AZ Fiction Reading List

    From the time  I was young,  I  have loved to read and  as  I have gotten  older I  have had  to discover books about  characters with disabilities , cuz  lets  face it   reading about  average  people   is  boring when u have a disability  because  you  do not have anything  to relate to,    Here are some books that I have found and loved   that have  characters that live with disabilities   I have just  finished American  Lit  so  keeping with the  theme  all of these  books   are  written by Americans.


   

  ACCIDENTS OF NATURE  

     I   first learned of this book through   other youth leaders at I am  Norm.    This is about  a  girl  with CP who  has  been mainstreamed her whole life but goes to summer camp for those with disabilities.  Very  good  but  it is set in  1970  so the  R  word will rear  its ugly  head.   Talks about  the average
 community vs  the special  needs  community in an accessible way.

OUT OF  MY MIND 

  If you have a child friend student   who has  a speech impairment you need to read this book. This is the story of a little girl with  prety significant  CP.   She can not walk or talk  but  knows exactly whats  going on.  This  needs to be turned into a movie.   It is viral that parents read this book 

 The Story of Beautiful  Girl 


1968  A women with developmental disabilities  gives birth to a baby  girl  only problem is  she lives in an institution She  runs away with her deaf boyfriend and  she comes to the home of a retired school  teacher.     Unfortunately  the women and her  boy friend  are caught  but the girl  is not found  by the officials   Read  how their lives unfold.  R  word is in  the book.  The book  captures the  disability rights movement.  

  Nobody's  Perfect 

 Great book written about a deaf  girl  who is bothered by the fact that a new girl does not like her.  Turns out that  the new girl has a secret
    One of the Authors  is  Marlee Matlin   the deaf actress who is best known for Children of a Lesser  god. 
 She also has written two other books , yet I like  this  one the best. 

 Wonder 


   A  kid who looks different starts the fifth grade for the first time. Very  good read  talks about bullying.

 Still  reading this  one.  This is about  three kids  who have recently moved  into   a SF   home   that   was  once owned by a author.     The  youngest of the three kids has dyslexia.  They  go on a adventure  to save their mom and dad.   Fairly  new book

 Memory keepers daughter 


  A doctor delivers his own   twins .  A boy and a girl with down syndrome.     He sends the  nurse  on call  to take the baby to a group home;however, she refuses. Things are complicated because the Doctor's  wife  thinks that the child has died.



   Part one of the list. Do you guys have more Fiction books.  Next up is memoirs 




   

I graduated but

 before I share  photos  of graduation I   will  finish  up Able to go to college web series  if y ou are new and do not know about the series  here is some thing to fill you  up to speed


  During the 2012 Spring semester  I took   videos  once a week  talkin g about college life with disabilities. Now its  time to  finish  up the series.

Spring Games

  Spring has sprung

 So  Saturday was the spring games. I had  fun. I  participated in track and field.  I ran the 100  and  4 by 100  and    the turbo   jave, a plastic javelin.   I was really nervous about running  my first race(  the 100 meter dash)  because I fell the year before but I did not  fall and got sliver.  In the four by 100   I  was able to pass up another  runner as  anchor for  second place. In  jav,  I got first because no one was in my division. Now  we just have to see if I  get to go to summer games.  It would be  a nice  thing to do in the summer.  If I do not get to go as an athlete this year I might go to watch since   I have never been to summer games.

No one would have predicted : three years later

  I had  the worst start to college.  I  felt that I did not belong there.  I  was severely depressed. My  first semester  I missed  two to three weeks of school. I wanted nothing to do with college I wanted to go back to high school.  I was afraid of the world, which  sounds   bad, but its true.  I did not want to go up  I thought I would not be able to succeed.

   I  do not blame myself because I  had  been brainwashed into thinking I was not college material. I knew  I was smart  and could comprehend, yet my teachers in high school  did not see potential in me  and I had no  friends who could relate to going to college with significant disabilities.  All  the kids my age with with disabilities were  in the Adult transition program.  I did not qualify for the program, yet junior year  the schools workability  school representative   told my mom that I  should find a job at Safeway.  I was hurt.  So you see  how scared I was  to leave  high school.

 Too make matters worse  due to my terrible monstrous behavior,  most teachers in high school did not allow me to contact them. I  have tried to befriend so many  of my former teachers who have befriended other students , yet most ignore me  including my special education teacher.  I think they did not want to hear  my tdradigies that were going to happend or so they thought,


    I  finally got the college thing down and I made the dean's list. I  developed close bonds with professors and staff.  My behavior improved a ton to the point where  teachers LIKE me.  I have asked them if they are sure that they are not confusing me with Princess,  yeah  I know  she is not at the same school. 


 Just today this  conversation took place between  Professor D and  me,

 AZ: Thanks for tolerating me this semester

 ProfD: No  problem its been my pleasure,

AZ: What? 

 a student: Its been his pleasure.


ProfD:  Keep in touch I  will fallow your blog.


 For ProfD: Thanks for  being supper nice to me and helping me out. I hope  we keep in touch if you  do not mind. I may be visiting  in the fall.  Your words mean a lot to me and show me how far I have come. Thanks for  leading  me to believe that I am a decent person. I love  comments on the blog btw

  


 Now  do not get me wrong I  still have hard  behaviors  at home and in DSPS, yet I  am
  

learning  how to  deal with them in a mature mannor.   Part of it is habit. I have  to retrain my reactions which is not easy but  I am  going to be graduating  JC and Transferring  to University. Right now my Major is Liberal Studies but I am thinking of  switching it to English  with my end goal being a Special Education teacher. I am not  going  to a day program, I am not going  to a shelter workshop. I  am going to University.

  Too be honest I have been afraid  yet  I  feel like this time thing will be different. I  will stay  in contact with many professors at  the  JC and support Staff  at DSPS.  I hope  to  take  some more classes their if time permits   I  have grown and I am  ready.  Transition will be hard,yet their are two major thing that will be different. I have a ton of people who support me now and most importantly, I  believe in myself now. 

How a mom's decision to work influenced her child with disabilities

   When  I was younger I had a friend  who was also disabled we  grew up in Elementary school  as included students in the main stream classes.


   Her mom was  a stay at home mom during the week. My mom worked a ton.  More than my dad.


 Growing up I hated this  I  wanted a mom t hat would pick me up from school  take me to therapies  drs appointments  and everything else that is involved for as a child with special needs .  Lucky  I had a great nanny who helped  raise my sisters and me  

I  always  said   " I wish you could be  a stay at home mom like   { the classmates mom}



 Now  on the eve on my graduation from JC   I am  glad that she worked.   She was able to make a difference in the lives of others, first as doctor then  as  vice chancellor, her curent physician

 My mom and me basketball tournament 2013

 More importantly I learned how be independent   I learned how to do my homework myself. I learned how to be assertive in the doctors offices.


 Once my baby sitter left  three years ago. I learned how  to

  Set my alarm

Get to the bus on time

 I learned how to make things to eat  like my dinner Saturday night  a can of beans

    On Saturday I  walked to  track practice  because my mom was  working

 I learned how to go to the bank  and get money out.

 Do I know all the skills  I need to know to live independently? Nope  but I  will and  my mom will be there  I leaned these things  because  my mom worked so it was up to me to learn how to advocate for myself   I  did not have to look far for an inspiration because  as a black women  leader my mom is an advocate.    As  I grow into  a advocate  her stories of  courage and wisdom will guide me and for that I am grateful.
  I  love you mom happy belated  Mother's Day 

Yesterday

  I Finally submitted my college applications inclusion does work


 Sorry  guys  I  have been  missing in action  a lot of exciting things are coming up   i  promise including the rest of Able to go to College  school has  been  crazy  busy  but  I  have not forgotten about  you guys  so  hang in their and I will  blog more soon.

Gavin David Leong the Fallen Supper Hero: A boy who will never be six

      He is a boy  who will never be six. 

He is a boy  who will never cuddle  with his mom,

  Sit with his dad,  

Or   play with his brother,  

 He is a boy who will never be six.

He is a boy who left this earth too soon.

 He is a boy who  made a difference. 

 He was a  boy who did not need to  pretend to be a supper hero,

 because he was   

He is a boy who will never be six. 

   Experts say he was deaf, 

 but he heard  his mother's voice. 

 Experts said that he never walked

  Yet,

 on December ,12 ,2012 he  walked across the kitchen floor.

 Experts said  he was not going to learn much 

 Yet he understood how  to hit a switch to ask for water

 He was a fallen hero . 

A boy who will never be six. 

OH God  how I hope and pray 

that you surround his family with love and grace 

 helping them feel in place 

 with their supper hero gone 

 A boy who  will never be six

 He will never be forgotten,  

 never 
ever 
erased.

I never knew this hero,

 I met him online .

Everyday I would read his stories 

on his family blog 

Chasing Rainbows .

I met him 

Meny met him 

 He touched so many lives 

 Like heros do. 

Gavin 

Oh Gavin 

David Leong .I   mourn  for you

 You were so brave 

 and so true.

 There is nothing that I  wouldn't  do to support your family

 ED,   Kate, and Brain 

 You will always have a place in my heart  along with Gavin

  Know  guys that  the  cyber special needs community

Morns with you.

We mourn  for a boy.  
Moans for a boy who did not  have to pretend he was hero. 

 because he was a supper hero.

 A boy who will never be six.

Rest in Peace Gavin.