ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to thank the staff at Cornell University Press for their help and support in bringing this book to life.

Dr. Zo Stoneman at the University of Georgia was supportive of my research and encouraged me to keep going. Brianna Smith was invaluable in making certain the citations were accurate. Dr. Steve Hall, my first boss away from farms and factories, introduced me to Burton Blatt’s work and so much more. Thank you, Steve.

I want to thank Nancy Brooks-Lane for her work in this field and also for being a dedicated and gentle first reader.

I’m honored to work with kind and smart people at the Institute on Human Development and Disability and creative colleagues at Griffin-Hammis Associates. Thanks to all of you for helping me with the book.

Lastly, my deepest thanks go to the people who were willing to talk to me about their own experiences. From workers with disabilities to family members and public servants, I’ve had the great opportunity to learn from them, and I am grateful.