Among available narratives by people with disabilities, there are very few based on the lives and words of those who have developmental disabilities. In recent years, there has been more focus on attaining the perspectives of people with developmental disabilities; however, much of this is still compiled and framed by writers who are nondisabled. Within the literature, there is a small but expanding number of accounts written by those with developmental disabilities. This section features these accounts, some as books themselves, and others as shorter narratives with compiled monographs.
TITLE: Know me as I am
AUTHORS: Atkinson, D., & Williams, F.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1990
This book is an anthology of poetry, art, and prose by people with learning difficulties. The editors have collected "life stories" from numerous people in such topics as memories, relationships, daily life, a sense of self, struggle and self-determination, oppression, creativity, imagination and fantasy, and transitions. The book concludes with three life stories and an exploration of the key themes of identity, personal struggle, and relationships. The editors also include implications for research and a discussion of their roles as editors.
TITLE: Winnie: "My life in the institution"
AUTHOR: Bolnick, J. P.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1985
St. Martin's/MarekThis is the life story of Winnie Sprockett, who was admitted to a state institution for people with mental retardation at the age of six. Winnie's story is written by her friend, journalist Jamie Pastor Bolnick. The story is based on Winnie's autobiography which she wrote to prove to her brother-in-law and the world that she was not retarded and she desperately wanted her autobiography to be published. Jamie decided to help Winnie tell her story and Winnie's short written account of her life is supplemented by hundreds of hours of interviews the author conducted with Winnie. Winnie's story is told with her own words and gives us a rare insight into the life inside institutions as it is experienced by the people who live there.
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
TITLE: Annie's coming out
AUTHORS: Crossley, R., & McDonald, A.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1984
Penguin Books Ltd.This is the truly remarkable and moving true story of Anne McDonald who, because of severe cerebral palsy, spent fifteen years in an institution, St. Nicholas Hospital for children in Melbourne, Australia, and Rosemary Crossley, who worked as an assistant to the hospital psychiatrist, and the long battle they fought against an obdurate bureaucracy to stop the incarceration of severely handicapped youngsters on grounds of incompetence and infirmity.
Viking Penguin Inc.
40 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
Anne describes her struggle to survive against all odds and indignities in an environment that believed her to be "non-human" and incapable of any communication, and her excitement when Rosemary recognized her ability and showed her an alternative, nonverbal means of communication that opened up a new world for her. Staking her job and professional reputation to get Anne and a handful of other young people out of St. Nicholas, Rosemary describes the many hours spent trying to convince unbelieving hospital and court officials that Anne is capable of independent thought, the problems encountered and overcome as Anne makes her first attempt at living outside the institution, and the setbacks and victories that finally led to the closing of St. Nicholas Hospital.
It is a story that will inspire and give renewed hope to advocates, parents and professionals and to those who believe that all people deserve to live with dignity.
TITLE: Emergence - Labeled autistic
AUTHORS: Grandin, T., & Scariano, M. M.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1986
Temple Grandin is a professional in the field of animal psychology. She is a world leader in research in livestock handling. Grandin is also a woman with autism. In this book she chronicles her life growing up, and now as an adult, with autism. She describes vividly what it was like for her to grow up longing for affection, and yet being so afraid of human contact. She describes to us what it was like to be quick to anger, to be so easily over stimulated, and to be so isolated. Moreover, she helps the reader to come to a better understanding of how those around her affect and form her interactions with the world.
TITLE: Living in the freedom world: Personal stories of living in the community by people who once lived in Oklahoma's institutions
AUTHOR: Compiled by Hayden, M. F.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1997
The primary purpose of this booklet is to shore the life experiences of 22 adults with developmental disabilities who once lived in Oklahoma institutions and now live in the community. They were asked questions related to five areas of their lives: home, employment, relationships, community, and dignity and attitudes. Their interviews have been condensed in this publication and, for ease of reading, organized under questions that reflect the themes in their comments. The text, however, remains the actual words of those interviewed.
The monograph also contains some stories from the perspective of family members and staff.
It is through stories such as those told in this booklet that policymakers, service professionals, advocates, families, and others can see the realities of life in institutions and the necessity-as well as the feasibility-of moving people from such segregated settings into the freedom of community life.
TITLE: That time of year: A chronicle of life in a nursing home
AUTHOR: Horner, J.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1982
The University of Massachusetts PressThis book is a chronicle of Jocey Horner's life in a nursing home. Jocey Horner, a writer and a retired English professor, entered a nursing home in 1974 after becoming disabled by arthritis and a fall where she broke a number of bones. She lived in the nursing home for three years and kept a journal of her experiences. The book provides a very powerful description of these last three years of this one woman's life as well as giving insights into the lives of people who live in nursing homes in general.
Box 429
Amherst, MA 01004
TITLE: What happened to you? Writings by disabled women
AUTHOR: Keith, L. (Ed.)
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1996
Lois Keith compiled collections of fiction, essays, and poetry by disabled women in her new book, What happened to you? Her goal is to give women with disabilities a space to express their views on such topics as abuse, equality, sexuality, prejudice, and legislation dealing with disability issues. These narratives construct disability as a cultural and political issue, not only as a personal one.
TITLE: Mustn't grumble: Writings by disabled women
AUTHOR: Keith, L. (Ed.)
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1994
The Women's PressThis edited book, compiled by a disabled woman, presents writings by other women who have a range of physical disabilities. The short stories and poems included in this book range in topic from issues of accessibility to abuse to equality. Disability is framed by these narratives as a social, cultural, and political issue, not only as a personal one. This is an excellent account of disability issues from a woman's perspective. It is powerful, moving, and educating for all readers.
34 Great Sutton Street
London, EC1 V 0DX
ENGLAND
TITLE: The me in the mirror
AUTHOR: Panzarino, C.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1994
Written by writer, disability activist, and artist Connie Panzarino, The me in the mirror is an autobiography of the life of this amazing woman. Born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type III, a rare disease, Panzarino tells the story of her life as a disabled woman. She describes her life as one of struggles and triumphs, and tells the stories of her relationships with her family, friends, lovers, her turn to lesbianism, and of her years of pioneering work in the disability rights movement. This book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the experiences of women with physical disabilities.
TITLE: I don't want to be inside me anymore
AUTHOR: Sellin, B.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1995
I don't want to be inside me anymore, is the story of the life of Birger Sellin, an 18 year old German man who uses facilitated communication (FC). Born in 1973, Sellin eventually at the age of two was labeled as having autism. In 1990 he began to use FC for the first time as a means of communicating with those in his life. Sellin's writings lead the reader into his world and provide considerable insight into the experience, and the pain, of living in our world as a person who has autism. We learn of the struggles and the joys that are felt by Sellin as he learned to communicate through FC. "Now I am going to write a song about the joy of speaking, a song for the mute autistics to sing to institutions and madhouses...."
TITLE: Somebody somewhere: Breaking free from the world of autism
AUTHOR: Williams, D.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 1994
The sequel to her autobiography Nobody nowhere: The extraordinary autobiography of an autistic, Somebody somewhere continues the life story of Australian born writer and teacher, Donna Williams. Specifically, in this book Williams tells the story of her life in the four years since having been diagnosed with autism. She accounts what it was like for her to move away from her isolating world of autism and to overcome the prejudice of her teachers and fellow students. We also learn of her experiences with reaching out to others for friendship and in shedding light on her experiences of living in a world in which autism is so deeply misunderstood. For educators and those immersed in learning to become educators, Williams also provides the reader with her thoughts on education and insight into students labelled with autism.