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There are so many stand-out success stories within the disability community. But few venues exist for getting the word out about them honestly and genuinely and without relying on the “super-crip” stereotype. That’s what makes the book Reflections from a Different Journey such a wonderful tool for parents working to fully understand the possibilities for all children, whether they’re living with a disability or not.

Reflections is made up of 40 eloquently written essays from adults who are living the disability experience, and the book offers a rare chance for readers to observe the lives of people with many different disabilities. Included are cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, learning disabilities, deafness, blindness, mental illness, developmental disabilities, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, congenital amputation, and chronic health conditions.

Compiled by two award-winning advocates for the disabled, John Kemp and Stanley Klein, the authors selected give parents the wisdom they need to understand and nurture children with disabilities. The essays are short yet diverse and are grouped into the following themes:

• “Love Me and Accept Me as I Am” is a collection of essays that reflect on the love and sense of belonging the authors felt as they were growing up. “My family gave me a sense of belonging and the ability to be confident in a non-disabled world. They gave me the basic skills that I developed to cope with everyday situations,” Ross Flood writes in this section. “At times, they also had the strength to bite their lips, stand back, and allow me to make my own mistakes. My family’s acceptance was unconditional. But at vital stages of my life, society has not supported their decision, especially when it came to career and job opportunities.”
• An in-depth look at how parents addressed the authors’ unique needs is included in “Parents Are the Most Important Experts.”
• “Parental Expectations” encourage every child to have hopes and aspirations.
• It’s clear from “Sexuality” that every child needs to be empowered to talk about and learn about sex and intimacy.
• “Education about Disability” essays explain why certain accommodations should be made so that each child can enjoy a full life.

There’s gentle guidance nestled in each of the essays. It comes out in excerpts such as the one titled “Affirmation and Challenge,” in which Lucy Spruill writes “My parents were not perfect. They were extremely authoritarian, which generated commensurate rebelliousness in my brothers and me, especially as we became young adults in the 1960s. As most parents of children with disabilities, they were much more protective of me than my friends’ parents were of them and once I left home, I had a lot of catching up to do in social skills. But the foundation they gave me in the commitment to self, family, and community far outweighed the limitations that were so typical of the times in which they lived.”

All of the authors include information they wish their own parents had known. And the words are invaluable to anyone with questions about the choices they’re making for their children. Everything is addressed, from risk taking and community prejudice to independence and all the challenges confronting a parent.

Reflections offers a chance to look forward at any stage of life; true hope and anticipation lie in the words of the accomplished adults with disabilities who were willing to share the good, the bad, and the heartfelt experiences of their lives. Clearly, none of the authors want to be pitied or to appear as extraordinary. Instead, they simply want to convey a feeling of hope and a genuine anticipation for what’s possible. The sense of pride and accomplishment that also comes through in each essay makes Reflections from a Different Journey a wonderful read for kids themselves.

Reflections from a Different Journey is 224 pages long and is published by McGraw-Hill.