Small Steps The Year I Got Polio: Book Analysis

Introduction
Learning about disabilities only teaches people so much, however, reading an autobiography written by an individual that has lived with a disability offer a firsthand experience. It depicts their struggles and triumphs in life. With a lot of thought, the book that I chose to read was Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio (Kehret. P, 2003). There are many reasons to why I chose this book and from reading this book I hope to reach my learning goals. From reading the first section of the chosen book I will make connections to the readings and main idea of the topic. Furthermore, the importance of sharing stories and voices will be discussed.

Book Choice
Choosing an appropriate book was quite difficult as there were a variety of choices,
Hearing other people stories is quite beneficial in many ways. It allows the readers to gather a better understanding of what people life has been like, and in this case what it is like to live with a disability. There is only so much that learning about a topic through theory tools can teach us all so using autobiographies is a way for people to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. Furthermore, it brings awareness to the situation and offers something to relate to for people who may be going through the same thing or something similar. Sharing stories benefits everyone from the sharer to the
The title and the front cover was what drew me in. The simplicity and the direct link to the topic intrigued me. Furthermore, I had never heard of the author nor Polio causing me to learn something new. From reading the book, I hope to learn about Polio and how Peg Kehret lived her life when she got Polio. From reading the beginning of the book, I made links to legislation, correct labeling, and inclusion. Legislation was a theme connected as both the legislation discussed stated that all children have the right to an education, which was the case for Peg. Correct labeling is an important concept in life. It allows people to be referred to correctly. Lastly, inclusion was another theme considered as when Peg headed back to school she would have had to be included regardless of her disability and I hoped that it would be as the best level of inclusion.

References
Auslander, G. & Gold, N. (1999). Disability terminology in the media: a comparison of newspaper reports in Canada and Israel. Social Science & Medicine, 48(10).
Foreman, P. & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Inclusion in Action. 5th ed. 2017, p.23-24.
Foreman, P. & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Inclusion in Action. 5th ed. 2017, p.69.
Kehret, P. (1996). Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio. Illinois, USA: Albert Whitman &
Company.
Walker, P. (2018). EDUC1224 Special Education: Week 1 - PowerPoint slides, Bedford Park
Campus: Flinders University.