Made Possible hits the midway milestone

When I tell people that my youngest sister (above, left) has the learning disability fragile x syndrome, there are usually two common responses. People either ask what fragile x is, or they want to know kind of support she needs.

Not many people ask my sister’s name (Raana) or how old she is (28). They do not ask about her skills (baking, ceramics), what she likes doing in her free time (zumba, movie nights), or her achievements (so many to choose from – her artwork, her college course, her public speaking, how she looks after her nephews and niece).

This is what led me to launch a crowdfunding campaign for a new book, Made Possible, showcasing the stories of talented people with learning disabilities - in their own words.

This week the book hit a major milestone - already 53% funded after just three weeks. That's halfway to creating a book to challenge perceptions that people with learning disabilities are passive recipients of care or deserving of pity.

So far there are over 120 diverse people and organisations driving the effort to get the book published. I'm absolutely delighted that the book's  range of supporters includes learning disability self-advocates, family members, campaigners, professionals and support organisations.

I recently blogged about the book for Learning Disability Today, in an attempt to explain why this book deserves to be published. Here's what I wrote:

If you believe that people’s independence and talents should be upheld, instead of undermined by austerity and welfare reform, if you want others to discover the dynamic personalities of people who are most often overlooked, and if you want to challenge the status quo on learning disability, you should support this book.

If you're interested in finding out more, please contact me - or check out the Made Possible page on the publisher's website.