AccessAbility
Recent Books for and About Persons with Disabilities

Caring and Coping

300 Tips for Making Life with Multiple Sclerosis Easier
Schwarz, Shelly Peterman | Demos Medical Publishing, © 1999 | 362.1968 S
Tips to making life easier to manage for persons with multiple sclerosis and other disabilities.
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Awakening to Disability: Nothing About Us Without Us
Stone, Karen G. | Volcano Press, © 1997 | 362.4 S
A disability activist shares her thoughts on a wide variety of disabilities issues.
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Deaf and Sober: Journeys through Recovery
Miller, Betty G. | National Association of the Deaf, © 1998 | 362. 292 M
A guide to recovery from substance abuse for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
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Diabetes Road Map: Living with Type 2 Diabetes
Southern Star, © 1999 | VC 616.462 D
A video guide to living with Type 2 Diabetes from initial diagnosis to lifestyle changes for healthy living.

Everybody’s Different: Understanding and Changing Our Reactions to Disabilities
Miller, Nancy B. and Catherine C. Sammons | Paul H. Brooks Publishers, © 1999 | 362.4 M
Intended for all readers with an interest in disability awareness and sensitivity issues.
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Fitness for All
Ahh! Productions Inc., © 1998 | VC 613.7108 F
A complete workout for anyone with a lower limb disability or amputation.

From Emptiness to Empowerment: Changing Physical and Other Losses into Strengths
Hubbard, Brian J. | Dorrance Publishing Company, © 1996 | 155.93 H
A guide to physical and emotional grieving by a champion athlete who is blind and has profound hearing loss.
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Living Well with a Hidden Disability: Transcending Doubt and Shame and Reclaiming Your Life
Taylor, Stacy and Robert Epstein | New Harbinger Publications, © 1999 | 155.9 T
A guide to living with disabilities that may not be obvious, such as asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, or depression.
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Living with Spina Bifida: A Guide for Families and Professionals
Sandler, Adrian | University of North Carolina Press, © 1997 | 618.9283 S
A guide to living with spina bifida.
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The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community
Lane, Harlan | Dawn Sign Press, © 1999 | 305.9081 L
Accounts of the different ways culturally deaf people are perceived by themselves and by those who are hearing.
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There’s Still a Person in There: The Complete Guide to Treating and Coping with Alzheimer’s
Castleman, Michael, Dolores Gallagher-Thompson and Matthew Na | G. P. Putnam’s Sons, © 1999 | 362.1968 C
A handbook to the many aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
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Memoir, Fiction and Biography

Against the Pollution of the I
Lusseyran, Jacques | Parabola, © 1999 | B Lusseyran
Essays by a French disabilities activist who was also a Holocaust survivor.
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Andrea Bocelli: A Celebration
Felix, Antonia | St. Martin’s, © 2000 | B Bocelli A
The life of the popular Tuscan tenor, including a description of his progressive blindness.
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Another Season: A Coach’s Story of Raising an Exceptional Son
Stallings, Gene | Little, Brown, © 1997 | B Stallings
The famous football coach describes life with his son, Johnny, who has Down syndrome.
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The Banyan Tree
Nolan, Christopher | Arcade, © 2000 | FIC N
The author, a quadriplegic who cannot speak, recounts the saga of three generations of an Irish farming family.
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Death of a Colonial
Alexander, Bruce | G.P. Putnam’s Sons, © 1999 | FIC A
Sir John Fielding, a blind magistrate, investigates a missing person who mysteriously reappears. One of a series.
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Dolphin Key
Land, Jon | Forge, © 1999 | FIC L
This novel describes how dolphins can help heal autistic and physically disabled children.
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Elegy for Iris
Bayley, John | St. Martin’s Press, © 1999 | B Murdoch B
The husband of the English novelist and essayist Iris Murdoch chronicles her life after she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
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Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation
Clare, Eli | South End, © 1999 | B Clare
A lesbian poet with cerebral palsy grows up in an Oregon logging town.
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Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic
Beck, Martha | Times Books, © 1999 | B Beck B
An overachieving woman and her husband discover that their unborn son has Down syndrome.
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Like Normal People
Bender, Karen | Houghton Mifflin, © 2000 | FIC B
A tale of family survival in Los Angeles, including a developmentally disabled woman’s escape from a residential home.
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Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir
Slater, Lauren | Random House, © 2000 | B Slater
In poetic language, the author describes therapies for seizures that may or may not have a physiological basis.
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Mockingbird Years: A Life In and Out of Therapy
Gordon, Emily Fox | Basic Books, © 2000 | 616.8914 G
Possibly misdiagnosed as learning-disabled, Gordon describes years of institutional psychotherapy.
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Motherless Brooklyn
Lethem, Jonathan | Doubleday, © 1999 | FIC L
Lionel Essrog, a Brooklyn orphan with Tourette syndrome, tracks down his shady boss’s killer.
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Only the Eyes Say Yes: A Love Story
Vigand, Philippe and Stephane | Arcade, © 1999 | 362.1968 V
Despite Philippe’s locked-in syndrome -only his eyes can move- he and his family continue to flourish.
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Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome
Willey, Liane Holliday | Jessica Kingley, © 1999 | 362.1968 W
A mother deals with her own and her daughter’s Asperger’s syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism.
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon | HarperCollins, © 1998 | B Murray W
A psychiatric hospital patient makes a valuable contribution to the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary.
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The Question of David: A Disabled Mother’s Journey Through Adoption, Family, and Life
Jacobson, Denise Sherer | Creative Press, © 1999 | 306.8743 J
A couple, both with cerebral palsy, adopt a son.
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Sweet Invisible Body: Reflections on a Life with Diabetes
Roney, Lisa | Holt, © 1999 | 632.1964 R
A multi-talented woman fights the isolation her hidden disability causes.
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Twilight: Losing Sight, Gaining Insight
Grunwald, Henry A. | Knopf, © 1999 | B Grunwald
The life-changing effect of macular degeneration on a wordsmith.
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Parenting

Children with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Parent's Guide
Schoenbrodt, Lisa, ed. | Woodbine House, © 2001 | 618.928 C
A variety of professionals describe medical, psychological, educational, and legal aspects of TBIs.
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The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child
Siegel, Lawrence M. | Nolo, © 2000 | 371.9097 S
Guides parents through the challenge of preparing an Individualized Education Program.
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Eating Disorders Sourcebook: Basic Consumer Health Information About Eating Disorders
Matthews, Dawn D., ed. | Omnigraphics, © 2001 | 616.8526 E
Excerpted articles analyze causes, effects, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders.

Homeschooling the Child with ADD (or Other Special Needs): Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the Child with Learning Difficulties
Hayes, Lenore C. | Prima Pub., © 2002 | 371.01 H
Emphasizes successful homeschooling for children with a wide variety of learning disabilities.
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In Time and with Love: Caring for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs
Segal, Marilyn M. | Newmarket Press, © 2001 | 649.151 S
Empathetic, practical advice from a mother of a special-needs child.
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Keys to Parenting the Child with Autism
Brill, Marlene Targ | Barron's, © 2001 | 618.9289 B
Includes current trends and technologies used in diagnosing and treating autism.
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The Oasis Guide to Asperger Syndrome: Advice, Support, Insights, and Inspiration
Bashe, Patricia Romanowski | Crown Publishers, © 2001 | 618.9289 B
Practical, comprehensive guide to raising a child with this high-functioning form of autism.
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The Parent to Parent Handbook: Connecting Families of Children with Special Needs
Santelli, Betsy | Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co., © 2001 | 649.15 S
A step-by-step blueprint for creating a formal parent-to-parent network.
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A Parent's Guide to Down Syndrome: Toward a Brighter Future
Pueschel, Siegfried M., et al | Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co., © 2001 | 616.8588 P
Discusses medical and developmental concerns, communication skills, schooling, and adolescence.
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Special Kids Need Special Parents: A Resource for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Lavin, Judith Loseff | Berkley Books, © 2001 | 649.151 L
Thoughtful guide with practical suggestions for both parents and children.
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Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medications for Kids
Wilens, Timothy E. | Guilford Press, © 2001 | 618.9289 W
Up-to-date information about what the doctor is recommending and what the options are.
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You Will Dream New Dreams: Inspiring Personal Stories by Parents of Children with Disabilities
Klein, Stanley D. and Kim Schive, eds. | Kensington Books, © 2001 | 649.151 Y
Recorded: RC052795
More than 60 parents come to grips with their children's disabilities.
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For Young Adults

Autism
Landau, Elaine | Franklin Watts, © 2001 | 616.8982 L
Recorded: RC055463
Coping with this widespread disorder.
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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Bauby, Jean-Dominique | Knopf, © 1997 | 362.1968 B
The memoir of a body trapped, a mind that soars.
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Heartsongs
Stepanek, Mattie J. T. | VSP Books, © 2001 | 811 Stepanek
Recorded: RC053296 | Braille: BR013761
Muscular dystrophy cannot quell the author's poetry celebrating life.
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Kissing Doorknobs
Hesser, Terrie | Delacorte, © 1998 | FIC H
Braille: BR012306
A teenager copes with obsessive-compulsive behavior.
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Lefty Carmichael Has a Fit
Tembath, Don | Orca, © 1999 | FIC T
Recorded: RC050407
Lefty's world is turned upside-down by epilepsy.
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Life in the Fat Lane
Bennett, Cherie | Delacorte Press, © 1998 | FIC B
Braille: BR011737
Lara's beauty pageant days end with a sudden weight gain caused by a rare metabolic disorder.
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Lisa, Bright and Dark
Neufeld, John | Signet, © 1969 | FIC N
Braille: BR001554
Mental anguish leads teenaged Lisa to attempt suicide.
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Of Sound Mind
Ferris, Jean | Farrar, Straus and Giroux, © 2001 | FIC F
Recorded: RC053735
Theo is the only hearing member of a deaf family.
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Petey
Mikealsen, Ben | Hyperion, © 1999 | FIC M
A cerebral palsy survivor reluctantly reaches out to a teenager.
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Probably Still Nick Swanson
Wolff, Virginia Euwer | H. Holt, © 1998 | FIC W
Nick and Shana's friendship is tested when Shana leaves special education.
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Sees Behind Trees
Dorris, Michael | Hyperion Books for Children, © 1996 | FIC D
A young Indian brave, Walnut, who has poor vision, earns the name "Sees Behind Trees."
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Stop Pretending
Sones, Sonya | HarperCollins, © 1999 | FIC S
Memories in verse describe life after an older sister's mental breakdown.
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Stuck in Neutral
Trueman, Terry | HarperCollins, © 2000 | FIC T
Braille: BR014082
How can 14-year-old Shawn, mute with cerebral palsy, tell someone his father is trying to kill him?
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Tangerine
Bloor, Edward | Harcourt Brace, © 1997 | FIC B
A legally blind goalie knows the truth about his evil brother.
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When Nothing Matters Anymore
Cobain, Bev | Free Spirit, © 1998 | 616.8257 C
Practical, caring tips are given for teens suffering from depression.
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For Younger Readers

Bird Boy
Hill, Elizabeth Starr | Farrar, © 1999 | J FIC H
Recorded: RC050364
Chang can’t talk, but he can help with his father’s fishing cormorants.
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Dustin’s Big School Day
Carter, Alden R. | Albert Whitman, © 1999 | J FIC C
Second-grader Dustin, who has Down syndrome, anticipates the arrival of two special guests.
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Extraordinary Friends
Rogers, Fred | Putnam, © 2000 | J 362.4 R
Introductions to children and adults with disabilities.
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Moses Goes to a Concert
Millman, Isaac | Farrarr, © 1998 | J PIC M
Moses and his classmates, who are deaf, go to a concert with their teacher.
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Sarah's Sleepover
Rodriguez, Bobbie; illustrated by Mark Graham | Viking, © 2000 | J PIC R
When the lights go out, Sarah, who is blind, shows her cousins what to do.
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Seeing Things My Way
Carter, Alden R. | Albert Whitman, © 1999 | J 362.41 C
A second-grader describes how she and other students learn to use a variety of equipment and methods to cope with their visual impairments.
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Susan Laughs
Willis, Jeanne; illustrated by Tony Ross | Henry Holt, © 1999 | J PIC W
Rhymes describe the life of Susan, a little girl who uses a wheelchair.
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For Older Readers

Bluish
Hamilton, Virginia | Blue Sky Press, © 1999 | J FIC H
Two girls befriend Natalie, whose leukemia causes her to use a wheelchair.
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Carolina Crow Girl
Hobbs, Valerie | Farrar, © 1999 | J FIC H
An abandoned baby crow and a boy in a wheelchair help a resourceful 11-year-old girl.
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Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule
Robinet, Harriette | Atheneum, © 1998 | J FIC R
Born with a withered leg and hand, Pascal, who is about twelve years old, joins other former slaves in a search for freedom.
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Gathering Blue
Lowry, Lois | Houghton Mifflin, © 2000 | J FIC L
Recorded: RC051297
Science-fiction tale of a girl who is a gifted weaver.
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Helen Keller
Sullivan, George | Scholastic, © 2000 | J B Keller S
Recorded: RC053971 | Braille: BR014116
A biography, using excerpts from Helen Keller's own writings.
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Joey Pigza Loses Control
Gantos, Jack | Farrar, Straus and Giroux, © 2000 | J FIC G
Recorded: RC051237
Joey, who suffers from attention deficit disorder, spends the summer with the father he has never known.
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Radiance Descending
Fox, Paula | DK Ink, © 1997 | J FIC F
Braille: BR011611
Eleve-year-old Paul struggles with his feelings about his younger brother, who has Down syndrome.
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Selective titles appearing on this list may be available in recorded, Braille, or large-print version. Selections are based on material available at The New York Public Library’s branches. Some earlier published titles and titles from previous AccessAbility booklists may be included for their continued value.

Prepared by the Services for Persons with Disabilities Booklist Committee of the Office of Community Outreach Services: Ismael Alicea, Coordinator; Susan Gitman, Committee Chair; Bonnie Farrier, Celia Holm, Patrelle Johnson, Pamela Lieber