discovering that you're autistic and deciding who to share your diagnosis with and how.

Glitterland


Alexis Hall - 2013
     Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on love, hope, happiness, and — most of all — himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people’s expectations. Then a chance encounter at a stag party throws him into the arms of Essex boy Darian Taylor, an aspiring model who lives in a world of hair gel, fake tans, and fashion shows. By his own admission, Darian isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he cooks a mean cottage pie and makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it’s like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can’t see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesn’t trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesn’t believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

Fearless


Chris O'Guinn - 2013
    He’s experienced too many betrayals, too many disappointments. He doesn’t want to be involved in anything. He doesn’t want to be popular. He doesn’t even want friends anymore, since they only ever let you down. He just wants to get through high school and the best way he can come up with to accomplish that goal is to simply be invisible.His self-imposed exile from high school life is threatened when Liam, the scary stoner, reaches out to him. What starts out as a strange and unsettling encounter with the unnerving, pot-smoking teenager evolves into the sort of friendship that changes the course of a person’s life.But as Liam drags the reluctant Justin out of his shell, Liam’s own secret is revealed. Fearless is the story of the myriad shades of love, how to find one’s courage and the transformative power of friendship.

Nor Iron Bars a Cage


Kaje Harper - 2013
    Then I was a hermit. For so long—for years that seemed to go on forever—I couldn't bear to be touched. I put up not just walls but whole stone bunkers to keep everyone out, emotionally, and physically as well. I was protected from people, from ghosts, from specters real and imagined. Sure, I was alone. But I felt safe. Only, after a while, I wasn't sure any longer whether a totally "safe" empty life was really worth living.Then Tobin came along. Out of the blue, out of my past, with a summons from the king that he wouldn't let me ignore. I tried to cling to my isolation, but he wouldn't give up on me. Tobin never believed in walls.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Blind Seduction


T. Hammond - 2013
    Encouraged by the support of her friends, Teresa sets about adapting to life in the dark, reclaiming her independence. Best friends make the toughest adversaries. Sebastian Declan and David Preston retire after twenty years of service to their country. Teresa’s scars discourage neither man in their newest mission: winning her heart. Bastian’s battle is uphill, overcoming Teresa’s negative teenage impression. David is a virtual stranger who fell in love with Teresa through Bas’ pictures and childhood stories. These sexy sailors will stop at nothing, including deploying military tactics, to secure Teresa for themselves. Smart, opinionated, and handsome commonly describe German Shepherds. Teresa’s service dog, Red, is all this, and then some. Red and Teresa are surprised to discover they share a bond which allows Red to speak into Teresa’s mind. Red’s adept tracking skills, and ability to deduce information, open new opportunities for the pair. More importantly, his quirky humor brightens Teresa’s dark world. Welcome to Team Red!You will laugh out loud (the author apologizes in advance for the strange looks you will get when you start to giggle uncontrollably), in this Humorous, Spicy, Paranormal Romance. WARNING: This book is INTENDED FOR MATURE ADULTS OVER 18. Contains swearing, which is unfortunate, as the dog repeats everything. When you have two hot, single-minded, sailors pursuing the same woman, graphic language and sexual situations are inevitable.

Twirling Naked in the Streets and No One Noticed: Growing Up With Undiagnosed Autism


Jeannie Davide-Rivera - 2013
    Twirling Naked in the Streets will take you on a journey into the mind of a child on the autism spectrum; a child who grows into an adolescent, an adult, and becomes a wife, mother, student, and writer with autism. This is a gripping memoir of a quirky, weird, but gifted child who grows up never quite finding her niche. It took 38 years to discover that all the issues, problems, and weirdness she experienced were because she had Asperger's Syndrome (AS), a form of high-functioning autism.The tale begins at age three and takes us all the way through her diagnosis. Along the way she explains autism in a way that will have fellow "Aspies" crying tears of joy at being understood, and "neuro-typical" people really starting to grasp the challenges that autistic people face every moment of every day.

The Girl with the Curly Hair - Asperger's and Me


Alis Rowe - 2013
    They have been by my side at the doctor’s. They have brought me out of shutdowns. They have supported me through depression. Yet, despite being a part of all of these things, they still don’t really know what it’s like being me, having Asperger’s Syndrome. So I wrote this book.The hardest thing about having Asperger’s Syndrome is that it can seem like an invisible condition. Females in particular, can be expert at masking their symptoms. Tomorrow I will get up and leave the house, go into work and get on with things, my challenges totally oblivious to the people around me. The next day will be the same. And the day after. I hope this book will build the bridge between people with Asperger’s Syndrome and the rest of the world. Most people with Asperger’s Syndrome are able and willing to work and live a “normal” life, with the right support and adjustment. The main problem is that most people are just unaware of how they can help. So, let us begin our journey into the wearing but wonderful world that is Asperger’s Syndrome.

All These Pieces of Me


C.E. Kilgore - 2013
    Set in Dallas, Texas, this is a Contemporary Romance series with BDSM elements and mature, atypical themes, including physical disfigurement, Autism, and OCD. Each book will be a complete story, no cliffhangers. Brandon To say that I’m ugly is like saying a cemetery is quiet. Okay, maybe parts of me are attractive, sure. I’d gotten more than my share of second, hungry glances from women at clubs. Then I’d turn to the other side and they’d get a nice big glimpse of Quasimodo. Only the desperately drunk or the ‘I can fix you’ chicks took a third look. Not Emma, though. She looked right at my scars and didn’t miss a beat. The typical stares from folks noticing my face just blend into the background noise as I try to comprehend this odd little woman. She’s still and quiet, clutching her teddy bear like it’s nobody’s business. And maybe it’s not. Maybe least of all mine. There’s more there, I’m sure. Way more. And for the first time, I think I’m going to actually put in the effort to find out what, because I think it may just completely blow my sorry world apart. Emma The guy walking in front of me is seriously massive. I’d heard that everything is bigger in Texas, but this is absolutely ridiculous. There’s also the matter of his face. He has me both ready to swoon and run screaming in the same crazy second. I’m still not sure which of those options my body has decided on. I think the jury is still out on a lot of things to do with my current state of affairs. I wish I could talk the way that I think instead of stammering through life like a little girl who holds onto a damn teddy bear and continues to obsess over the color pink. I can't, though. My brain just doesn't work that way. His gentle brown eyes put me at ease for some reason I haven’t quite worked out yet, and I really want to know his story. Scars are just part of life and we all have them. Most of us are lucky, though, and have scars we can hide deep down inside. Most of us aren't forced to wear them on our face. *This book is intended for mature readers and contains romantic scenes of intimacy. This book does include BDSM themes.

A Disability of the Soul: An Ethnography of Schizophrenia and Mental Illness in Contemporary Japan


Karen Nakamura - 2013
    

Willow Springs Ranch Box Set: Volume 1


Laura Harner - 2013
    Now, Ty finds himself cut loose from his Navy career after months of rehab from a debilitating head injury. At a loss as to what to do with his life, he travels to Willow Springs Ranch in Arizona to visit his surrogate father, only to arrive minutes after his oldest friend's death. Ty must come to terms with the loss while he fights to keep the PTSD from pulling him under. The last thing he's ready to think about is his growing attraction for another man.Rancher Cass Cartwright's relationships never last more than a few hours, and that's just the way he likes it. Now he's in danger of doing the one thing he swore never to do: fall in love. Can Cass convince Ty to let go of his past or will sabotage at the ranch kill their love before it has a chance to grow?Hold Tight:Sheriff Holden Titus had organized his fresh start down to the last detail. Except for the part about the bomb that blew his plans all to hell. Now he’s running out of time, without a job, without a home, and struggling to get back on his feet. Literally.Despite the impolite rejection, Drew knows he didn’t have the wrong impression months ago when he asked the sheriff to dance, but he never expected to have Holden’s life in his hands. Literally.Thanks to some meddlesome matchmaking, the two men are now temporary housemates at the Willow Springs Ranch and Drew is determined to help Holden heal, both physically and emotionally. Even if it means he has to drag the other man kicking and screaming to physical therapy…and out of the closet. In fact, that might be kind of fun.The problem is, Holden doesn’t consider himself in the closet…but not all secrets are created equal.Taking Chance:Officer Chance Carter is pretty sure he'd still enjoy being on either end of a good ass reaming--just not the one from his supervisor that lands him on an involuntary extended vacation. Another holiday season with nothing to do except visit an old friend.Former hospital corpsman Bryan Mitchell doesn't feel less than honorable, but that's what his discharge paperwork states. Now he is down and out in Kingman, Arizona until the charity of a stranger lands him a temporary job for the holidays.When two federal employees go missing during a highly controversial wild horse roundup, the two Willow Springs Ranch newcomers are drafted to help in the search, but if rumors of a local anti-government militia are true, Chance and Bryan may be in serious trouble--and from something far more dangerous than their mutual attraction.

Kindling


Aurora Levins Morales - 2013
    Disabled and chronically ill writer, historian and activist Aurora Levins Morales writes about epilepsy and stroke, the social control of dark skinned women's sexuality and the erotics of chronic fatigue, epigenetics and healing justice, community based science and what it's like to get health care in Cuba."Aurora's writing is itself a kind of alchemy, balancing emotional nuance with rich historical context, simultaneously speaking in an intimate, personal voice and for a collective we. She offers us vulnerable, power-filled lyricism that moves the audience to new understandings of their own lives, as she claims her body's pleasure and pain." Patty Berne, Co-founder and Artistic Director, Sins Invalid. "Medically, “kindling” refers to the way bodies can be sensitized by small, repeated exposures to chemicals or electric shocks. Aurora’s essays and poems about the human body’s responses to oppression describe both the kindling of disease and of consciousness, fragments of tinder that ignite into a blazing awareness of our bodies as sites of struggle and transformation."Casimira Fuentes O’Neill, M.D.

Darkness Descending


Ken Jones - 2013
    Alone in a snowy wilderness without any way of calling for help he knew his chances of survival were slim.Darkness Descending is the harrowing and psychologically compelling account of the next four freezing days and nights as he dragged himself to safety, battling constantly with extreme pain, biting cold, and his own, often hallucinatory swings between hope and despair.

Leading a Special Needs Ministry


Amy Fenton Lee - 2013
    Families in your community are asking this question in every area of life--not just church. We need to meet families, families of every kind, and love them right where they are. Leading a Special Needs Ministry is a practical how-to guide for the family ministry team working to welcome one or 100 children with special needs. Author Amy Fenton Lee offers easily referenced guidance for:Caring for parents beginning the diagnosis process Vital stats/info regarding special needsDeveloping programs, polices and proceduresSpecial needs ministry leadershipProviding education for volunteers Example ministry documents and moreThis comprehensive guidebook is long overdue. Special needs ministry is no longer a niche topic, but at the heart of serving communities well. Join a movement of churches who are seeking to more effectively serve the entire body of Christ.

Learning to Dance in the Rain


Melanie L. Bennett - 2013
    This journal is my story as a caregiver, weathering the storm with a seven year-old girl with autism. Whether you know nothing at all about autism or feel well-versed on the topic, I believe you will find my story educational, enlightening, and heartwarming.

Malignant: How Cancer Becomes Us


S. Lochlann Jain - 2013
    Through a powerful combination of cultural analysis and memoir, this stunningly original book explores why cancer remains so confounding, despite the billions of dollars spent in the search for a cure. Amidst furious debates over its causes and treatments, scientists generate reams of data—information that ultimately obscures as much as it clarifies. Award-winning anthropologist S. Lochlann Jain deftly unscrambles the high stakes of the resulting confusion. Expertly reading across a range of material that includes history, oncology, law, economics, and literature, Jain explains how a national culture that simultaneously aims to deny, profit from, and cure cancer entraps us in a state of paradox—one that makes the world of cancer virtually impossible to navigate for doctors, patients, caretakers, and policy makers alike. This chronicle, burning with urgency and substance leavened with brio and wit, offers a lucid guide to understanding and navigating the quicksand of uncertainty at the heart of cancer. Malignant vitally shifts the terms of an epic battle we have been losing for decades: the war on cancer.

Vivaldi in the Dark


Matthew J. Metzger - 2013
    How do you stop a dangerous depression rooted in the same thing that makes someone what they are? Dark moods, blank apathy, and the undertow of self-loathing all simmer beneath Darren's dry and beautiful veneer, and Jayden feels powerless to stop them.Then a mugging gone wrong takes the music forcibly away, and Jayden is finally given the chance to change Darren's life -- and, quite literally, his mind.

Surviving Alzheimer's: Practical Tips and Soul-Saving Wisdom for Caregivers


Paula Spencer Scott - 2013
    You'll learn:What's behind odd, frustrating behaviors like repetition, wandering, personality changes, bathing resistance, and aggression-and what you can do How to defuse resentment, guilt, and family friction What to say for better communication and more cooperation Special advice for spouses, out-of-town caregivers, and other specific situations 100s of confidence-raising solutions from top doctors, social workers, dementia specialists, and family caregivers All in a fast, scannable format perfect for busy or overwhelmed dementia helpers.

No You Don't: Essays from an Unstrange Mind


Sparrow Rose Jones - 2013
    The author is a popular autistic blogger and her title essay, No You Don't, won her a loyal readership who admired her courage to share some of the darkest, most difficult times in her life. This collection includes that essay and one other popular essay that was published on her blog, Unstrange Mind, but all the rest of the writing in this book is new and has never been seen in print before -- on her blog or elsewhere. While this book contains reflections on some of the harsher aspects of living an autistic life, the overall tone is upbeat and hopeful. This book is not an exposé; the author describes it as a love song to the world. She expresses that her hope in writing is to help bridge the social gap between autistic people and non-autistic people and to help parents by showing them her story in hopes that a glimpse of one autistic life, viewed across the life span from childhood to middle age, will help validate and support parents in making wise choices in the confusing and difficult journey of mentoring their own children into becoming the strong and happy adults they are meant to be.

Music of the Soul


Erik Schubach - 2013
    Turning her back on the music she once loved, she returns to her hometown. After a chance meeting with Anabella, a deaf girl with a unique appreciation for music and life, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to her. Finding love, pain, and a new sense of self. Their passion gives them the strength to heal both of their pasts, and start again. This is the first book in the "Music of the Soul" series, all books are stand alone novels.

Healing Our Hearts


Grace Roberts - 2013
    She had plans, dreams, and faith in life; but that was before the accident that took it all away from her in an instant. Now that her beloved brother is dead and she's confined to a wheelchair, her future is but a dark cloud hovering above her head. How can she ever find the will to move on and keep living without him? Even the cares of the happy-go-lucky American physiotherapist who's helping her with her rehab therapies are all in vain. Life seems to have lost its meaning, until one night she receives an unexpected celestial visit…Colin has been working as a physiotherapist in Dublin for almost five years, but he’s never bonded so much with a patient like he is bonding with Kathleen; there's something about those sad blue eyes that makes him want to help her, to take away the pain that reminds him so much of his own. Having lost both his parents in a plane crash when he was only sixteen, Colin knows how it feels to have someone you love taken so abruptly away from you, and he makes it his mission to help Kathleen find her faith in life again. But something changes along the way…Sometimes love can work miracles. If you believe.

Love is Blind (Love is #1)


S. Bueckert - 2013
    But that all changes one night when an accident kills her parents and leaves Hailey with a serious back injury. Seven months after the accident, Hailey has struggled to learn to walk again and is now about to start at a new school after moving in with her uncle. Determined to live a normal life, she doesn't let her injury slow her down. When she meets Blake Adams, her life changes once again- this time for the better. Blake was the school's golden boy until he lost his sight in a freak accident two years earlier. Going through life withdrawn and miserable, he expects to remain alone for the rest of his life. But then he meets Hailey, and all his expectations are thrown to the wind.

Allergic to Life: My Battle for Survival, Courage, and Hope


Kathryn Chastain Treat - 2013
    Your contact lenses cause your eyes to burn and water uncontrollably. Trace amounts of mold on other people's clothing cause you to become unable to hold a thought or get it from your brain to your mouth during an everyday conversation. The life you once knew is gone and you have become a prisoner of unexplainable and severe allergies and sensitivities. In this new life you can no longer shop or visit friends in their homes because there are too many chemicals and fragrances there. You become plagued by one mystery infection after another and no doctor or specialist seems to be able to give you any explanation of what's causing your terrifying symptoms. Depression sets in and becomes your constant companion as you try to cope with the stress of being sick and of struggling to live within your newfound limitations. "Allergic to Life: My Battle for Survival, Courage and Hope" is the story of one woman's journey through a battle to reclaim her life and overcome depression caused by an exposure to toxic mold in her workplace.

In Capable Arms: Living a Life Embraced by Grace


Sarah Kovac - 2013
    Growing up, she was the only one in her class with a disability, setting her apart as "different" and unpopular. Realizing her unique place in the world, Sarah began adapting, working to her strengths, and eventually learned to use her feet to do such activities as changing her son's diapers, making dinner, putting on makeup, and even typing on the computer--even as she grew in spiritual and emotional maturity and independence in exceptional ways. Picked up by national news network CNN, Sarah's story went viral and she was suddenly presented with a platform from which to share her love for God. In Capable Arms brings readers on Sarah's journey, crying with her through intense frustration and the desire to be perfect, cheering her through physical training and pain, and admiring her eventual spiritual surrender as she let go of her insecurities and let God use her . . . even her crippled arms. Sarah brings readers face to face with their own struggles, challenges them with questions about self-worth and fear, then offers guidance, wisdom, and inspiration for finding hope--and healing--in the arms of the One who loves them no matter what.

A Broken Kind of Life


Jamie Mayfield - 2013
    His life remains a constant string of nightmares, flashbacks, and fear, but he perseveres and starts college, determined to move on. Then Aaron gets assigned to work with Spencer Thomas for his programming project. Aaron doesn’t want Spencer to think he’s a freak, but as he gets to know his new deaf friend, he figures out he doesn’t need to be “normal.” If he could just learn to control his fear, that could be enough to find his footing again. Or so Aaron thinks until his parents begin talking about institutionalizing him to give his brothers a more stable life. He searches desperately to find a way to cope or even to fake normalcy. But his new shrink’s instability makes conquering his demons that much more difficult, and his attraction to Spencer threatens to send Aaron spinning out of control. Adapted as a YA edition of the novel Aaron by J.P. Barnaby. 100% of the author's royalties are being donated to help homeless LGBT kids find safe shelter.

Mad Matters: A Critical Reader for Canadian Mad Studies


Brenda A. LeFrançois - 2013
    The 'mad,' the oppressed, the ex-inmates of society's asylums are coming together and speaking for themselves."Mad Matters brings together the writings of this vital movement, which has grown explosively in the years since. With contributions from scholars in numerous disciplines, as well as activists and psychiatric survivors, it presents diverse critical voices that convey the lived experiences of the psychiatrized and challenges dominant understandings of "mental illness." The connections between mad activism and other liberation struggles are stressed throughout, making the book a major contribution to the literature on human rights and anti-oppression.

Wonderland


Jude Ouvrard - 2013
    His life went from heartbreak to joyful and then, from friendship to love. The impact Preston had on Lucas’ life was mesmerising. What would you do if you knew you may not have a tomorrow?

Walking Through a World of Aromas


Ariel Andrés Almada - 2013
    She brings those emotions to life with her magical cooking, which helps the townspeople overcome their physical and emotional ailments. But one day, she meets someone who awakens a boundless affection in her and who will introduce her senses to a completely unknown world. This is a beautifully illustrated story about a young girl who successfully shapes her very own place in the world and finds love and acceptance along the way.

She Has a Name


Kamilah Aisha Moon - 2013
    The speakers in these poems sisters, mother, father, teacher seek to answer questions science can't yet answer, seek to protect the young woman, and seek to understand what autism means to their own lives as well.

Chris P. Bacon: My Life So Far...


Chris P. Bacon - 2013
    Bacon! This adorable baby pig, who was born without the use of this back legs, became a YouTube and talk-show sensation when his adopted dad, veterinarian Len Lucero, posted a video online of tiny Chris learning how to use a cart made out of toys. This determined piglet soon mastered the device and was rolling to interviews across the country. Here, in his first book, this inspiring little guy tells the story of his life so far.

Dancing Daisies (Just Be, #1)


Sara Pyszka - 2013
    I desperately needed some new friends...Brynn Evason is, in many ways, just like an ordinary seventeen-year-old girl-she cares too much about what other people think of her, she's embroiled in major friendship drama, and she can't wait to head off to summer camp.But in Sara Pyszka's heartwarming coming-of-age drama, Dancing Daisies, readers learn that Brynn is different in one very important way. Brynn has cerebral palsy, which means she must use a power wheelchair and computer to communicate.After her relationship with her two best friends is shattered, Brynn is looking forward more than ever to her summer at Camp Lakewood. She soon learns, however, that getting away from home doesn't spare her from all of life's dramas.While some campers meet her with dismay, Brynn eventually meets friends who can see past her disabilities. One of those friends is Tommy, a boy for whom Brynn immediately falls head over heels.But as Tommy and Brynn's friendship deepens, a misunderstanding puts the new couple in jeopardy. Can Brynn find a way to clear Tommy's name?

Don't Call Me Inspirational: A Disabled Feminist Talks Back


Harilyn Rousso - 2013
    She addresses the often absurd and ignorant attitudes of strangers, friends, and family. Rousso also examines her own prejudice toward her disabled body, and portrays the healing effects of intimacy and creativity, as well as her involvement with the disability rights community. She intimately reveals herself with honesty and humor and measures her personal growth as she goes from "passing" to embracing and claiming her disability as a source of pride, positive identity, and rebellion. A collage of images about her life, rather than a formal portrait, Don't Call Me Inspirational celebrates Rousso's wise, witty, productive, outrageous life, disability and all.

Disability Rhetoric


Jay Timothy Dolmage - 2013
    Traditionally, the body has been seen as, at best, a rhetorical distraction; at worst, those whose bodies do not conform to a narrow range of norms are disqualified from speaking. Yet, Dolmage argues that communication has always been obsessed with the meaning of the body and that bodily difference is always highly rhetorical. Following from this rewriting of rhetorical history, he outlines the development of a new theory, affirming the ideas that all communication is embodied, that the body plays a central role in all expression, and that greater attention to a range of bodies is therefore essential to a better understanding of rhetorical histories, theories, and possibilities.

Inbetweenland


Jacks McNamara - 2013
    Mapping out radical trajectories through loss, violence, and queer desire, McNamara creates a luminous archive of survival and resilience in a self-destructing world. A visual artist as well as a writer, the author relies heavily on the unexpected image to chronicle the impossible journey through body, family, and history–towards home. From the borderlands of madness to the unpredictable shape of peace, Inbetweenland bears unflinching witness to a rarely charted geography, offering the reader a resonant poetics of insurrection and grace.

The Constant Tower


Carole McDonnell - 2013
    A priest-physician like his friend Ephan, Psal lacks a warrior's heart, yet he desires to earn Nahas's respect and become a clan chief. If he cannot do this, he must escape his clan altogether. But his love for Cassia, the daughter of his father's enemy, and his own weaknesses work against him. When war comes, Psal defends Ktwala and her daughter Mahari, wronged by Nahas, and speaks out against the atrocities his clan commits, further jeopardizing his future. And now the mysterious towers that keep humans safe from the Creator's ancient curse are rebelling. A prophecy exists-not that Psal believes such matters-of three great ones who will find the Constant Tower and break the power of the third moon. Could Psal, Ephan, and Mahari be those great ones? Psal must risk losing his father's respect to find his destiny, and with his friends face the dangers of the unmaking night to find the Constant Tower and save all of humanity. "Carole McDonnell is a first-class world-builder. A unique, powerhouse epic, The Constant Towers is a treasure trove of great characters, compelling cultural details and political machinations, all lovingly detailed in evocative prose. Yay!" - Stefan Petrucha, author Dead Mann Walking

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum: 101 Inspirational Stories for Parents of Children with Autism and Asperger's


Rebecca Landa - 2013
    Stories cover everything from the serious side and the challenges, to the lighter side and the positives, of having a special child on the autism spectrum.

Pop Corpse!


Lara Glenum - 2013
    Drama. "Father lend me your megabone / & I'll lend u my shotgun mouth." A radiant brew of emoticon opera, fairytale fan-fiction, and chat-room flame war, POP CORPSE! follows a heroine mermaid on her devoutly disarming search for "realness." Along the way, Glenum dismantles pieties of both the left and the right, proposing new models of configuring text, voice, body and species-hood for those who swim in the increasingly fetid waters of the 21st century.

Why Are You Looking At Me?: I Just Have Down Syndrome.


Lisa Tompkins - 2013
    Lynn may look different than most children, but has many of the same likes and dislikes. Help your child discover what it means to accept and embrace a relationship with people who are different.

The Breath of All Things


KismetJeska - 2013
    A year and a half later, Dean is in a wheelchair and lives in a care home in Kansas, where he spends his days waiting to die. It's only when Castiel Novak starts volunteering at the care home that Dean starts to wonder if a changed life always equals a ruined one.Artpost: http://ifyouask.livejournal.com/803.htmlWords:65404 complete

Vivaldi in the Dark Box Set


Matthew J. Metzger - 2013
    Metzger is now available in a box set exclusively on Kindle! For one low price, get all 3 books in 1 ebook! Contains the stories: VIVALDI IN THE DARK: Jayden's course changes when he falls for dry violinist Darren. But all is not what it seems, and Jayden is confronted with a dangerous depression that has brought Darren to the edge more than once, and undoubtedly will again. Darren's talent is his own undoing - until a mugging takes the music forcibly away, and Jayden has the chance to change Darren's life and, quite literally, his mind. THE DEVIL'S TRILL SONATA: Jayden is going to university. Dream-chasing and distance have Jayden thinking a break-up with his boyfriend is inevitable - but they've weathered worse storms, right? Wrong. As their relationship fractures, Darren's depression strengthens -- until one night, a rejected call, and drastic action. Too late, Jayden learns where his heart truly lies. The dream is over -- and the reality is far, far worse. RHAPSODY ON A THEME: Their relationship has been repaired since Darren's overdose, but Darren has not. When two attempts at medication fail badly, his partner Jayden fears that the end of this depression will only come with the end of Darren himself. Until Darren is asked to play at Ethan's upcoming wedding. As Darren slowly returns to the music that never quite left him, the shadows finally begin to fade.

We Can't Read This


Meg Day - 2013
    Through diagrams of sign language and spare fragmented lyrics, the series dramatizes the physical struggle of speech and movingly charts alternate modes of cognition. These poems are a personal and political rumination on disability as well as a beautiful and transformative exegesis on empathy.” Cathy Park Hong

A Handful of Spells


Kimberley A. Shaw - 2013
    All because her ears don't work as well as everyone else's. But once Caitlin Leo finds her real community, everything changes.

Deaf Lit Extravaganza


John Lee Clark - 2013
    Between these covers, a Deaf couple fights over their son’s language use, an Australian woman joins the community as an adult, a Deaf woman’s body is fished out a dumpster, and a British Deaf poet wants to keep “zombies”—hearing people—out. The range of perspectives is astonishing, including opposing views. In one story, a hearing journalist tells us about the infamous Milan congress of educators who banned sign language in 1880, while in another story, a Deaf woman tells us what it’s like to have a hearing journalist interview her and her husband for a “human interest” story. Even in pieces that are about just one Deaf person, readers get a powerful sense of life in one of the most vibrant and least understood communities.Its 32 writers include Andria Alefhi, Allison L. Aubrecht, Veronica Bickle, Teresa Blankmeyer Burke, Amber Ceffalio, Karen Christie, Willy Conley, T. K. Dalton, Mark Drolsbaugh, Donald Grushkin, Frank Gallimore, K. C. Harmon, Christopher Jon Heuer, Paul Hostovsky, Karen Lloyd, Raymond Luczak, Dominic McGreal, Lauren Ridloff, Kristen Ringman, Curtis Robbins, Sarah Segal, Dean Sheridan, Robert Siebert, Eddie Swayze, Pia Taavila-Borsheim, Stephen Tendrich, Michael Uniacke, Clayton Valli, Michele Westfall, Donna Williams, Morgan Grayce Willow, and Pamela Wright.The book will be available as an ebook at Apple iBookstore and on the Kindle.

My Autism Book: A Child's Guide to their Autism Spectrum Diagnosis


Gloria Dura-Vila - 2013
    This book is designed to be read with the child as a simple introduction to their diagnosis. Written by a doctor and a children's author, the book is tailored precisely to the needs and experiences of the child with ASD aged 5 and up. It explains what an autism diagnosis means and encourages an exploration of the child's likely strengths and differences using clear language that speaks directly to the child. The colourful pictures throughout show how the world looks from the child's perspective and the book ends with a summary checklist to encourage the child to record and discuss how autism affects them.

And Straight on Till Morning: Essays on Autism Acceptance


Julia Bascom - 2013
    A collection of essays by Autistic writers on autism awareness, the cost of awareness, and working towards a future of acceptance.

Disabilities in Roman Antiquity: Disparate Bodies a Capite Ad Calcem


Christian Laes - 2013
    The contributors examine the topic a capite ad calcem, from head to toe. Chapters deal with mental and intellectual disability, alcoholism, visual impairment, speech disorders, hermaphroditism, monstrous births, mobility problems, osteology and visual representations of disparate bodies. The authors fully engage with literary, papyrological, and epigraphical sources, while iconography and osteo-archaeology are taken into account. Also the late ancient evidence is taken into account. Refraining from a radical constructionist standpoint, the contributors acknowledge the possibility of discovering significant differences in the way impairment was culturally viewed or assessed.

Disability Rights and Wrongs Revisited


Tom Shakespeare - 2013
    In this challenging review of the field, leading disability academic and activist Tom Shakespeare argues that disability research needs a firmer conceptual and empirical footing.This new edition is updated throughout, reflecting Shakespeare's most recent thinking, drawing on current research, and responding to controversies surrounding the first edition and the World Report on Disability, as well as incorporating new chapters on cultural disability studies, personal assistance, sexuality, and violence. Using a critical realist approach, Disability Rights and Wrongs Revisited promotes a pluralist, engaged and nuanced approach to disability. Key topics discussed include:dichotomies - going beyond dangerous polarizations such as medical model versus social model to achieve a complex, multi-factorial account of disability identity - the drawbacks of the disability movement's emphasis on identity politics bioethics - choices at the beginning and end of life and in the field of genetic and stem cell therapies relationships - feminist and virtue ethics approaches to questions of intimacy, assistance and friendship. This stimulating and accessible book challenges disability studies orthodoxy, promoting a new conceptualization of disability and fresh research agenda. It is an invaluable resource for researchers and students in disability studies and sociology, as well as professionals, policy makers and activists.

And Straight on Till Morning: Essays on Autism Acceptance


Autistic Self Advocacy Network - 2013
    A collection of essays by Autistic writers on autism awareness, the cost of awareness, and working towards a future of acceptance.

Don't We Already Do Inclusion?


Paula Kluth - 2013
    Paula Kluth is a consultant, author, advocate, and independent scholar who works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners. Her research and professional interests include differentiating instruction, and supporting students with autism and significant disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Paula is a former special educator who has served as a classroom teacher, consulting teacher, and inclusion facilitator. She works with teachers in K-12 schools, pre-schools, and early intervention programs. She also regularly works with family organizations and disability-rights and advocacy groups. She is the author of "You're Going to Love This Kid": Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom ; the lead editor of Access to Academics: Critical Approaches to Inclusive Curriculum, Instruction, and Policy, and the co-author of several other books including A Land We Can Share: The Literate Lives of Students with Autism; Joyful Learning: Active and Collaborative Structures for the Inclusive Classroom; You're Welcome: 30 Innovative Ideas for Inclusive Schools, Just Give Him the Whale: 20 Ways to Support & Honor the Interests of Students with Autism; and A is for All Aboard.

The Enabled Life: Christianity in a disabling world


Roy McCloughry - 2013
    

Ability Therapy


Sarah Cecelia Ann Mueller - 2013
    In Ability Therapy, author Sarah Cecelia Ann Mueller offers words of wisdom and insight based on her own experiences, encouraging others who are living with physical disabilities of all types to live an ability-driven life.

Too Little, Too Late? (Sussex Border Stories)


S.A.A. Calvert - 2013
    The friends were there for him, but they had their own problems to bear: the autistic son, the wife-beating husband, the adulterer. Perhaps it would be so much easier simply to let everything slide away, flense his life of people who would be hurt when he stepped aside from breathing. All he needed to do was outlast his mother to spare her the pain of outliving a son. Then, one miserable day on a miserable job with a miserable trader, he met Larinda, a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and that seemed to be him. Perhaps the world could be reshaped, after all. A story of love lost, love found and the discovery that names are only labels, not the essence.

Accessible Citizenships: Disability, Nation, and the Cultural Politics of Greater Mexico


Julie Avril Minich - 2013
    Working against the assumption that disability is a metaphor for social decay or political crisis, Julie Avril Minich analyzes literature, film, and visual art post-1980 in which representations of non-normative bodies work to expand our understanding of what it means to belong to a political community. Minich shows how queer writers like Arturo Islas and Cherríe Moraga have reconceptualized Chicano nationalism through disability images. She further addresses how the U.S.-Mexico border and disabled bodies restrict freedom and movement. Finally, she confronts the changing role of the nation-state in the face of neoliberalism as depicted in novels by Ana Castillo and Cecile Pineda.  Accessible Citizenships illustrates how these works gesture towards less exclusionary forms of citizenship and nationalism. Minich boldly argues that the corporeal images used to depict national belonging have important consequences for how the rights and benefits of citizenship are understood and distributed.A volume in the American Literatures Initiative

Prove It, Josh


Jenny Watson - 2013
    He snappedthe book shut and shoved it across the table.“I hate reading.”Eleven-year-old Josh’s summer is getting off to a bad start. It’s the first week of vacation, but instead of being out on the water in his nifty sailing dinghy, he’s stuck in the library with the latest in a long string of tutors. Josh is dyslexic—and since he moved out west to live with Dad, a whole new crop of kids have been teasing him about his problems writing and reading.At least Josh loves living at the marina on Dad’s cruising yacht. He’s counting the days until his brother, Matt, still back in Toronto with their mom, comes out to join Josh and his dad for a sailing trip.When a mean classmate, Brittany, bets Josh he can’t beat her in an upcoming boat race, Josh isn’t too worried. With Matt as his racing partner, he’ll stand a good chance. But when the news comes that Matt has to enroll in summer school instead, Josh’s anxiety goes into overdrive. If he loses the race to Brittany, he’ll have to volunteer as a reader at the library—his worst nightmare! It’s time for Josh to prove what he’s made of, and readers will cheer him on as help comes from unexpected quarters.Combining sailing lore, page-turning adventure and gentle humour, first-time novelist Jenny Watson has crafted an engaging, encouraging tale. Josh’s story comes full of inspiration, not just for the learning disabled, but for anyone who has to overcome adversity.

The Gifted Choice


Katrina Head - 2013
    You can terminate this pregnancy." He watched me closely, waiting for my response. Those words, the ones the doctor said so casually, instantly changed the future I had planned for my unborn child. A poignant story about coming to terms with a life-changing decision. Not just a story about Down syndrome, it's about acceptance, holding on to shattered faith, regaining hope, and receiving grace. A true story that offers you the gift of gratitude and rewards you with inspiration.

Pick It All Up


thepinupchemist - 2013
    He copes poorly, and during one night of bad decision making, meets somebody just as much of a disaster as he is -- a prostitute named Dean Winchester. And suddenly, two damaged men might not be as irreparable as they believed.Warnings: Explicit, Violence, Rape/Non-Con, PTSD, depression, low self-worth, body issuesWords:126,471 CompleteCover by shinzz1

Witness to the Dark: My Daughter's Troubled Times. A Comedy of Emotions.


Bob Larsted - 2013
    But nothing prepares him for the challenge of keeping his daughter Patricia safe after she attempts suicide. This book is a roller coaster ride of ever-changing diagnoses and treatments for anxiety, depression, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and schizoaffective disorders. Share Bob’s journey through the minefields of school, family, and today's healthcare system as he struggles to find a way for her to survive, and, ultimately, thrive.Enthralling … Insightful … Heartbreaking … Empowering …

The Stigma of Disease and Disability: Understanding Causes and Overcoming Injustices


Patrick W. Corrigan - 2013
    This humane book prepares advocates and health care professionals to more effectively fight the social injustice of stigma and better support the families of those with disabilities. Readers will gain a solid understanding of the common experience of stigma as well as how to combat prejudiced responses to specific disabilities, including childhood disorders, obesity, and Alzheimer's disease.

Why are you pretending to be normal?


Phil Friend - 2013
    This enables them to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Phil Friend and Dave Rees present practical tools and techniques which have helped so many people to successfully tackle some of the most challenging aspects of their disabilities.

The Metanarrative of Blindness: A Re-reading of Twentieth-Century Anglophone Writing


David Bolt - 2013
    The Metanarrative of Blindness counters this trend by bringing to readings of twentieth-century works in English a perspective appreciative of impairment and disability. Author David Bolt examines representations of blindness in more than forty literary works, including writing by Kipling, Joyce, Synge, Orwell, H. G. Wells, Susan Sontag, and Stephen King, shedding light on the deficiencies of these representations and sometimes revealing an uncomfortable resonance with the Anglo-American science of eugenics.What connects these seemingly disparate works is what Bolt calls “the metanarrative of blindness,” a narrative steeped in mythology and with deep roots in Western culture. Bolt examines literary representations of blindness using the analytical tools of disability studies in both the humanities and social sciences. His readings are also broadly appreciative of personal, social, and cultural aspects of disability, with the aim of bringing literary scholars to the growing discipline of disability studies, and vice versa. This interdisciplinary monograph is relevant to people working in literary studies, disability studies, psychology, sociology, applied linguistics, life writing, and cultural studies, as well as those with a general interest in education and representations of blindness.

Condition Critical--Key Principles for Equitable and Inclusive Education


Diana Lawrence-Brown - 2013
    The authors expand the definition of inclusion to include students with a broad range of traditionally marginalized differences (including but not limited to disabilities, cultural/linguistic/racial background, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and class). Chapters provide 12 key principles important to developing a critical perspective toward educating diverse students.Book Features: Personal stories that make concepts accessible to new and pre-service teachers. Application exercises ideal for courses and professional development workshops. Highlight boxes that raise additional questions for discussion and debate. Interactive, multimodal instructional activities to use with many kinds of learners. Additional activities and resources available online at www.tcpress.com. Introduction: Critical Pedagogies, Inclusive Schooling, and Social JusticeDiana Lawrence-BrownPart I. Understanding and Envisioning Inclusive Education1.;How We Respond to Differences--And The Difference it MakesMara Sapon-Shevin2.;Understanding Critical Perspectives--Who Benefits?Diana Lawrence-Brown3.;Multiple Identities, Shifting LandscapesJanet Sauer4.;The Social Construction of DifferenceGraciela Slesaransky-Poe and Ana Maria Garc�a5.;Same Struggle, Different Difference: Linking Liberation MovementsMara Sapon-Shevin6.;Evaluating Assumptions; Examining EvidenceDiana Lawrence-BrownPart II: Enacting Inclusive Education7.;Building Inclusive CommunitiesStacey N. Skoning & Kathryn Henn-Reinke8.;The Art of Inclusive Teaching: Developing a Palette to Reach All LearnersDavid J. Connor & Subini A. Annamma9.;Considering Behavior as Meaningful CommunicationRobin M. Smith10.;We Are What We Assess: How Schools Construct and Shape Identity and PerformanceElizabeth B. Kozleski & Laura Atkinson11.;Fostering Self-Determination Through Culturally Responsive TeachingJoDell Heroux, Susan Peters, & Maryl Randel12.;Advocating for Successful School ChangeValerie Owen, Kathleen Kotel, Julie Ramirez, Virginia Zeitlin, Elizabeth Dejewski, & David FeingoldConclusion: Examining Perspectives on Inclusive EducationDiana Lawrence-Brown & Mara Sapon-Shevin