Words in My Hands: A Teacher, a Deaf-Blind Man, an Unforgettable Journey

by Diane Lane Chambers

Bert Riedel, an eighty-six year old deaf-blind pianist, cut off from world since age forty-five, discovers a new life through hand-over-hand-sign. This heartwarming narrative about the life-changing power of sign language communication is told by Diane Lane Chambers, Bert's sign language teacher. Diane finds her world transformed as well by her relationship with her unique deaf-blind student. Words in My Hands is the true story of their unforgettable journey. Beautifully and eloquently written, Chambers story takes the reader through the intricacies and complexities of not only deafness and blindness, but of language itself. This impactful memoir is for professionals in education, social services, healthcare, and rehabilitation. It is an inspiration for all!

Genres: Memoir

263 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kori Gedris]

This was a great, easy read that was very interesting to me. Chambers easy manner of telling the story while relating sign language instruction details made the information engaging and informative. While this story seems to be about sign language instruction, it is an inspirational story about one deaf-blind man’s zest for life and positive outlook and how it impacted and inspired those who worked with him.

[Jenny Jones]

Beautiful story about resilience.