When I first heard about the 2 + 4 = 1 project, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I decided to have the editor of the book Kathy Nimmer interview me, and come up with a story for the book. The one that was chosen, and is included in the book is a funny story about me and my first guide dog Rico. Below is the press release about the book. Please spread the word and order yourself a copy to support all service dog teams.
For Immediate Release
November 19, 2010
Announcing the publication of Two Plus Four Equals One: Celebrating the
Partnership of People with Disabilities and Their Assistance Dogs!
Teacher and writer Kathy Nimmer has written and edited this inspiring
anthology of true stories and poems from around the world, just in time
for the holidays!
ABOUT THE BOOK
True, vibrant, honest, and emotional, eliciting compassion, joy, sorrow,
and love, promoting understanding, acceptance, awareness, and hope. Two
Plus Four Equals One offers over 100 stories and poems written by or
about men, women, and children, all either with disabilities or
connected to people who have disabilities. Joining them are Labradors,
German Shepherds, Poodles, Papillons, Goldens, Shelties, Chihuahuas, and
many other breeds, all trained to assist their disabled handlers. From
blindness to deafness, from mobility issues to psychiatric needs, from
diabetes to autism, the array of disabilities showcased in this
unforgettable book is as vast as the tasks performed by the canine
partners. This book highlights the strength, competence, and potential
of both the human and canine participants in an alliance where neither
partner is perfect but both together add up to an equation where two
hands/feet/eyes/ears plus four paws equals one magical union.
PURPOSE AND REACH
Attention to assistance dogs is growing in today‚s society. However,
people are largely unaware of how these dogs work and what tasks they
perform. This book offers an educational inroad through the power of
personal narrative.
There is also a great need for inspiration and hope these days,
something to warm the heart and lift the spirit. Love for dogs is
fundamental in our society. These writings of triumph, teamwork, humor,
success, and love will warm hearts and encourage hope in readers. They
will come away with a new confidence in the human spirit to overcome
obstacles and the canine spirit to step into a role of support in ways
never before imagined or understood.
People with disabilities are often segregated from the public at large.
Because of issues with transportation, communication, and unfair
judgments, many disabled people are isolated, unemployed, and
underutilized. While this book illuminates the working partnership
between assistance dogs and people with disabilities, it also refutes
longstanding, unhealthy misperceptions about disability.
ABOUT THE WRITER/EDITOR
Kathy Nimmer is an award-winning teacher, author, and motivational
speaker from West Lafayette, Indiana. In 2006, she won first place in
the Helen Keller International Memoir Competition and published a book
of poetry called Minutes in the Dark, Eternity in the Light. She
received the Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Award in 2004, is a
two-time recipient of the Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship, earned
National Board Certification in 2003, and was presented with the Golden
Apple in 1998. In 2009, she was named a Lilly Distinguished Fellow,
giving her the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream, the fulfillment
of which is Two Plus Four Equals One. Blind due to a rare retinal
disease, Nimmer teaches sophomore English and creative writing at
Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Learn more and order your copy at
http://www.servicedogstories.com
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1 week ago
Hello Cathy,
ReplyDeleteI read with interest your recent post on the book Two plus Four Equals One. I am in complete agreement with your perspective. I am another human who has the privilege of being partnered with one of the many amazing animals that through their training provide us with the independence and confidence to tackle more of the world than we would on our own. But their gifts to us are much more than that, as they freely offer unconditional love, loyalty, thoughtful guidance and a sense of humour that can lift our spirits and elicit smiles from their canine ways.
Bizet and I navigate not only our city going from home to work to meetings and play, but together we navigate airports and distant cities across North America while we visit our corporate customers. He is guide, friend and companion and there is a bond which is unshakable and unbreakable, as we share each adventure as a team. We have adventures wherever we go and there are many...We have been through airport pat downs until I decided that removal of all of his harness paraphernalia would stop the scanner from targeting us, a terrorist attack at the Glasgow Airport in Scotland and his role in calming down a woman with a heart condition when she could not get to her medication, and so much more.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the important roles that animals make in our lives. They really do make us human.
Warmest Regards,
Sharlyn