DISABILITY IS NATURAL!
New Ways of Thinking and Revolutionary Common Sense
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
The listings included here are provided only for information, not necessarily endorsement.
Please let me know if any links are broken.
Assistive Technology and/or Daily Living Aids
Information on augmentative and alternative communication.
www.aacinstitute.org
“Tools and Technologies to Enhance Life” - a comprehensive site on assistive technology.
www.abledata.com
"Independence Through Technology"
www.atechnews.com
Center on Technology and Disability, for families, teachers, professionals.
http://ctdinstitute.org
Innovative accessibility products for businesses.
www.inclusionsolutions.com
"Communication bracelets" for children and adults with limited communication skills
www.ineedhelpcommunicationbracelets.com
The "read aloud" kRreader Mobile device
www.knfbreader.com
Long, flexible drinking straws and other goodies that promote "a little taste of independence."
http://longdrinkingstraw.com
Helpful information about ramps (for homes, businesses, cars, etc.); how to choose the right ramp, how to build one, and more.
www.ramps.org
Software, hardware, and communication devices.
http://rjcooper.com
The Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program Association provides assistance for people who have difficulty using a telephone.
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Childhood, Education, and Learning
Guide to online college resources for students with disabilities.
The Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities
http://centerononlinelearning.res.ku.edu
Federal Department of Education website on I.D.E.A. (Special Education Law)
http://idea.ed.gov
Inclusive Schools Network
http://inclusiveschools.org
"That All May Read" - Info about books-on-tape available from the National Library Service of the Library of Congress.
www.loc.gov/programs/national-library-service-for-the-blind-and-physically-handicapped/about-this-service/
Information for parents, teachers, and school administrators, from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.
www.nasdse.org
The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives to help students of all ages enjoy math.
http://nlvm.usu.edu
National Center on Universal Design for Learning www.udlcenter.org
Sesame Street Autism Resources for Parents
http://autism.sesamestreet.org/
Reduce the Noise: Help Loved Ones with Sensory Overload Enjoy Shopping
https://www.retailmenot.com/blog/sensory-overload-while-shopping.html
Resources for Military Families http://www.militaryfamily.org/info-resources/efmp-special-needs.html
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Employment
For job-seekers with disabilities and for employers. www.abilityjobs.com
State-of-the-art in self-employment for people with disabilities and more, including "Creating Communities of Economic Cooperation."
www.griffinhammis.com
Job Accommodation Network: information about workplace accommodations for people with disabilities.
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General Disability-Related Resources
Americans with Disabilities Act National Network
http://adata.org
The U.S. government website for information on disability services and programs nationwide.
Universal Design Homes for children and adults with disabilities and their families.
http://www.highaccesshome.com/
International site "dedicated promoting the human rights and full participation in society of
children and adults with disabilities worldwide"
www.driadvocacy.org/
Dental Lifeline Network, national organization of dentists who provide free dental services for people with disabilities and others who are medically at-risk.
http://dentallifeline.org/
Fire safety for people with disabilities from the National Fire Protection Association.
http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/populations/people-with-disabilities
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Other Sites of Interest
Ability Awareness hosted by Diana Pastora Carson, a great teacher and proud sister of Joaquin (who has a disability).
www.abilityawareness.com
Independence Chick blog by a talented young woman who has a disability.
http://independencechick.wordpress.com
Partners in Policymaking has a variety of extraordinary (and free) online courses, on inclusive education, disability history, advocacy, employment, and more. I graduated from the first Partners class in Texas in 1991 and it changed our family's life!
http://mn.gov/mnddc/pipm/online.html
"Living fully with a disability," hosted by Kathy O'Connell.
www.radiantabilities.com
Sarah Stup is an accomplished teen writer and artist who has autism.
www.sarahstup.com
Don Asbridge is a retired school psychologist; his site is irreverent, funny, and thought-provoking!
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Inclusive Recreation
All about inclusion, including the organization's "Let's ALL Play" project
www.inclusionproject.org
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Transportation Issues
Disability.gov Guide to Transportation
https://www.transportation.gov/accessibility
National Rural Transit Assistance Program
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Travel for People with Disabilities
Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality
www.sath.org
Opportunities for international exchange and travel programs for people with disabilities.
Favorite Authors and Websites of Interest
Disability Is Natural Books and Media
RESOURCES
FAVORITE AUTHORS
Here are some of my favorite books and authors (in no particular order) that have influenced my thinking.
On Living a Better Life
Living with Change by Wendell Johnson
People in Quandries: The Semantics of Personal Adjustment by Wendell Johnson
Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness by Epictetus (translation by Lebell)
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson
Tao Te Ching: An Illustrated Journey by Stephen Mitchell (English version)
Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
A Guide through the Theory of Knowledge by Adam Morton
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Tales of Good and Evil, Help and Harm by Philip Hallie
Clear Thinking: A Practical Introduction by Hy Ruchlis
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin E. P. Seligman
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Head First: The Biology of Hope and the Healing Power of the Human Spirit by Norman Cousins
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker
The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama
On Caring by Milton Mayeroff
A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger von Oech
The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
On Disability and/or Medical Issues
Read anything by Thomas Szasz, M.D.
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, MD
From Snake Pits to Cash Cows: Politics and Public Institutions in New York by Paul J. Castellani
The Political Economy of Developmental Disabilities by Paul J. Castellani
Disabling Professions (compiled) by Ivan Illich (and read anything else by Illich)
Plato, Not Prozac! Applying Eternal Wisdom to Everyday Problems by Lou Marinoff
Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity by Erving Goffman
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman
No More Job Interviews: Self-Employment Strategies for People with Disabilities by Alice Weiss Doyel
Movement Differences and Diversity in Autism/Mental Retardation: Appreciating and Accommodating People with Communication and Behavior Challenges by Anne M. Donnellan and Martha R. Leary
The Careless Society: Community and Its Counterfeits by John McKnight
Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets by John P. Kretzmann and John L. McKnight
Learning to Listen: Positive Approaches and People with Difficult Behavior by Herbert Lovett
War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race by Edwin Black
Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America by Robert Whitaker
About Language and Communication
The Use and Misuse of Language edited by S.I. Hayakawa
Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa and Alan R. Hayakawa
Telling it Like It Isn't: Language Misuse and Malpractice/What We Can Do About It by J. Dan Rothwell
Word Play: What Happens When People Talk by Peter Farb
The New Doublespeak: Why No One Know What Anyone's Saying Anymore by William Lutz
Language Habits in Human Affairs by Irving J. Lee
On Parenting, Teaching, and/or Education
The Blind Advantage: How Going Blind Made Me a Stronger Principal and How Including Children with Disabilities Made Our School Better for Everyone by Bill Henderson
The Beyond Access Model: Promoting Membership, Participation, and Learning for Students with Disabilities in the General Education Classroom by Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Michael McSheehan, and Rae M. Sonnenmeier
The Nurture Assumption by Judith Rich Harris
The Myth of the First Three Years by John T. Bruer
Schooled to Order: A Social History of Public Schooling in the United States by David Nasaw
How to Survive in Your Native Land by James Herndon
The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost by Jean Liedloff
All Grown Up and No Place to Go by David Elkind
Miseducation: Preschoolers at Risk by David Elkind
The Hurried Child by David Elkind
Changing Minds: The Art And Science of Changing Our Own And Other People's Minds by Howard Gardner
Frames Of Mind: The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner
Leading Minds: An Anatomy Of Leadership by Howard Gardner
The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think And How Schools Should Teach by Howard Gardner
The Myth of the A.D.D. Child by Thomas Armstrong
In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong
Radiant Child (Quest Book) by Thomas Armstrong
Instead of Education: Ways to Help People do Things Better by John Holt
How Children Fail (Classics in Child Development) by John Holt
How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development) by John Holt
Escape from Childhood by John Holt
Freedom and Beyond (Innovators in Education) by John Holt
The Lives of Children: The Story of the First Street School (Innovators in Education) by George Dennison
Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education (Classic Reprint) by John Dewey
Schools Without Failure by William Glasser
Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom by William Glasser
Reality Therapy: A New Approach to Psychiatry (Colophon Books) by William Glasser
Teaching Thinking by Edward de Bono (read anything by de Bono.)
Practical Thinking: 4 Ways to be Right; 5 Ways to be Wrong; 5 Ways to Understand by Edward de Bono
The Tao of Teaching: The Ageless Wisdom of Taoism and the Art of Teaching by Greta Nagel
Parenting With Love And Logic (Updated and Expanded Edition) by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn (Read anything by Kohn.)