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Teaching Literacy to Learners with Dyslexia: A Multisensory Approach
by Kathleen Kelly Sylvia PhillipsThis bestselling book for teaching literacy to children and young people aged 4–16 years with dyslexia and other specific literacy difficulties has been fully updated for its third edition. Providing a structured multi-sensory programme, ‘Conquering Literacy’, that includes placement tests, well-established strategies and examples of lesson planning, teaching activities, and reading, spelling and literacy concept cards, this book is an essential practical resource for teachers. This new edition includes: an additional section for learners who need an individualised, structured programme at an advanced stage (Stage II); a section on planning shorter, targeted interventions for learners with a particular difficulty e.g. spelling, revising; three new chapters on teaching reading, spelling and writing within mainstream classrooms using strategies which are successful with learners with dyslexia downloadable teaching resources available from the companion website.
Special Educational and Additional Learning Needs: An Essential Guide
by Janice WearmouthThis essential text supports students to develop their understanding of children and young people with special educational, and additional support needs. Up to date with the current Code of Practice and legislation, the text offers chapters on each key area of need within Early Years settings, schools and colleges, empowering readers with the confidence to address these needs effectively. The book includes case studies and examples helping to put theory into practice, in addition to learning and teaching points throughout the book, encouraging students to think critically of how they would manage particular issues. Janice Wearmouth is Professor of Education at the University of Bedfordshire.
Researching Special and Inclusive Education
by Kerry Vincent Helen BensteadResearching in special and inclusive education can be challenging due to the frequent difficulties in eliciting the views of individuals identified with SEND. This book will give students the confidence to be creative, flexible, and innovative when it comes to planning research, particularly with children and young people within special and inclusive education. Students will be guided through each step of the research process, from the development of a research question to ethical considerations, methodologies and data analysis, before being led through the many practical issues that need to be considered when planning, executing and writing up research in this field, including good research practices, solutions to possible dilemmas and adapting methods appropriately. Kerry Vincent is a Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Helen Benstead is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, and Programme Leader of the MA Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion at the University of Sunderland.
Allergic Intimacies: Food, Disability, Desire, and Risk
by Michael GillThe first book to explore food allergies in the United States from the perspective of disability and raceAre food allergies disabilities? What structures and systems ensure the survival of some with food allergies and not others? Allergic Intimacies is a groundbreaking critical engagement with food allergies in their cultural representations, advocacy, law, and stories about personal experiences from a disability studies perspective. Author Michael Gill questions the predominantly individualized medical approaches to food allergies, pointing out that these approaches are particularly problematic where allergy testing and treatments are expensive, inconsistent, and inaccessible for many people of color.This thought-provoking book explores the multiple meanings of food allergies and eating in the United States, demonstrating how much more is at stake than we realize, at a critical time when food allergies are on the rise: An estimated 32 million Americans, including one in thirteen children, have food allergies. Diagnoses of food allergies in children have increased by 50 percent since 1997. Yet as the author makes clear, the whiteness of the food allergy community and single-identity disability theory is inherently limiting and insufficient to address the complex choices that those with food allergies make. Gill argues that racism and ableism create unique precarity for disabled people of color that food allergic communities are only beginning to address. There is a huge disparity in access to testing and treatment, with African American and Latinx children having higher risk of adverse outcomes than white children, including more rates of anaphylaxis. Food allergy professionals have a responsibility to move beyond individualized approaches to more robust coalitional efforts grounded in disability and racial justice to undo these patterns of exclusion.Allergic Intimacies celebrates the various creative ways food allergic communities are challenging historical and current practice of exclusion, while identifying the depth of work that still needs to be done to shift focus from a white allergic experience toward a more representative understanding of the racial, ethnic, religious, and economic diversity of those in the United States. Gill’s book is a discerning and vital exploration of the key debates about risks, dangers, safety, representations, and political concerns affecting the lives of individuals with food allergies.
In The Land I Did Not Choose
by Ana L. CuevasPrejudice and discrimination against people with mental and physical disabilities still exist. Ana L. Cuevas, a blind woman, knows this all too well. But she also knows compassion, love, and courage. This book is a testament to her determination to reach her dreams no matter the obstacles. As a young girl, Ana moved to the United States from Mexico against her will. Her parents picked this country, and though it has its faults, Ana is forever grateful. This land is where she received the proper education and tools to lead a full life. However, while researching pregnancy and disabilities, Ana realizes she is considered different in the eyes of others. Many "able-bodied" people assume blindness affects intelligence, speech, and other capabilities. Knowing this changes the way Ana looks at the world. This is a problem that must be addressed by the public and the government to alleviate prejudices and help people with disabilities achieve the same success as their peers. This poignant memoir will have you cheering, crying, and standing up for love and acceptance of all people in this world. It is a must-read for counselors, social workers, psychologists, and teachers.
A Quiet Kind of Thunder
by Sara BarnardPerfect for fans of Morgan Matson and Jandy Nelson.A girl who can&’t speak and a boy who can&’t hear go on a journey of self-discovery and find support with each other in this gripping, emotionally resonant novel for &“readers who enjoyed John Green&’s Turtles All the Way Down&” (Booklist) from bestselling author Sara Barnard. Steffi doesn&’t talk, but she has so much to say.Rhys can&’t hear, but he can listen.Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life. The condition&’s name has always felt ironic to her, because she certainly does not &“select&” not to speak. In fact, she would give anything to be able to speak as easily and often as everyone around her can. She suffers from crippling anxiety, and uncontrollably, in most situations simply can&’t open her mouth to get out the words.Steffi&’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He&’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she&’s assigned to help him acclimate. To Rhys, it doesn&’t matter that Steffi doesn&’t talk. As they find ways to communicate, Steffi discovers that she does have a voice, and that she&’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it. But as she starts to overcome a lifelong challenge, she&’ll soon confront questions about the nature of her own identity and the very essence of what it is to know another person.
Meena Meets Her Match (The Meena Zee Books)
by Karla Manternach Rayner AlencarGraduates of the Ramona Quimby series will adore Meena Zee as she navigates the triumphs and challenges of family, friendship, and personal secrets in this charming middle grade debut.Meena’s life is full of color. She wears vibrant clothes, eats every shade of the rainbow, and plucks eye-catching trash from the neighborhood recycling bins. But when Meena’s best friend, Sofía, stops playing with her at recess and she experiences an unexpected and scary incident at breakfast, nothing can fight off the gray. That’s when Meena comes up with a plan to create the BEST and most COLORFUL Valentine’s Day Box in the class. With the help of her cousin, Eli, and her stuffed zebra, Raymond, Meena discovers that the best way to break through the blah is to let her true colors shine.
Never Fear, Meena's Here! (The Meena Zee Books)
by Karla ManternachMeena discovers the secret to being a good friend and big sister in this superpower-filled sequel to Meena Meets Her Match that&’s perfect &“for Junie B. graduates&” (Kirkus Reviews).Meena&’s life is more colorful than ever. When she finds a mysterious ring that seems to give her powers, Meena sets out to prove that she&’s a superhero. The trouble is, her best friends might not believe her, Meena&’s little sister wants to be more than just a sidekick, and worst of all, an incident at school makes everyone think Meena is the one who needs to be saved. But even heroes need help from their friends sometimes. If Meena can figure that out, she might just discover her true powers…and theirs!
The Distance between Me and the Cherry Tree
by Paola PerettiTen-year-old Mafalda hides the fact that she is going blind from her family and friends in this lyrical, bittersweet debut novel from Italian author Paola Peretti that shows you how to overcome the darkness—even when you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.There are a lot of things ten-year-old Mafalda cares a lot about. Like, counting the stars in the night sky, playing soccer, and climbing the cherry tree outside her school. Mafalda even goes so far as to keep a list of all these things, because soon she won’t be able to do them anymore—because she’s going blind. Even with her bad eyesight Mafalda can see that people are already treating her differently—and that’s the last thing she wants. So, she hides the fact that her vision is deteriorating faster than anyone predicted, and she makes a plan: When the time is right, she’ll go live in the cherry tree, just like her favorite book character. But as Mafalda loses her sight, surprising things come in to focus. With the help of her family and friends both old and new, Mafalda discovers the things that matter most.
Roll with It
by Jamie Sumner<P><P>In the tradition of Wonder and Out of My Mind, this big-hearted middle grade debut tells the story of an irrepressible girl with cerebral palsy whose life takes an unexpected turn when she moves to a new town. <P><P>Ellie’s a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. <P><P>The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker. If she’s not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she’s practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother. But when Ellie and her mom move so they can help take care of her ailing grandpa, Ellie has to start all over again in a new town at a new school. <P><P>Except she’s not just the new kid—she’s the new kid in the wheelchair who lives in the trailer park on the wrong side of town. It all feels like one challenge too many, until Ellie starts to make her first-ever friends. Now she just has to convince her mom that this town might just be the best thing that ever happened to them!
We Could Be Heroes
by Margaret FinneganShiloh meets Raymie Nightingale in this funny and heartwarming debut novel about a ten-year-old that finds himself in a whole mess of trouble when his new friend Maisie recruits him to save the dog next door.Hank Hudson is in a bit of trouble. After an incident involving the boy&’s bathroom and a terribly sad book his teacher is forcing them to read, Hank is left with a week&’s suspension and a slightly charred hardcover—and, it turns out, the attention of new girl Maisie Huang. Maisie has been on the lookout for a kid with the meatballs to help her with a very important mission: Saving her neighbor&’s dog, Booler. Booler has seizures, and his owner, Mr. Jorgensen, keeps him tied to a tree all day and night because of them. It&’s enough to make Hank even sadder than that book does—he has autism, and he knows what it&’s like to be treated poorly because of something that makes you different. But different is not less. And Hank is willing to get into even more trouble to prove it. Soon he and Maisie are lying, brown-nosing, baking, and cow milking all in the name of saving Booler—but not everything is as it seems. Booler might not be the only one who needs saving. And being a hero can look a lot like being a friend.
Muffled
by Jennifer GennariA young girl learns how to cope with her noise sensitivity and step outside of her comfort zone in this heartwarming middle grade novel that&’s perfect for fans of If This Were a Story and El Deafo.Ten-year-old Amelia does not like noise. From subway brakes to squeaky sneakers, she is sensitive to sound, just like her dad. Amelia has always worn noise-canceling headphones, but now that she&’s going into fifth grade, her parents want her to stop wearing them. To make matters worse, she must learn to play an instrument! Or, as Amelia sees it, make noise on purpose. To help Amelia cope, her father gives her a pair of earmuffs to wear instead. Even with her new earmuffs, Amelia struggles at school…until she gets partnered with Madge in music class. Madge is loud and bold and goofy—everything Amelia is not. And so Amelia is surprised when Madge wants to be friends. Still, it&’s not long though before Amelia&’s quiet nature clashes with Madge&’s loud personality. And when Madge disappears after an argument, Amelia fears Madge might be in trouble. If she&’s going to help her friend, she will have to find a way to let in the noisy world she&’s muffled for so long.
The Astronomically Grand Plan (Astrid the Astronaut #1)
by Rie NealIn this first book of a brand new-chapter book series, a young girl is determined to be the first astronaut with hearing aids in space!Astrid can&’t wait for the school year to start so she can put her Astronomically Grand Plan into action! She and her best friend, Hallie, are going to be in their first year of Shooting Stars, a club dedicated to all things space. Astrid&’s big sister has told her all about it, and this year, there is a big, wonderful prize: a trip to a real-life space camp! But Astrid&’s Grand Plan isn&’t off to a great start: it turns out Hallie is more interested in the art club, Petite Picassos! And Astrid isn&’t sure that her goal of exploring space will happen the same way without her BFF by her side. Can Astrid figure out a way to complete her mission?
The Unlucky Launch (Astrid the Astronaut #2)
by Rie NealIn this second book of a brand new-chapter book series, aspiring astronaut Astrid designs a rocket!After seeing the big Space-E rocket launch, Astrid just knows she&’s going to be exploring space in a rocket of her own someday! And in honor of the big launch, Astrid and her fellow Shooting Stars will be building rockets of their very own. What&’s more exciting is the guest helper, Luke, who actually worked on the Space-E team! The Shooting Stars are working towards more points on the Astro Board and Astrid is hoping she can impress Luke enough to score a tour of Space-E headquarters. But it turns out that Luke&’s design might not be the best—and Astrid isn&’t sure if she should speak up. Can Astrid use her voice to show there is more than one solution for a perfect take-off?
Hydroponic Hijinks (Astrid the Astronaut #3)
by Rie NealIn this third book in the Astrid the Astronaut chapter book series, Astrid is torn between her best friend and arch-rival!The Shooting Stars and Petite Picasso groups are working together on a combined STEM and art project—which means BFFs Astrid and Hallie finally get to team up! But Astrid&’s excitement doesn&’t last long when they are grouped with her arch-nemesis: Pearl. And what&’s worse, Hallie actually agrees with some of the ideas Pearl has for the project. Isn&’t she supposed to be on Astrid&’s side? Can Astrid, Hallie, and Pearl learn how to work together and create a project that&’s out of this world?
Robot Rebellion (Astrid the Astronaut #4)
by Rie NealThis is the fourth book in the Astrid the Astronaut chapter book series about a young girl determined to be the first hard-of-hearing astronaut in space!When Astrid and the rest of the Shooting Stars find out that their teacher, Ms. Ruiz, is about to celebrate a big birthday, they band together to create the perfect gift. Her big day happens to be the same as the upcoming robotics competition and they decide to do something there. With the help of Astrid&’s big sister, Stella, they program their robot to do a fun dance and give Ms. Ruiz a sweet surprise. But on the day of the competition, the data for the Shooting Stars robot somehow gets mixed up with another one! Will their fun present end up being a major malfunction?
Meena Lost and Found (The Meena Zee Books)
by Karla ManternachFor graduates of Junie B. Jones, the third novel in the Meena Zee series follows lovable Meena as she tries to keep her best friend, Sofía, from moving away.Everything is going Meena&’s way. Her seizures are under control, she&’s started the Finders Keepers Club, and she&’s trying hard to be a better friend. So when Sofía&’s cat, Oriol, goes missing, Meena is the first to help her look. But when Meena learns Sofía&’s family might be moving far away, everything starts to fall apart. Worst of all, Sofía seems more worried about finding her cat than leaving Meena behind! With a little help from her trash collection, Meena sets out to locate Oriol and keep Sofía close. But what if being a good friend means losing what she loves most?
Susie B. Won't Back Down
by Margaret FinneganRoll with It meets Absolutely Normal Chaos in this funny, big-hearted novel about a young girl’s campaign for student council president, told through letters to her hero Susan B. Anthony. <p><p> Susie B. has a lot to say. Like how it’s not fair that she has to be called Susie B. instead of plain Susie. Or about how polar bears are endangered. Or how the Usual Geniuses are always getting picked for cool stuff over the kids like her with butterflies in their brain. And it’s because Susie B. has a lot to say about these very important things that she’s running for student council president! If she’s president, she can advocate for the underdogs just like her hero and fellow Susie B., Susan B. Anthony. (And, okay, maybe the chance to give big speeches to the whole school with a microphone is another perk.) But when the most usual of Usual Geniuses also enters the student council race, Susie realizes this may be a harder won fight than she thought. <p><p> Even worse, Susie discovers that Susan B. Anthony wasn’t as great as history makes it seem, and she did some pretty terrible things to try to help her own cause. Soon, Susie has her own tough decisions to make. But one thing is for sure—no matter what, Susie B. won’t back down.
My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for The Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds
by Abbie Johnson TaylorIn September of 2005, Abbie Johnson married Bill Taylor. She was in her mid-forties, and he was nineteen years older. Three months later, Bill suffered the first of two strokes that paralyzed his left side and confined him to a wheelchair. Abbie Johnson Taylor, once a registered music therapist, uses prose and poetry to tell the story of how she met and married her husband, then cared for him for six years despite her visual impairment. At first, there was a glimmer of hope that Bill would walk again, but when therapists gave up on him seven months after his second stroke, Taylor resigned herself to being a permanent family caregiver. She discusses learning to dress him and transfer him from one place to another, sitting up with him at night when he couldn't urinate or move his bowels, and dealing with doctors and bureaucrats to obtain necessary equipment and services. There were happy times, like when she played the piano or guitar and sang his favorite songs, or when they went out to eat or to a concert. She also explains how she purchased a wheelchair accessible van and found people to drive it, so they wouldn't always depend on the local paratransit service's limited hours. In the end, she describes the painful decision she and Bill made to move him to a nursing home when he became too weak for her to care for him in September of 2012. He seemed to give up on life and passed away a month later. Abbie Johnson Taylor lives in Sheridan, Wyoming and is the author of three previously published books.
Look Mom, I'm The Dumest One In My Clas!: One Boy's Dyslexic Journey
by Sky RotaLook Mom, I'm the Dumest One in My Clas is the true story of nine-year-old Sky Rota, who during the fourth grade discovers he is severely dyslexic, a disorder Sky and his parents aren't familiar with. Sky and his parents quickly learn dyslexia comes with as many gifts as it does challenges. Hopeful that his school would be understanding and help him embrace and develop his unique methods of learning, they soon realized that they would have to fight for him. Instead of encouraging Sky, his teachers punish him for his "weaknesses. " His school saw his dyslexia as a disability as well, labeling him as different and an outsider. Join Sky as he and his family learn just how reluctant the education system is to accommodate the many different types of learners it's supposed to teach. His bittersweet but ultimately uplifting journey of acceptance will prove that dyslexia is not a hindrance or disability - it's a gift.
The First Thing About You
by Chaz HaydenA high school student with spinal muscular atrophy is determined to reinvent himself in a hilarious and poignant debut from an exciting new voice. <p><p>When fifteen-year-old Harris moves with his family from California (home of beautiful-but-inaccessible beaches) to New Jersey (home of some much-hyped pizza and bagels), he's determined to be known as more than just the kid in the powered wheelchair. Armed with his favorite getting-to-know-you question ("What's your favorite color?"), he'll weed out the incompatible people—the greens and the purples, people who are too close to his own blue to make for good friends—and surround himself with outgoing yellows, adventurous oranges, and even thrilling reds. But first things first: he needs to find a new nurse, stat, so that his mom doesn't have to keep accompanying him to school. <p><p>Enter Miranda, a young nursing student who graduated from Harris's new high school. Beautiful, confident, and the perfect blend of orange and red, Miranda sees Harris for who he really is—funny, smart, and totally worthy of the affections of Nory Fischer, the cute girl who's in most of his classes. <p><p>With Miranda at his side, Harris soon befriends geeky Zander (yellow) and even makes headway with Nory (who stubbornly refuses to reveal her favorite color). But Miranda is fighting her own demons, and Harris starts to wonder if she truly has his best interests at heart.
After the Miracle: The Political Crusades of Helen Keller
by Max WallaceIn this "stunning" new history, New York Times bestselling author Max Wallace draws on groundbreaking research to reframe Helen Keller&’s journey after the miracle at the water pump, vividly bringing to light her rarely discussed, lifelong fight for social justice across gender, class, race, and ability (Rosemary Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author).Kirkus Best Nonfiction Book of 2023 Raised in Alabama, she sent shockwaves through the South when she launched a public broadside against Jim Crow and donated to the NAACP. She used her fame to oppose American intervention in WWI. She spoke out against Hitler the month he took power in 1933 and embraced the anti-fascist cause during the Spanish Civil War. She was one of the first public figures to alert the world to the evils of Apartheid, raising money to defend Nelson Mandela when he faced the death penalty for High Treason, and she lambasted Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Cold War, even as her contemporaries shied away from his notorious witch hunt. But who was this revolutionary figure? She was Helen Keller. From books to movies to Barbie dolls, most mainstream portrayals of Keller focus heavily on her struggles as a deafblind child—portraying her Teacher, Annie Sullivan, as a miracle worker. This narrative—which has often made Keller a secondary character in her own story—has resulted in few people knowing that her greatest accomplishment was not learning to speak, but what she did with her voice when she found it.After the Miracle is a much-needed corrective to this antiquated narrative. In this first major biography of Keller in decades, Max Wallace reveals that the lionization of Sullivan at the expense of her famous pupil was no accident, and calls attention to Keller&’s efforts as a card-carrying socialist, fierce anti-racist, and progressive disability advocate. Despite being raised in an era when eugenics and discrimination were commonplace, Keller consistently challenged the media for its ableist coverage and was one of the first activists to highlight the links between disability and capitalism, even as she struggled against the expectations and prejudices of those closest to her. Peeling back the curtain that obscured Keller&’s political crusades in favor of her &“inspirational&” childhood, After the Miracle chronicles the complete legacy of one of the 20th century&’s most extraordinary figures.
Why Will No One Play with Me?: The Play Better Plan to Help Children of All Ages Make Friends and Thrive
by Caroline MaguireFrom renowned parent expert Caroline Maguire, Why Will No One Play with Me? is a groundbreaking program that has helped thousands of children struggling with social skills to make friends, find acceptance, and have a happy childhood. Every parent wants their child to be okay--to have friends, to be successful, to feel comfortable in his or her own skin. But many children lack important social and executive functioning skills that allow them to navigate through the world with ease. In-demand parenting expert and former Hallowell Center coach Caroline Maguire has worked with thousands of families dealing with chronic social dilemmas, ranging from shyness to aggression to ADHD, and more. In this groundbreaking book, she shares her decade-in-the-making protocol--The Play Better Plan-- to help parents coach children to connect with others and make friends. Children of all ages--truly, from Kindergarten to college age-- will gain the confidence to make friends and get along with others, using tools such as:*Social Sleuthing: learn to pay attention to social cues*Post-Play Date Huddles: help kids figure out what to look for in a friendship*Reflective Listening: improve your child's relationship with their peersWith compassion and ease, this program gives parents a tangible, easy-to-follow guide for helping kids develop the executive function and social skills they need to thrive.
Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids Through Diagnoses, Differences, and Mental Health Challenges
by Kelly Fradin&“An invaluable resource for parents and caregivers,&” this important, empathetic guidebook offers practical steps for managing children's health (Emily Oster, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Cribsheet and Expecting Better). Any parent who has ever walked out of a concerning appointment with their child's doctor or teacher has experienced a heady mix of emotions--fear, love, confusion, concern, sadness, and perhaps even anger. While every parent hopes for a healthy child, the reality is that children face many common challenges, including medical issues like ADHD, asthma, food allergies, feeding issues, learning disabilities, anxiety and depression, and developmental delays, throughout their formative years. As the role of a parent becomes one of a caregiver, it can be overwhelming for parents and children alike, particularly if money, time, access, or any combination of those are in short supply. As a balm, Dr. Kelly Fradin offers Advanced Parenting, based on her experience as a complex-care pediatrician. In this crucial guide, parents will find empathy and support as well as evidence-based practical guidance. Of greatest import is the need for tools with which to manage the emotional stress that comes from having a child who deviates from the norm, as well as coping with uncertainty and navigating the business of care. Readers will discover ways to optimize the outcomes for their family and make their day-to-day life easier.Advanced Parenting will help families from the beginning of their journey, helping parents to decide when a child needs help, accepting the implications of a challenge, obtaining a correct diagnosis, learning about the issue, building a treatment team and coming up with a comprehensive plan. Dr. Fradin explores how a child struggling can affect the entire family dynamic including the parent&’s relationships and the siblings overall well-being, and with her experience as a complex care pediatrician, she will help parents avoid common mistakes. Parents will feel seen, supported, and better prepared to be both a parent and a caregiver.
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
by Haben GirmaThe incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her amazing journey from isolation to the world stage. <p><p> Haben grew up spending summers with her family in the enchanting Eritrean city of Asmara. There, she discovered courage as she faced off against a bull she couldn't see, and found in herself an abiding strength as she absorbed her parents' harrowing experiences during Eritrea's thirty-year war with Ethiopia. Their refugee story inspired her to embark on a quest for knowledge, traveling the world in search of the secret to belonging. She explored numerous fascinating places, including Mali, where she helped build a school under the scorching Saharan sun. Her many adventures over the years range from the hair-raising to the hilarious. <p> Haben defines disability as an opportunity for innovation. She learned non-visual techniques for everything from dancing salsa to handling an electric saw. She developed a text-to-braille communication system that created an exciting new way to connect with people. Haben pioneered her way through obstacles, graduated from Harvard Law, and now uses her talents to advocate for people with disabilities. <p> HABEN takes readers through a thrilling game of blind hide-and-seek in Louisiana, a treacherous climb up an iceberg in Alaska, and a magical moment with President Obama at The White House. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating memoir is a testament to one woman's determination to find the keys to connection.