Helping People with Disabilities Help Themselves

Helping People with Disabilities Help Themselves is a book about several disabilities that people of all ages may encounter. If you are a person with a disability or know of someone who is, this book will help one cope and succeed by using positive thinking. The author, Barbara Jean Young, has over thirty-four years of experience in various areas of disabilities. As a special education teacher, a retardation specialist, a parent advisor to deaf, blind, and babies and preschoolers with multiple disabilities, and a sign language instructor, Mrs. Young has worked with people of all ages, from infants to adults, having a variety of disabilities. In this book, she tells personal stories of how she was able to help each individual live a more successful and meaningful life. Ironically, in mid-life, Mrs. Young suddenly suffered several disabilities herself resulting from a serious automobile crash involving a drunk driver. In a twist of fate, Mrs. Young had more severe disabilities than most of the people she was helping. Through this experience, she is able to provide the reader with a special insight into what it is like having a disability, and how to cope. Through her experiences, Mrs. Young explains in her book how to assist people who have disabilities and help them attain a more positive attitude. This book also has a special section after each chapter listing references that can be used to seek help for people who want to learn more about disabilities.

Barbara Jean Young is a retired Special Education teacher. She is highly respected for her accomplishments working with persons with various mental, emotional, and physical disabilities and their families.At the core of this book is the "I can" approach used by Mrs. Young to help adults and children with disabilities.Mrs. Young is a graduate of the Special Education program at the University of Arizona and certified in mentally disabled, emotionally disabled, learning disabled, physically disabled, teaching deaf sign language and junior colleges and temporary license in early childhood disabled.Her thirty-six years of experience occurred in many settings other than the classroom. Mrs. Young worked at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind as a parent advisor, visiting homes of families that had infants or preschoolers who were deaf, blind or had multiple disabilities. She taught Special Education in public schools, in schools for the deaf, in a mental institution and in a juvenile detention center. She also taught deaf sign language at junior colleges, Arizona Disabled Adult Education and Easter Seal.Mrs. Young has unique prospective regarding disabilities. She understands the feelings of persons with disabilities. In mid-career, she was severely injured in an automobile accident. She was in a coma for almost three months. When she awoke, she was unable to walk or speak. Some four years of using the "I can" attitude enabled her to recover and resume her career.It is hoped that this book will be of help to Special Education students, teachers, parents, family members or any person who interacts with persons with disabilities.