Book In Review

Here is an interview that I did with Louise Sattler who is the creative owner/operator of  http://www.signingfamilies.com.   Louise is an expert trainer at workshops and classes that teach American Sign Language to help people communicate with one another.  She is also a certified school psychologist who has an awareness of the importance of the need for families and community leaders to learn sign language.   Sign Language opens doors and bridges gaps for people who are hearing impaired, or who may have developmental delays or special needs.  Communication is something that many people take for granted.

       Put yourself in the position of a person who is hearing impaired, or a person who lives with special needs; and, consider some environments they they may experience differently than you; such as a trip to the hospital or emergency room.  How different would the experience be for you if you were the one who had difficulty making your needs known to the health care professionals.  Or say you are an elderly person who is experiencing hearing loss…how are you going to communicate with other residents or say the staff?   How about shopping or getting educational services at college or in elementary school?   How about ordering a meal in a restaurant?   Do you see how the quality of life can be improved for people impacted in this way?   Can you see how sign language could open doors for people if others in the community took the opportunity to learn it from someone like Louise or through her DVD’s?

 

 

        If you are interested in learning more about Louise and her educational services please listen to the interview here:  http://www.rapidcashmarketing.com/lorrainesinterview/signingfamilies.htm 

     The Road To Me- I Now Know Why That Caged Bird Sang, is an exploratory autobiography of a woman who has known abandonment, cancer, abuse, domestic violence, foster care, love and loss in many forms.     Jessica Angelique is a very special woman.  She has been to the depths of pain and loss and yet she has not built her life on dispair.  She has also known love and life; and yet, she has not had a smooth storybook ending.   This is a woman who deserves a great two- sided love which will be built out of mutual respect, admiration, decency and purpose. 

       Her life as a young child can be described as, one horror after another.  Her definition of family was redefined by her experiences.  She considers one certain foster family to be her parents and that would be Barb and Dave.  Jessica considers their children Tony and Alyssa her brother and sister. 

        They were a foster family that had the care of Jessica within their family for one blissful year.  They accepted her as their own until the foster care system decided to end her stay there.  The tragedy is that she doesn’t know their last name or, what city in Indiana that they lived in.  To top it off…the system will not allow her to try to trace them or contact them.   It would be an amazing miracle to find them after all of these years.  Her heart aches to reconnect with them and to tell them of their impact on her life.  They gave her gifts that they may not realize that they bestowed upon the young girl who had never known unselfish love and acceptance.   How different would her life have been had she been allowed to put down roots in this family and grown to flourish and flower? Read the rest of this entry…