April 17, 2018

Down syndrome parenting: a new, inspiring book for adults

MonkeyRead.me’s not just about children’s books. It’s also about supporting the adults who care for children.

Mike and Candy have worked together for 18 months to write this book for you

And here’s a wonderful, encouraging read for parents of children with a disability – and for those who just love a great human interest story.

Ty has achieved amazing things, despite his parents being told they didn’t have to take him home from the hospital

Our latest Kickstarter project aims to raise funds for printing Candy Lawrence’s latest book, ‘Down to the Sea’, which is a biography of Ty Belnap written in conjunction with Ty’s dad, Mike Belnap.

Ty has Down syndrome, but it’s never stopped him from contributing to his community. His parents, Mike and Nancy, started out as teachers of Science and PE respectively – but when Ty came along, they very quickly learned about Early Intervention and Special Education and ultimately became Special Ed teachers.

Now Mike shares what he and Nancy learned along the way. How to push down walls in the search for equality. How they coped with bullying. Finding employment for Ty, dealing with puberty and mental health issues and workplace setbacks – it’s all in there. It’s a manual for how to keep a marriage going when you’re exhausted and everything seems so overwhelming. You’ll enjoy this no-holds-barred story of what it was really like to be the parent of a child with a disability in the late ’70s and beyond, when inclusion was just an untested concept and not so many people were on board with it.

Pop over to our latest Kickstarter and you can pre-order your copy of ‘Down to the Sea’ now!

The Kickstarter is open until May 8th. By August, you’ll be able to purchase ‘Down to the Sea’ in the MonkeyRead.me shop.