Physical Disabilities : The Ultimate Teen Guide

Addresses the special issues that teens who have physical disabilities must tackle, such as school, relationships, sports and recreation, assistive technology, driving, preparing for life after high school, and more. This work is intended for teens, parents, teachers, and medical professionals.

It is difficult enough for teens growing up today to deal with the regular issues arising from family, school, and relationships, regardless of whether they have physical disabilities or not. Add to those problems the extra obstacles that visual, hearing, and physical impairments present some teens, and the road to adulthood just got exponentially more complex. Physical Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide provides a roadmap through these additional tribulations teens with disabilities face by showing the methods, mechanisms, and resources other teens are using to cope with their disabilities. Discussing everything from going away to college to living independently to traveling internationally, this book is filled with stories from active teens who have vision, hearing, and other physical disabilities. Interviews with teens who are meeting the challenges of living with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Osteosarcoma, amputations, visual impairment, Rellex Sympathetic Dystrophy, paralysis, hearing impairment, and deafness are included along with more than 40 photos of these teens participating in various activities. Author Denise Thornton has organized the book into eight categories: School, Tools and Technology, Transportation and Access, Sports, the Arts, Relationships, Independence, and Advocacy. Each chapter combines the experiences of teens and young adults in all these spheres with up-to-date information on the resources that readers can call on as they follow their own dreams. Teens, parents, teachers, and medical professionals will find this to be a valuable resource.