Press Release:
Collection of essays on disability to be published in Decorah
Decorah, Iowa (August 12, 2009) – On August 21, The Spectrum Network will publish From My Perspective: Essays about Disability in Decorah, Iowa. This collection includes writings by a variety of individuals who have disabilities and those who support them, such as parents and human services professionals.
The book marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of The Spectrum Network, a Decorah nonprofit that serves people with disabilities and other obstacles. The organization helps people gain independence in their work and daily lives, through services like job training, supported employment, and life skill-building.
In April, Rachel Faldet, assistant professor of English at Luther College, held a writing workshop with a group of clients, staff members and others connected with The Spectrum Network. Faldet has helped several groups gather stories into collections, including Our Stories of Miscarriage: Healing with Words (Fairview Press 1997). “Stories are a way of thinking about who we are as a community. It’s important to hear people’s voices, even if they do not have experience writing,” she says.
Faldet observes that it is unusual for a writing group to include authors who are not physically able to put words on paper. “I was impressed by how people in this class took to the task of telling their stories with great earnestness and dedication, even if they had to speak aloud to someone who would put their words down on a page.”
Overcoming obstacles, large and small, is a common theme throughout the work. One writer describes her struggle to get married in the face of opposition from her support team. “It felt like they were holding the cards of my life and I wanted to play…They would talk about you like you weren’t even in the room.” Another writer recounts living independently for the first time when he reached middle-age: “That first day, when it was just me alone in the apartment, it was silent. I felt scared and excited at the same time… I could do what I wanted and when I wanted. If I didn’t want to do my dishes that night, I didn’t have to. What a great feeling.”
Several stories come from parents. In one essay, a mother describes the anguish of contemplating her daughter’s reproductive rights. In another, a parent tells how therapeutic horse riding has helped her adult son to thrive, despite having been told as a child that he might someday “be able to water plants.”
The essays also illustrate how everyday assumptions about disability can become barriers to allowing people to fully participate in community. Should we hesitate to ask someone with a disability to volunteer at the church? No, one writer tells us: “This morning made me happy. I am in the circle at church, and they asked me to bring a salad or cake for the salad luncheon.” Another writer, a human services professional, reflects, “It’s amazing how we start to think that we know what people need and what people are going through. What a misconception.”
The Spectrum Network Executive Director Toni Smith says that From My Perspective is one of the most inspiring projects of her seven years with the organization. “To read these stories, you gain a new appreciation for the tenacity of individuals who are leading joyful, productive lives, having once been told they would not. These stories tell us why to try.”
From My Perspective, edited by Rachel Faldet and Kris Schanilec, will be available for purchase on August 24. Call 563-382-8401, or visit www.thespectrumnetwork.org.
The Spectrum Network is a private, non-profit organization that provides customized employment services and daily living assistance to adults with disabilities, substance abuse, mental illness, and other barriers. Approximately 100 men and women from nine Iowa counties currently benefit from the services of The Spectrum Network.
Contact:
Toni Smith, Executive Director
The Spectrum Network
(563) 382-8401
tsmith@thespectrumnetwork.org
Planet of the Blind 
Thanks for the heads up on what sounds like a really interesting addition to the library of books about and by the disabled. And stay tuned for a book coming out in September called “My Baby Rides the Short Bus,” an anthology of essays written by parents of children with special needs!
LikeLike