Resources for Back-to-School Season
Last week, SRNA released the Back-To-School Kit for those with rare neuroimmune disorders who are seeking to balance pursuing education with navigating their health journey. This comprehensive guide includes letters to give to teachers and interested parents, as well as a list of common accommodations those with each condition may need to request to make education accessible.
In addition to the materials in the kit, we would like to share children’s books from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in partnership with the Kennedy Krieger Institute. These books were co-written by Janet Dean, a pediatric nurse practitioner, and Emily Montag, a child life specialist.
See What We Can Do, See Where We Can Go!
The first book, “See What We Can Do, See Where We Can Go!” is made for preschool-age children, and it is a great resource for a teacher to read to a classroom if they have a student with a spinal cord injury. It’s also a nice resource to explain a condition to a young child and empower them if they themselves have a spinal cord injury, as the pictures inside show many people living happy and meaningful lives while having a spinal cord injury. Most notably, there are children in the book with spinal cord injuries, and a child could easily connect and feel less alone.
Some Walk, I Roll. Let’s Learn Why.
The second book, “Some Walk, I Roll. Let’s Learn Why.” can be read by kids or adults, and holds some excellent information that can help someone who doesn’t have a full understanding of spinal cord injuries understand how damage to the spine might impact a person. It perhaps could be read by a teacher to a classroom of elementary-age students, as it is informative but also clears up some common misconceptions. It also shows the ways people with spinal cord injuries can adapt to their condition through mobility aids and adaptive equipment, which could empower a young reader with a spinal cord injury to seek out these tools and become more independent, in turn.
As Janet Dean, one of the authors explains, “These books show how to live with spinal cord injury. People with a spinal cord injury can have fulfilling lives, just like everyone else. They just may have to do things differently.”
These resources are versatile, as they can explain rare neuroimmune disorders that result in spinal cord injury to both those with the disorder and to concerned friends and family. The authors worked so directly with children with spinal cord injuries and their families to create a resource that serves the community and makes their lives easier. It’s clear from the writing alone that both authors were very passionate about helping the community, and so we’d love for those interested to check out these amazing works!
