Women and men who faced the process of adjusting to a spinal cord injury share their pride at having found their own way through the initial trauma (There), struggled with sudden and substantial life changes, and arrived at something they consider "adjustment" (Here). The period immediately following a spinal cord injury is overwhelming - for the person with paralysis as well as for family and friends. It is a time of powerful emotions with the routine of daily life thrown off track, and with a new and unfamiliar array of tasks and decisions. What will life be like for everyone involved? What are the options for the person using wheels instead of legs? What dreams and plans have to be surrendered? Can new dreams replace them? These are intimidating questions. Anyone would feel hard-pressed to imagine how to deal with them - much less thrive and live happily.
The essay authors are women and men who, on the mysterious journey of SCI, chose life over surrender. Contrary to media stereotypes that only superhuman people succeed in the context of disability, these individuals have used their talents as best they can, and have succeeded. They tell it like it is - without sugarcoating. They disclose the fears, doubts, and obstacles on their journeys, and they celebrate their satisfactions and surprising breakthroughs.
Edited by Gary L. Karp and Stanley D. Klein, Ph.D.
To purchase, or for more information, go to http://www.ncpad.org/679/2984/2004-06-04#8, call 617-879-0397, or e-mail info@disabilitiesbooks.com.
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Book Review: Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, Tools, and Plants
Written by Janeen Adil, Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities offers an educational guide on how a person with a disability can design, plant, and maintain a garden. This book provides practical and expert knowledge on how to design an accessible garden or one with raised beds, containers, and vertical gardens. With the help of easy-to-follow instructions, schematic line drawings, and photographs, the reader can build a suitable garden.
The reader will learn about organic pest control, adapting "standard-issue" tools, gardening with children with disabilities, as well as invaluable descriptions and illustrations of specialized tools that will make gardening work for people of all abilities. It is important to know that many of the suggestions in this book come from horticultural therapists who have provided the author with expert knowledge on how to garden with a disability.
The book is a great resource for the novice with a disability, as well as someone wanting to garden after acquiring a disability.
Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, Tools, and Plants. Adil, Janeen R. Woodbine House (6510 Bells Mill Road, Bethesda, MD. 20817; 800-843-7323; ISBN: 0-933149-56-5; paperback; 300 pgs; $16.95).