Love and Let Live

By Barbara J. Burton

This book, although mostly autobiographical, is written with the intent to appeal to all of those (parents, teachers, counselors, friends, etc.) who are involved in providing for the well-being of children with any kind of disability, stressing the need to focus on abilities rather than disabilities.

It relates life experiences in which the author was able to benefit from the positive and encouraging attitudes of her various mentors.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781493110216

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Barbara J. Burton.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2013917894

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4931-1020-9

   Softcover   978-1-4931-1019-3

   eBook   978-1-4931-1021-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 04/29/2014

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CONTENTS

About The Author

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Preamble

The Early Years

High School Days

College Years

Social Work

Retirement Years

Postscript

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Barbara Burton was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1938, the last in a family of seven children, to a carpenter of French descent and a mother of English origins. Born with a condition known as albinism, which involves lack of pigmentation in skin and hair and eye focus problems, she entered the Halifax School for the Blind in 1945, as did two older siblings before her, and completed the first ten grades there.

She subsequently attended St. Patrick’s High School for grades eleven and twelve, Mount Saint Vincent College, where she obtained a bachelor of science degree in home economics, and then she attended the Maritime School of Social Work from which she graduated with a diploma. in social work; and, as the school wan then not a degree granting institution, she was able to receive her M.S.W. Degree from Saint Mary’s University (one of five universities affiliated with the school for this purpose).

Subsequently, Barbara followed a career in hospital social work at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax and retired from that position in 1994 after thirty-two years of service.

Before and after retirement, Barbara was on the board of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind for twenty-five years, and is now an honorary life member. She joined the National Broadcast Reading Service Board in 2000 and served there for six years; she continued to serve as a member of the Program Committee until it was disbanded and is also an honorary life member of that board. Other volunteer positions she had include playing the organ in her church on occasions, singing in the choir in earlier years, and fund raising for the CNIB, the Canadian Red Cross Society, the MS Society of Canada, and other organizations.

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my parents, now deceased, who were willing to provide opportunities for all their seven children to develop beyond their expectations, socially and academically. Despite their limited formal education, they showed an appreciation of the importance of education as not a burden to carry and for me, this ensured a means of making the difference between having a future with limited employment based on others’ limited perception of my capabilities (thus, imposing limits on my possibilities) and an interesting and fulfilling career.

Also, this book is dedicated to teachers, professors, mentors, co-workers, and friends who were encouraging and affirming my various efforts and recognizing my abilities with genuine acceptance as well as kindness.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For many years, I have been thinking that something should be written regarding the problems that some disabled children, now integrated into the public school system, are having. This is despite the good intentions of most people in authority who have been involved in the process, possibly due to resources being stretched too thin and adequate support being unavailable where needed to help deal with difficulties when and where they arise.