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Solitary Courage

Overview

Solitary Courage is the story of a mother's tough-love determination, her severely disabled daughter's astonishing triumphs, and a documentary record of the political battles, organizational conflicts, and human struggles that citizens with disabilities face and fight every day of their lives.

Mona Winberg became a pioneer of independent living, and emerged a leading advocate for citizens with mental and physical disabilities. Her courageous causes erupted from her deep reservoir of compassion and concern. Her unflinching challenges to the status quo expressed both optimism and realism about life and society. Her life is testament to the power of solitary courage.

Between 1986 and 1999 she was the only newspaper columnist in North America regularly writing about disability issues. Through her award-winning column "Disabled Today" in Toronto's Sunday Sun, Mona Winberg painstakingly built up a body of work of more than 600 articles chronicling front-line battles for equality. She was a realist, a wise person with a no-nonsense approach, kindly, but clear-eyed.

Solitary Courage begins with the story of Mona Winberg's life, followed by a representative selection of 156 of her columns organized into 20 thematic chapters, the best of Mona in her own words. The last part of the book reflects upon Mona Winberg's legacy of lessons that still connect to programs and policies touching the lives of Canadians with disabilities today.

The subjects are wide-ranging and engaging because Mona used personal examples of individuals with disabilities and news-making issues raised by their plight. She also reported on the street-level outcomes of government policies. This variety and approach to disability issues provides real education and genuine human interest, whatever a reader's background or experience. |||This book is sold in the US by Sony Electronics Inc. |||This book is sold in Canada by Sony Electronics Inc.

Author Information

J. Patrick Boyer

J. Patrick Boyer's experience as journalist, lawyer, university professor, parliamentarian and chair of public policy organizations enables help him to capture McRuer's engagement in similar fields with realistic balance.

Boyer, who has written many books on law and public policy, was designated a Queen's Council "in recognition of his public contributions through the authorship of legal texts on Canada's electoral laws," a body of work comprising some nine law books and several dozen articles.

Mona Winberg

Mona Fleur Winberg was born in Toronto on January 27, 1932 with severe cerebral palsy. Supported by her mother's tough love, Mona grew up, learned to communicate, got an education, joined the workforce, enjoyed the dignity of "independent living" with support from family and service providers, and became a resilient public advocate for people with disabilities.

In the 1970s Mona Winberg overcame her innate shyness, not to mention personal reluctance to address audiences because of her speech difficulties, in order to advance the interests of people with disabilities.

In the 1980s, her forceful and intelligent efforts to make governments and the general public aware of the needs, achievements, problems, and capabilities of disabled people began reaching an even wider audience. She worked for community development on the boards of many agencies and organization, became president of the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, and became an editor and writer.

As columnist for Toronto's Sunday Sun, she won many journalism and community awards for the high caliber of her work in addressing the disabilities agenda. Recognition of Mona Winberg's contributions to Canadians included her induction into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame, and the Order of Canada.

She died in Toronto on January 19, 2009.

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Product Details

  • Published by

    Blue Butterfly Book Publishing, Incorporated

  • Publish Date

    January 12, 2011 

  • Print ISBN

    9780978160050

  • eBook ISBN

    9781926577401

  • Imprint

    Blue Butterfly Book Publishing, Incorporated

  • Filesize

    3.51 MB

  • Number of Print Pages*

    N/A

* Number of eBook pages may differ. Click here for more information.