Special Stories book- New book featuring the disability experience is only one in the world of its kind
Over the last fifteen years, award-winning transition educator Mike Kelly has worked with hundreds of youth with a wide range of disabilities living across America. During that time he has served as an employment specialist, job coach, event organizer and promoter, fundraiser, grant writer, teacher, mentor, and nonprofit business owner.
His new book “SPECIAL STORIES: Short Stories On Youth With Disabilities And My Adventures Working In The Disabilities Field” (2017, Vendue Books) is a heartfelt account of what he describes as his ‘life’s work.’ These thought-provoking stories showcase the many abilities kids with disabilities have—regardless of their challenges—while entertaining, educating, and dispelling societal stereotypes.
Aside from stories on many of the students Kelly’s worked with over the years, the book also features interesting accounts on how Kelly managed to get famous professional athletes to headline fundraisers (for free), ordinary folk generosity, celebrity greed, and social musings—all part of Kelly’s experiences in his field.
The book also shines a light on how schools transition our differently-abled students, and what can be changed to improve upon what’s currently being done.
“I’ve come across some incredible young people with disabilities who are often pigeonholed because of their challenges, yet who have overcome this type of discrimination to achieve measurable success in their lives. And I wrote this book because I felt it was time for their untold stories to finally be shared to help inspire others to think outside the box and reach for the stars,” Kelly said.
When asked what types of disabilities his book features, Kelly said: “ADD/ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, obsessive compulsive disorder, Spina bifida, visual and hearing impairment and Williams syndrome, to name just a few.”
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that roughly 1 in 7 American children have a developmental disability—over 3 million kids nationwide.
Because of that number, one would think that there would be many books prominently featuring youth with disabilities.
But that’s just not the case.
Unfortunately.
“While there are plenty of books on how to raise or teach a child with autism—or children’s books featuring a single character with a disability—there are no books featuring multiple kids with various types of disabilities, telling their stories and highlighting their successes and challenges, all in one book,” said Kelly.
“Sadly, the publishing industry said ‘we don’t publish books of that subject matter,’” he added.
“So I did.”
Now, with SPECIAL STORIES . . . there’s finally a book about individuals with disabilities for individuals with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, special educators and administrators, workers in the disabilities field, and corporate diversity and inclusion professionals.
Kelly hopes SPECIAL STORIES . . . gains support from the disability community and parents of children with challenges to help spread the word of his new book.
SPECIAL STORIES . . . has already gained positive reviews from a variety of notable sources, including an NBA Hall of Fame legend named by the NBA as One the of 50 Greatest Players of All-Time.
To learn about “Special Stories: Short Stories On Youth With Disabilities And My Adventures Working In The Disabilities Field” by Mike Kelly (2017, Vendue Books), visit www.specialstoriesbook.com.
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