Resilience: Learning from People with Disabilities and the Turning Points in Their Lives

This volume brings to life the nature of resilience and adaptation to change by describing turning points, or critical experiences, in the lives of people with disabilities. People with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or attention deficit disorder are interviewed. They describe events and experiences that changed their lives and pinpoint which factors helped or hindered their adaptation. Interweaving these compelling stories with popular thought and research evidence, the authors show how understanding the resilience of people with disabilities may help all readers create meaning in life and become resilient.

Rich in personal detail, yet strong in its presentation of academic literature and other non-fiction works related to resilience, this volume will appeal to a wide variety of readers, from people who wonder about the meaning of life, to the parents of children with disabilities and organizations that deliver services to them, to students and professors in the fields of psychology, education, social work and occupational therapy.

GILLIAN A. KING is Director of Research Programs at the Thames Valley Children's Centre, and Research Director with the Community-University Research Alliance for Children with Special Needs.

ELIZABETH G. BROWN is a Social Worker and Research Associate at the Thames Valley Children's Centre.

LINDA K. SMITH is a Research Officer at the Thames Valley Children's Centre.