Yes, please nominate books and publicize the Schneider Family Awards and
also CEC's Dolly Gray Award. Curious Incident won the Dolly Gray Award last
year. Linda
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ellen Perlow" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 10:58 AM
Subject: Re: USC and the Curious Incident
> Dear Colleagues:
>
> Please encourage accessibility advocates and publishers of well-written
> books for children and young adults with such themes to nominate such
> books
> for the American Library Association's Schneider Family Book Awards.
>
> Please see the [unfortunately] less-than-memorable URL:
> http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=awards&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=98284
>
> ----------------
>
> Ellen Perlow
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>>From: Linda Walling <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: EASI's Library Accessibility Discussion List
>><[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: USC and the Curious Incident
>>Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:11:31 -0400
>>
>> I thought you'd be interested in knowing that the wonderful book, The
>>Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is the book all freshmen at
>>USC will read and discuss this fall. The following is an article from The
>>State newspaper about the book. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend
>>that you do so! Linda
>>Posted on Tue, Jul. 19, 2005
>>
>>USC hopes autism novel inspires freshmen
>>
>>By CLAUDIA SMITH BRINSON
>>
>>Columnist
>>
>>Across South Carolina, and here and there and elsewhere, about 3,600
>>18-year-olds should be carrying around a little red book.
>>
>>The readers are USC's incoming freshmen. The book with the bright red
>>cover
>>is Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."
>>
>>For the first time, all freshmen are participating in USC's First-Year
>>Reading Experience. Before, participation was limited to several hundred
>>students in the S.C. Honors College or University 101, the school's
>>college
>>introduction course.
>>
>>During summer orientation, each freshman is being handed a copy of
>>Haddon's
>>international best-seller. At 8:30 a.m. Aug. 15, all will gather in the
>>Carolina Coliseum to talk about the adventures of Christopher John Francis
>>Boone.
>>
>>But first, they will hear from Mary Meghan Martin, 20, a second-semester
>>junior from Bothell, Wash., who is majoring in biology. Mary Martin's
>>younger sister and two cousins are autistic, as is the narrator of
>>Haddon's
>>novel.
>>
>>Mary Martin's participation marks another first. Eleven years - and
>>books -
>>into the program, this is the first time a student will be the featured
>>speaker at the student welcoming. Martin will share the stage with
>>associate provost Karl Heider and English professor Ed Madden.
>>
>>When Dan Berman, USC's director of University 101, heard of Mary Martin's
>>deep and personal connection to the subject matter of "The Curious
>>Incident," he took the leap. "I know it will be inspiring for other
>>students," he says.
>>
>>Mary Martin is still working on her speech. Right now, she has three
>>versions. But in any version, she's a fierce advocate for her sister,
>>Kristen Martin, and "The Curious Incident."
>>
>>She sees an opportunity to dispel stereotypes: "Most books or movies about
>>autism show extreme cases, like in 'Rain Man.' ''
>>
>>She sees an opportunity to better describe autism, a neurological disorder
>>affecting 1.5 million American children and adults. Autism is described as
>>a spectrum disorder because it affects individuals in a variety of ways,
>>at
>>a variety of levels, from severe mental disability to extreme intellectual
>>or artistic gifts.
>>
>>Most people with autism do experience difficulties communicating,
>>socializing and dealing with change. Christopher explains, "... when I am
>>in a new place, because I see everything, it is like when a computer is
>>doing too many things at the same time and the central processor unit is
>>blocked up and there isn't any space left to think about other things."
>>
>>In Mary Martin's family, one cousin is classically autistic. Another, like
>>the narrator of "The Curious Incident," has Asperger syndrome, sometimes
>>described as high-functioning autism. Kristin Martin's diagnosis is
>>PDD-NOS, which stands for Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise
>>Specified.
>>
>>Kristin Martin, 18, also has Turner syndrome, which delays puberty and
>>inhibits growth. She is deaf and mentally disabled.
>>
>>"My first memories are of her in the hospital," Mary Martin says. "We
>>didn't expect her to live past her first birthday, so every year is a
>>shock
>>and amazing and wonderful.
>>
>>"Of course there were times I didn't understand what was going on and
>>wanted her to be normal. But I've learned a lot from her. She has always
>>been a blessing, except for a few years in elementary school, when I
>>thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I have a sister who is handicapped.' ''
>>
>>Kristin Martin has shaped not only her big sister's past but her future.
>>Mary Martin names handicapped children her passion and hopes to earn both
>>a
>>medical degree and a Ph.D. to combine research and teaching in that area.
>>
>>Mary Martin already has practice, attending medical appointments, adding
>>her point of view at meetings about her sister's public-school education.
>>
>>"My family, the way we get things to work is we're all involved," she
>>explains. Her father is a senior systems administrator with a
>>pharmaceutical company who goes to work before dawn so he can be home in
>>the afternoon. Her mother works at home for Hewlett-Packard.
>>
>>Among their most important offerings is "regulating life so there's a
>>constant balance," Mary Martin says. "I am absolutely awed by my parents
>>and how much they do."
>>
>>Much is needed, she notes. "Like any little sister, my little sister hugs
>>you, laughs and plays - but on her terms. If you introduce her to a new
>>situation or a new person, and she wasn't prepared, she will go into a
>>temper tantrum."
>>
>>Mary Martin particularly likes how "The Curious Incident" depicts the
>>stress families endure. She offers as a personal example a Christmas Day
>>spent in the emergency room. The Martins had visited relatives; Kristen
>>Martin, unable to handle the variety, threw daily tantrums, needing
>>medical
>>assistance to stop.
>>
>>This is the sort of thing, Mary Martin notes, that estranges relatives,
>>ends marriages, results in violent responses. "The Curious Incident"
>>tackles just such problems in a tender and surprising way.
>>
>>"The best thing about the book is it's fictional," Mary Martin says. "If
>>it
>>were nonfiction, you wouldn't get the whole story" because real people
>>wouldn't tell how tough it actually gets.
>>
>>Berman notes "The Curious Incident" is difficult to put down. "It's
>>deceptively simple but really loaded with powerful issues."
>>
>>He says expanding the First-Year Reading Experience should challenge
>>students to do "something academic during the summer."
>>
>>He reflects on the book's quality, as well as the persistently upbeat Mary
>>Martin, and adds, "The only thing I'm worried about is: How do we follow
>>this up?"
>>
>>For more information about the First-Year Reading Experience and a
>>reader's
>>discussion guide, go to www.sc.edu/univ101.
>>
>>(c) 2005 The State and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
>>
>>http://www.thestate.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Linda L. Walling
>>Columbia, SC
>>803/779-4127
>>http://www.libsci.sc.edu/facst/lw.htm
>>
>>"Our choices are always made in the
>>context of the stories we tell." --Alan Jones
>
> ---------------------------
> Check out EASI New Synchronous Clinics:
> http://easi.cc/clinic.htm
> EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi
> Online courses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
> Check the EASI Library Web http://www.rit.edu/~easi/lib.htm
>
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>
---------------------------
Check out EASI New Synchronous Clinics:
http://easi.cc/clinic.htm
EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi
Online courses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
Check the EASI Library Web http://www.rit.edu/~easi/lib.htm
>>> Error in line 8 of AXSLIB-L.MAILTPL: unknown formatting command <<<
-> . . . . . . . . . <-
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