Once a year, we select a book that we think the entire community could benefit from reading.  The challenge is to recruit people within your personal network to participate in a meaningful conversation about the Disability community while also increasing your own personal knowledge.  Once completing Special, we think you'll tell your family, friends, therapists, teachers, and allies that "You Gotta Read This!"  We see the potential impact of this community-wide initiative helping to increase awareness, acceptance, accessibility, and compassion for children in therapy and their families.

Plus, everyone is invited to attend the free, LIVE discussion with this year's author, Melanie Dimmitt as she joins us from her home in Australia on Thursday, Oct. 8th from 7:00-8:00pm.  You can sign up to participate in this discussion individually on zoom, or you are welcome to join us at the GENEROC.I.T.Y. Toy Shop to participate as a group.  Signing up with this registration form helps us plan accordingly for our simultaneous in-person and online options.  For professionals, this discussion has been SUBMITTED for 1 hour of Early Intervention Continuing Education Credit.

Writer, Author, Editor and Broadcaster

I’m a writer and broadcaster covering lifestyle, culture, disability and parenting. I’m also a mother of two young children – one with a profound physical disability, one medically boring – both cute as hell.

In September 2019 my debut book, Special: Antidotes to the obsessions that come with a child’s disability, was published by Ventura Press. In February 2022 I launched The Blend, an annual lifestyle magazine designed to inform and inspire the tube-feeding community.

I’m the creator and host of NDIS Know-how, an Australian Podcast Award winning series of short-and-sweet episodes where I chat with fellow parents, people with disability and professionals in the sector who know how to successfully navigate Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). From 2021-2023 I led news and features at Hireup where I commissioned, edited and published op-eds from disability advocates. During this time our team won two Mumbrella CommsCon awards and, mind-blowingly, had a brush with Beyoncé.

I’ve written for titles including The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Broadsheet, Mindful Parenting, The Grace Tales, The Tot, Mamamia and Mama Disrupt. From 2013-2016 I was the senior writer at Collective Hub magazine. My interviewees include Rosamund Pike, Kristin Davis, Eva Chen, Maggie Beer, Mamie Gummer, Samantha Harris, Louise Roe and Michaela DePrince.