Keeping My Balance: A Memoir of Disability and Determination

In 1973, complications during Stephanie Torreno's birth resulted in the diagnosis of cerebral palsy at the age of one. Educating themselves about the condition, Stephanie's parents sought intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy for their daughter. These therapies in early childhood and throughout school assisted Stephanie in learning to walk and speak while having limited mobility, significant challenges with fine motor skills, and articulation difficulties. Stephanie's narrative chronicles her experiences growing up with a physical disability and her parents' advocacy for her, an above-average student, in receiving a mainstreamed education. She describes learning alongside typical classmates without handwriting ability and benefitting from her parents' continuous fight for academic modifications and individualized services.In a deeply personal memoir, Stephanie writes about traumatic family events, including her father's suicide. She illustrates her pursuits to become more independent while coping with additional loss. Stephanie takes readers through her quest to obtain a college education, her attempts to gain meaningful employment, and her emotional journey to live independently.

Author: Stephanie Torreno
Publisher: Gregg Jennings Ink
Published: 10/03/2013
Pages: 234
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.49d
ISBN: 9780986038860

About the Author
As an individual with a disability, Stephanie Torreno has lived with cerebral palsy (CP) since birth. Although CP affects her entire body, she considers herself fortunate to have the abilities to walk, speak, and care for herself to a great extent. She depends on daily assistance from caregivers and paratransit services to live adult life as independently as possible. Stephanie's experiences with a physical disability have taught her to advocate for herself and others with disabilities. In her life and through her writing, she remains realistic in describing the daily challenges and rewarding triumphs of living with disability. As a graduate of Houston Baptist University, Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and technical writing. Her work has included numerous online articles exploring education, special education, and mental health topics. She also wrote an online newsletter for supported employment professionals focused on obtaining work for individuals with disabilities.

This title is not returnable