Last modified: Monday, July 30, 2007
New book is first comprehensive guide to improving quality of life for adults with disabilities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS -- A new book by Indiana University education professor Patricia Rogan and Pamela Walker of Syracuse University offers an in-depth guide to promoting active, rewarding and meaningful lifestyles for adults with disabilities. Tackling such issues as employment, transition from school to adult life, postsecondary education and social relationships, Make the Day Matter!: Promoting Typical Lifestyles for Adults with Significant Disabilities (Brookes, 2007) compiles the most current best practices into a guidebook for supporting fulfilling lives for all adults.
The book is intended as a resource for service providers working with adults with significant disabilities. Rogan, professor and chair of secondary education and area coordinator of special education at IU's School of Education in Indianapolis, said there is a wide gap between what researchers know about supporting adults with disabilities and what is actually being implemented.
"Unfortunately, many adults with disabilities in our society have been denied typical lifestyles due to segregation, negative attitudes toward them, and lack of access to community opportunities," she said. "For example, adults with disabilities are largely unemployed, enroll in postsecondary education at a rate of approximately 40 percent below that of the general population, and often report being lonely and disconnected. It is our hope that this book will offer practical guidelines and examples for promoting quality lifestyles for our fellow citizens with disabilities."
The book begins with a historical background on approaches to disability in the U.S., explaining the different movements and laws that have shaped the present status of adults with disabilities. It then looks at the most current research to identify what works in creating opportunities for full citizenship and community participation.
A number of researchers from Indiana University's Indiana Institute on Disability and Community in Bloomington contributed their expertise in different areas:
- Transitioning to adulthood. Teresa Grossi, director of the Center on Community Living and Careers, discusses ways to best utilize formal education as a means of preparing for adulthood in "Preparing for Meaningful Adult Lives Through School and Transition Experiences."
- Old age and retirement. Jennie Todd, research associate at the Center on Aging and Community, writes about transitioning into older adulthood in "Promoting a Good Old Age: Strategies for Identifying Interests and Developing Community Connections."
- A brighter future. David Mank, director of the Institute, helps to create a vision of the future in the concluding section entitled "Toward Meaningful Lives: A Convergence of Events, Problems, and Possibilities."
To speak with Grossi, Todd, or Mank, contact Joel Fosha at the Indiana Institute for Disability and Community, foshaj@indiana.edu or 812-855-6508.
To speak with Rogan, call 317-274-6806 or email progan@iupui.edu.
More information about the book is available online at http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/walker-67137/index.htm.
