Elizabeth

By Sharon Ulrich and Intro & Commentary) Ulrich, Sharon (Selma Fraiberg & Edna Adelson

The author's account of her blind daughter's life reveals the struggles of her first five years of growth and development.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0472930001
• ISBN13: 9780472930005
• Release Date: January 1972
• Publisher: Univ of Michigan Pr
• Length: 122 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Elizabeth, by Sharon Ulrich

First of all, the publishing date as listed on this site is not 1960. 'Elizabeth' was published in 1972. Elizabeth wasn't born until August 27, 1965. I know this for a fact because she is my sister and I was 12 years of age when she was born, and I have an original copy of the book. The book was written for one reason, because at the time we were told Elizabeth was blind, due to what is now called Premature Retinopathy, my mother searched for books on raising and helping one's blind child thrive in a sight-dependent filled world. Every book she found stated that a child who was blind was also retarded. Mom, already having raised four babies, knew this to be a complete fallacy. She knew it to be untrue because of Elizabeth's reactions to stimuli and the voices around her. So, with encouragement from Selma Fraiberg and Edna Adelson, the book was written to correct the untruths and to bring hope and help to other parents whose children were struck by a disability. Today, Elizabeth is 43 years old, lives on her own, and works as a medical transcriptionist. She has her third leader dog, Sammie, she is totally independent, travels to concerts (mainly Jimmy Buffett or Tom Petty). She enjoys her life. She is also a very good cook. Mom, insisted on independence for Elizabeth, she insisted that her daughter would not be treated as 'special', and in raising her she only 'tweeked' a few things ... like hanging the streamer of bells across a crib lower so that when her baby would raise a hand or foot one or the other would come in contact with the tinkling sound. Music, reading, singing were a huge of Elizabeth's life, but it was no different for my brothers and sisters and myself. Elizabeth was not going to grow up thinking she was 'special' because of her blindness or to think God allowed her to be blind to glorify him. Her blindness was a result of being very premature and the amount of oxygen given to her which caused the blood vessels in the retina to hemmorrage and thus resulted in blindness. Our mother, Sharon, journeyed on in death on November 2, 2007. She is now sleeping in the passage that connects life to life. She died proud of her children and content in the knowledge that Elizabeth and her other children would be just fine with out her. Well, we aren't quite fine without her ... we miss her terribly. She was a woman that cared and wanted the best for her family.. This book can help anyone who has a child with a disbility know there is hope, and you have to work at it to see that hope realized. Now, in this day and age, there are more services available for parents to rely on, but in the end, most of the work will still be done by the parent to insure their child will thrive and function in a society that seems to still have a mid-evil view concerning disabilities.