Showing titles in People with Disabilities

Carla Sosenko was born with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, a rare vascular disorder that resulted in legs of different sizes, a mass of flesh on her back, a hunched posture, and other idiosyncrasies big and small. She spent years trying to hide under layers of clothing, and then experimented with the opposite: wearing tiny dresses and short shorts, daring people to stare so she could make them regret it. No matter what she did, she was worried that she didn’t measure up.

Kevin’s life was forever changed on a random Wednesday when he was just 20 years old. An aspiring musician at the time, he was planning to attend music school and pursue his dream of becoming a composer. A stroke dismantled every plan and everything in his life. In Taken By Surprise, Kevin chronicles his battles with the stroke. After a risky brain surgery, he was in a coma for nearly a month and spent six weeks in an acute rehab facility to learn how to walk and talk all over again.

Nathan Glad was not expected to survive birth. Born with OI (Osteogenesis Imperfecta), also known as Brittle Bone, he has faced remarkable life challenges. Despite it all, Nathan remains determinately happy. This book contains his 7 Hacks for Happiness.

Schon als Teenager wusste Fern Brady, dass sie anders war. Als sie zufällig über Autismus las, wusste sie instinktiv, warum. Hier war die Erklärung für ihre Wahrnehmungsstörungen, ihre Meltdowns, ihre Unfähigkeit, soziale Signale zu deuten. Doch erst mit 34 folgte endlich die befreiende Diagnose. In dieser schonungslos ehrlichen Autobiografie erzählt sie ohne Rücksicht und mit dem ihr eigenen Witz von Neurodiversität zwischen Sexismus und Ableismus und ihrem offenen Umgang damit.

Twenty-three-year-old Ardra Shephard is sleeping with the wrong guy, living in a crappy apartment, and spending money she doesn't have on designer shoes, boozy brunches, and weekends in NYC. Making mistakes while you figure stuff out is what your twenties are all about. Then a doctor tells Ardra she has MS, and those two letters split her life into a Before and After.

The spoiler is that Platinum, the shiny precious metal we may associate with glamour and wealth, was an ingredient in one of the chemo compounds. In this context, it functioned as a poison, carrying out the bizarre miracle of chemotherapy where death and life meet. Tracing through the paradoxical tensions of treatment, healing from treatment, succumbing to medicine and claiming autonomy, Hannah Kate guides us through essential components of the journey. There are material resources that will support you—yet much of what is needed requires connecting with the fundamental elements of life.

Born with a rare, incurable genetic disorder that doctors misdiagnosed until her 30s, Amy’s right leg swelled until it was 200 percent bigger than her left leg. Her peers bullied her for having an “elephant leg,” and she learned to hide her disability by wearing skirts. In an attempt to recreate her identity as a teenager, she competed in the Miss Junior American Coed Pageant, and—to her shock—she won, only to become known as “the beauty queen with the big leg”.

Musical director and arranger David Loud, a legendary Broadway talent, recounts his wildly entertaining and deeply poignant trek through the wilderness of his childhood and the edge-of-your-seat drama of a career on, in, under, and around Broadway for decades. He reveals his struggle against the ravages of Parkinson's and triumphs repeatedly. This memoir is also a remarkable love letter to music. Loud is the Ted Lasso of the theater business, ever the optimist!

How Being a Nomad Saved My Life is the true story of Debra Dickinson and her journey through navigating a grim traumatic brain injury diagnosis, where she was told she wouldn’t make it to 2016, to thriving and living life on her own terms while being on the road as a full-time nomad. She gives you glimpses into her life: the ups and downs, the hardships and scary moments on the path she has taken to live authentically in every way possible while on the road. As you listen to her experiences, you’ll be inspired to find your own truth and to never give up, no matter what.

Andrea Lytle Peet was thirty-three years old—an urban planner living in D.C., newly married, and a triathlete—when she received the death sentence of an ALS diagnosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). After grappling with the fact that she will likely become paralyzed and die within two to five years, Andrea experienced an unexpected spark that changes her outlook in the most magnificent way.

Like many of us, James Lindsay is no stranger to stress and anxiety. But in his case, leaving those struggles untreated led to a full psychotic episode that hospitalized him for the better part of a month. With the help of medication and therapy, he has now overcome this dark period and is currently living a much happier life.

At once heartbreakingly honest and strikingly witty, Holding On by Letting Go is the unforgettable true story of one woman's journey through despair to acceptance and hope. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of the light that can be found in the darkest of times.

Unblinded is the true story of New Yorker Kevin Coughlin, who became blind at age 36 due to a rare genetic disorder known as Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. Twenty years later, without medical intervention, Kevin's sight miraculously started to return. He is the only known person in the world who has experienced a spontaneous, non-medically assisted regeneration of the optic nerve. Unblinded follows Kevin's descent into darkness and his unexplained reemergence to sight.

It’s 1970, and Jerry Walker is six years old. His consciousness revolves around being a member of a church whose beliefs he finds not only confusing but terrifying. Composed of a hodgepodge of requirements and restrictions—including a prohibition against doctors and hospitals—the underpinning tenet of Herbert W. Armstrong’s Worldwide Church of God was that its members were divinely chosen and all others would soon perish in rivers of flames.

What if the very thing that once held you back… became your superpower? In Breaking the Limits, renowned neuromuscular physician Dr. Nivedita Jerath takes you on an unforgettable journey through the lives of extraordinary individuals living with disabilities—people who refused to be defined by their diagnoses and instead, reshaped their futures. From courageous patients to trailblazing athletes, scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs, this powerful audiobook explores how strength can be found in struggle, and how disability can be a launching point for purpose, innovation, and greatness.

Autism is the fastest growing and most common developmental disorder. Imagine the frustration and anxiety over taking your child to a team of medical specialists to be told that they have a lifelong and often debilitating developmental disorder with no cure and limited treatment options? Lauren's parents knew something was different about her from the time she was an infant but as she entered Kindergarten in the fall of 1986 her differences were very obvious to everyone around her as compared to other children her age.

For years, they came in on weekends to plan and practice—nearly sixty surgeons, nurses, and anesthesiologists, preparing to harmonize in a vast medical symphony. For the team at Mayo Clinic, it was their most complex surgery to date: a face transplant. At the heart of this event was Andy Sandness. He grappled with feelings of isolation and shame after a disfiguring suicide attempt but was determined to reclaim his future, to be seen as ordinary, and to belong again.

Time in nature supports our well-being. For people who are neurodivergent, it can also stimulate our senses, feed our curiosity and help us find others who share our deep passions. But why do natural environments have such profound effects? If children with autism, ADHD and other neurodivergences spend more time outdoors, could it improve their educational experiences and outcomes? And if they nurture nature connections into adulthood, could this form the roots of their identities?

In Fractured Realities, Ryder Budden shares a deeply personal and raw account of his life with schizophrenia, offering a rare glimpse into the struggle, resilience, and hope that defines his journey. From vivid hallucinations and delusional paranoia to the gradual path toward healing, this memoir explores the highs and lows of navigating a fractured reality. Ryder's story begins with childhood encounters with the impossible, from seeing extra limbs in reflections to vivid visions of God.

What if the barriers we face aren’t walls but bridges waiting to be built? In Unstoppable: The Ric Nelson Story, disability rights advocate Ric Nelson invites listeners into his extraordinary journey of resilience, advocacy, and empowerment. Born with cerebral palsy, Ric learned early that the world wasn’t designed for someone like him. But instead of retreating, he chose to rewrite the narrative—not just for himself, but for countless others navigating similar challenges.