Rating: 
Summary: essential reading for all therapists
Review: As a physical therapist I am thrilled to find a text that reflects the philosophy of my organisation. And the fact that it is written by a parent of a child who has a disability is even more exciting - someone who has expeience as a consumer of "the system" that insists on inflicting therapy sessions on kids, regardless of their needs.
Snow's book is a breath of fresh air. The entire book is full of excellent comments and advice. It should be a compulsory text for all paediatric therapists, (not to mention teachers) whether they work in a clinical or school setting.
Rating:
Summary: Not a 'Must Read' Book ,but a 'HAVE TO READ' Book!
Review: Finally ONE book that has it all! Thisis a MUST READ for all parents of children with disabilities!I have ordered so many books that didn't deliver the content that I was looking for. The reviews, the synopsis were grossly exaggerated or just plain wrong. BUT Disability is Natural is different! I am going to require (or try to) my son's future teachers to read `Disability is Natural' over the summer break. I am going to encourage every one of you to order and read this book as soon as possible. Not only will it inspire you, it will give you the tools you have been seeking! Not only does Kathie Snow accurately chronicle the history of disability, the current situations with our special education system and a variety of professional and parental attitudes that affect our children for a lifetime, she then provides the means for preventing history from repeating itself, changing the system, and changing our attitudes as well as other's attitudes. One paragraph that intimately touched me discusses what happens to our children when we have `had enough' of the Special Education System and decided `I quit.' Her estimation is this happens around middle school and high school...I see the burnout occurring much much sooner in many cases, and potentially my case also (until now!)
I will excerpt this paragraph here:
"When we've given up advocating, the dangers to our children are great. The middle and high school years are crucially important: they're the springboard for our children entering the adult world of work or post-secondary education. We desperately want out of they system, but since we quit advocating, we must go to the experts for vocational help. At some point, we may no longer have to deal with the system anymore, but our children will. Sadly, if we haven't prepared them for SELF-ADVOCACY, they'll be at the mercy of the experts." Now, she doesn't just lecture us on `how we should be thinking' she gives us to tools on `HOW TO DO IT!" The book turns full circle from the history, where we are today, then HOW
to successfully take our children into adult-hood and independence. Kathie helps us explore the natural resources in our community, what are they, how do we get them to work? (another excerpt) "When we use the system, we have to follow the rules of the system. We must take the single path (eligibility and red tape)...<snip>...In community there is not just one path to take, there are many. There are no rules, no passwords, no gatekeepers. In community, we get what we want and need using the same methods as others: using the existing resources in our cities and towns, depending on friends, networking, calling on old connections and making new ones, offering to give, being creative, thinking out of the box, and being both flexible and persistent." You will find practical things that you can actually DO. If your teachers read this book, hopefully their attitudes will change because they will be able to see where we have been, in a different perspective than "I don't need any more work." Perhaps they will feel empowered to `change the system' and we can actually form a team! There are three sections of the book:
The Way Things Were
The Way Things Are
The Way Things Can Be Under the heading of `The Way Things Can Be' there are 11 chapters, I will list their titles here: `A New Paradigm' `People First Language' `Transformation' `Self-Determination' `Tools for Success: Meeting Needs and More' `Natural Lives in Community' `The Early Years' `Inclusive Education: Blueprint for Success' `Homeschooling, Unschooling, Alternative Education' `Bright Future for Teens and Young Adults' `Promoting Positive Images' Leadership and Influence'.
These chapters provide the `How To' tools to raise successful children with disabilities. She frequently mentions stories of children with Down syndrome in the book as well as other different abilities. There is a thorough Appendix at the end of the book that lists Disability Organizations from all over the country. So, finally a book that has it all under one cover...yes it is over 600 pages long, and I haven't been able to put it down since it arrived last week! Covering therapy, assistive technology, education, life in the community, and finally leadership (every Disability-Related Organization's employees and Board Members should read this chapter)
I will end with a quote from the back cover of the book, "Bright futures are possible for babies, children, and young adults with disabilities. Let's dream big dreams for our kids and turn those dreams into realities, STARTING NOW!"
Rating:
Summary: Not a 'Must Read' Book ,but a 'HAVE TO READ' Book!
Review: Finally ONE book that has it all! Thisis a MUST READ for all parents of children with disabilities! I have ordered so many books that didn't deliver the content that I was looking for. The reviews, the synopsis were grossly exaggerated or just plain wrong. BUT Disability is Natural is different! I am going to require (or try to) my son's future teachers to read 'Disability is Natural' over the summer break. I am going to encourage every one of you to order and read this book as soon as possible. Not only will it inspire you, it will give you the tools you have been seeking! Not only does Kathie Snow accurately chronicle the history of disability, the current situations with our special education system and a variety of professional and parental attitudes that affect our children for a lifetime, she then provides the means for preventing history from repeating itself, changing the system, and changing our attitudes as well as other's attitudes. One paragraph that intimately touched me discusses what happens to our children when we have 'had enough' of the Special Education System and decided 'I quit.' Her estimation is this happens around middle school and high school...I see the burnout occurring much much sooner in many cases, and potentially my case also (until now!)
I will excerpt this paragraph here:
"When we've given up advocating, the dangers to our children are great. The middle and high school years are crucially important: they're the springboard for our children entering the adult world of work or post-secondary education. We desperately want out of they system, but since we quit advocating, we must go to the experts for vocational help. At some point, we may no longer have to deal with the system anymore, but our children will. Sadly, if we haven't prepared them for SELF-ADVOCACY, they'll be at the mercy of the experts." Now, she doesn't just lecture us on 'how we should be thinking' she gives us to tools on 'HOW TO DO IT!" The book turns full circle from the history, where we are today, then HOW
to successfully take our children into adult-hood and independence. Kathie helps us explore the natural resources in our community, what are they, how do we get them to work? (another excerpt) "When we use the system, we have to follow the rules of the system. We must take the single path (eligibility and red tape)......In community there is not just one path to take, there are many. There are no rules, no passwords, no gatekeepers. In community, we get what we want and need using the same methods as others: using the existing resources in our cities and towns, depending on friends, networking, calling on old connections and making new ones, offering to give, being creative, thinking out of the box, and being both flexible and persistent."You will find practical things that you can actually DO. If your teachers read this book, hopefully their attitudes will change because they will be able to see where we have been, in a different perspective than "I don't need any more work." Perhaps they will feel empowered to 'change the system' and we can actually form a team! There are three sections of the book:
The Way Things Were
The Way Things Are
The Way Things Can Be Under the heading of 'The Way Things Can Be' there are 11 chapters, I will list their titles here: 'A New Paradigm' 'People First Language' 'Transformation' 'Self-Determination' 'Tools for Success: Meeting Needs and More' 'Natural Lives in Community' 'The Early Years' 'Inclusive Education: Blueprint for Success' 'Homeschooling, Unschooling, Alternative Education' 'Bright Future for Teens and Young Adults' 'Promoting Positive Images' Leadership and Influence'.
These chapters provide the 'How To' tools to raise successful children with disabilities. She frequently mentions stories of children with Down syndrome in the book as well as other different abilities. There is a thorough Appendix at the end of the book that lists Disability Organizations from all over the country. So, finally a book that has it all under one cover...yes it is over 600 pages long, and I haven't been able to put it down since it arrived last week! Covering therapy, assistive technology, education, life in the community, and finally leadership (every Disability-Related Organization's employees and Board Members should read this chapter)
I will end with a quote from the back cover of the book, "Bright futures are possible for babies, children, and young adults with disabilities. Let's dream big dreams for our kids and turn those dreams into realities, STARTING NOW!"
Rating:
Summary: Disability is Natural - what a refreshing perspective!
Review: For as big a help as Dr. Spock was for raising babies to those of us who knew nothing, "Disability is Natural" is as big a help I think at raising a child with a disability. My child has a disability and I have read a number of more "clinical" types of disability-related books, but this one is a genuine shift in thinking. I really liked how the author (who also has a child with a disability) describes so many common sense approaches to raising kids to be independent and live the lives of their dreams. This book is very helpful in providing guidance for how parents work positively with educators, medical professionals and others who might approach disability as a situation "to be fixed" with therapy, segregated settings and "no, that's not for you" attitudes. Instead, Ms. Snow talks about natural, inclusive settings and teaching your child to follow their dreams (just like all children). I have never read anything like this, and I learned so much about what to expect as my child goes through elementary school, middle school, high school, and into independent adulthood. It has been very helpful, too, for my parents to read and better understand that our family is as natural as anybody else's.
Rating:
Summary: Disability is Natural - what a refreshing perspective!
Review: For as big a help as Dr. Spock was for raising babies to those of us who knew nothing, "Disability is Natural" is as big a help I think at raising a child with a disability. My child has a disability and I have read a number of more "clinical" types of disability-related books, but this one is a genuine shift in thinking. I really liked how the author (who also has a child with a disability) describes so many common sense approaches to raising kids to be independent and live the lives of their dreams. This book is very helpful in providing guidance for how parents work positively with educators, medical professionals and others who might approach disability as a situation "to be fixed" with therapy, segregated settings and "no, that's not for you" attitudes. Instead, Ms. Snow talks about natural, inclusive settings and teaching your child to follow their dreams (just like all children). I have never read anything like this, and I learned so much about what to expect as my child goes through elementary school, middle school, high school, and into independent adulthood. It has been very helpful, too, for my parents to read and better understand that our family is as natural as anybody else's.
Rating: 
Summary: Naturally Common Sense
Review: I can honestly say that yours is the first book about disability issues that I just cannot put down. I have recommended it to several people and plan to order some of your materials to promote the theme. Thanks for writing the book and coining the phrase that will surely begin a revoluation to teach society, one person at a time, what we have always known: Disability IS Natural.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely The Best
Review: I have read a LOT of books about disability. Simply put, this is the only one that matters. It will change your life.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Kathie Snow
Review: Kathie Snow is one of those rare writers whose every word I hang on to. By redefining my child she recreated my family. Her book has permanently and positively influenced the way I view people with disabilities. I check her website, ...on a regular basis. Visitors on this website can sign up to recieve her free email newsletter. Periodically hearing from Kathie is always a joyous event. I have a child with a significant disability and my journey has not always been easy. Thank you, Kathie Snow, for helping me along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Buy two copies!
Review: Read the other reviews and you will hear raves for Kathie's book. I ditto all of them, with this addition: buy two copies. Once you have read this book and have begun implementing your new thinking, you are going to need a second copy to lend to all of those folks who need this wake up from Disability World.
Thanks to my friends who chased me down and forced me to take a look at the damage I was inflicting upon my children, we have rediscovered the joy of one another. Life is wonderful. Children are awesome. Disability is natural.
Take the time to read Kathie's fantastic book and leave chronic land ... you know the place ... thinking 10 years ahead ... worrying about every moment ... trying to "fix" that disability ... IEP battles ... say, "Goodbye" to Therapist Mom, Legal Pro Dad, and Peer Mentor Friends. Rediscover your child and reclaim your lives. Really!
Rating:
Summary: An Affirmation
Review: There are just two forms of human beings--male and female. All other differences--size, race, nationality, disability, are just part of the human experience, according to Kathie Snow in this wonderful book. What a refreshing viewpoint! Challenging parents to see their children as regular human beings who have much to offer, and are not defined just by their disability, Kathie then guides parents through the process of changing how others view their child. A good explanation of 'people first' language will inspire readers to change the way they speak about their child, which will change the way others view him. This is not a book about a specific disability; Kathie speaks from her personal experiences as well as from the experiences of other parents whose children have a variety of disabilities, as she developes a blueprint of how to create positive change for all children. After all, since disability is a part of the human experience, (fifteen to twenty percent of us have one), living with, growing up with, going to school with children who have a disability prepares children without disabilities for real life! And the reality is that 15 to 20 percent of the children of today, will be parents of children with disabilities tomorrow...... what better way to perpare for this than to really get to know children with disabilities in your own childhood? Kathie also suggests that parents and professionals have to work together to meet the needs of children. Pointing out that professionals are people too, she advises parents to get to know the professionals in their child's life, and to build relationships with them, in order to get them to understand the parents' point of view. Parents who believe in inclusion will be affirmed by reading this book. Parents who like the idea of inclusion, but think it wouldn't work for their child, will be inspired by this book. And parents who are afraid of inclusion will be enlightened when they read this work. Anyone who reads 'Disability Is Natural' , will come away with a new perspective on what disability really means.
|
