Mary Fashik was born in Lebanon, and he or she has lived right here in the US for many of her life. One thing which will shock folks is that she had two aspirations from an early age.
“One was to turn out to be an creator and the opposite was to be an actress. I at all times needed to see myself on TV. I even took drama programs in school in hopes of pursuing my dream,” she mentioned.
She has additionally lived with cerebral palsy (CP) for a majority of her life. Study extra about CP right here: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/index.html. She is the founding father of Improve Accessibility. Her youngsters’s e book, “Adventurous Adeline and the Again-to-Faculty Celebration,” shall be launched in August of subsequent 12 months.
There are a couple of totally different the reason why it’s important to her: “The primary is that will probably be again to highschool time and this e book is ideal for school rooms and libraries in every single place. The second could be very private. The e book shall be launched per week earlier than my forty seventh birthday. It appears like a full circle second as a transnational, transracial adoptee,” she added.
She was motivated to put in writing the e book as a result of there was little to no illustration on TV or within the films for her rising up.
“If there was disabled illustration, it didn’t really seem like or characterize me. I’ve by no means had a way of belonging. I needed disabled youngsters, particularly Black and brown youngsters to really feel represented and really feel like they belong,” she continued.
The message Fashik needs youngsters, households, and educators to get from studying the e book is: “Incapacity just isn’t a nasty factor. It’s okay for disabled youngsters to take satisfaction of their disabled id. Disabled youngsters are youngsters, identical to their non-disabled counterparts.”
A couple of of the challenges many disabled folks face embody ableism (discrimination based mostly on incapacity) and a scarcity of entry to issues they want, which this e book discusses.
“Everybody has them and they need to at all times be met. Recognizing these wants and making certain they’re met is one solution to start an advocacy journey,” she said.
The factor Fashik needs these within the incapacity group who learn her e book to narrate to: “We had been all Adeline’s age as soon as, having to navigate areas that weren’t essentially made for us,” she said.
She hopes the group “identifies with Adeline as she navigates her new environment and tries her greatest to slot in and really feel snug in her personal pores and skin. I feel that’s one thing so many people who’re disabled nonetheless have a troublesome time with.”
Those that have an interest can pre-order the e book right here: https://www.amazon.com/Adventurous-Adeline-Back-School-Party/dp/1736949780/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WUPTJ95NV85K&keywords=adventurous+adeline&qid=1700069119&s=books&sprefix=adventurous+ade%2Cstripbooks%2C66&sr=1-1
