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Occupying Aging: Delights, Disabilities, and Daily Life
Peeking into another's life is part of what drives us to read. Occupying Aging gives us that and so much more. Warm, wise, and conversational, these 366 journal-like entries fly off the page and into your heart.
You'll travel with Katherine Schneider through ordinary and extraordinary components that make up an inner and outer life. You'll find wisdom and humor, frustration and joy, and learn up close and personal what one baby boomer's life, a baby boomer who happens to be blind, feels like when you're the one in it.
She is prayerful and irreverent, smart and funny, and makes lists of things from books to platitudes to text shortcuts for seniors, which will make you reflect deeply at times and laugh out loud at others.
What does a retired psychologist with a Seeing Eye dog do with her days? She helps others every way she can - feeding pets, mentoring children, entertaining friends, contributing in her church, marching on in that uphill struggle to help the world understand that people with disabilities are first and foremost, just people.
And she spends a lot of time reading, thinking and, ultimately, writing this book. Lucky for us that she did!
Deborah Kendrick, award-winning columnist and author. Disability rights advocate, and senior features editor for AccessWorld.
~ Deborah Kendrick
You'll travel with Katherine Schneider through ordinary and extraordinary components that make up an inner and outer life. You'll find wisdom and humor, frustration and joy, and learn up close and personal what one baby boomer's life, a baby boomer who happens to be blind, feels like when you're the one in it.
She is prayerful and irreverent, smart and funny, and makes lists of things from books to platitudes to text shortcuts for seniors, which will make you reflect deeply at times and laugh out loud at others.
What does a retired psychologist with a Seeing Eye dog do with her days? She helps others every way she can - feeding pets, mentoring children, entertaining friends, contributing in her church, marching on in that uphill struggle to help the world understand that people with disabilities are first and foremost, just people.
And she spends a lot of time reading, thinking and, ultimately, writing this book. Lucky for us that she did!
Deborah Kendrick, award-winning columnist and author. Disability rights advocate, and senior features editor for AccessWorld.
~ Deborah Kendrick
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 27, 2017
This is a grate book for those with disabilities or for those who would like to be more informed about people with disabilities. The author has been blind from birth. In this book she journals for an entire year the struggles as well as many successes she has dealing with her blindness and her aging. The lady is amazing. Katherine is very altruistic and is very involved with her church. I recommend this book to all.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond
November 24, 2013
This book with its mixture of the quotidian and sublime stands as an interesting glimpse into the life of one early 21st-century woman. Schneider, a retired psychologist, recounts a year of thoughts and events in this journal. Her ruminations on death, spirituality, dogs, and navigating the landscape of the sighted as a totally blind inhabitant of her Wisconsin college town are enlightening. Touches of humor involving Fran, her Seeing Eye dog, add a sense of fun.
As someone who is acquainted with Dr. Schneider (we have exchanged emails), I could wish I occupied my 40s quite so well as she does her 60s. The proactive attempts to educate about disability issues, the volunteering, and public speaking are outstanding. Maybe some of her enthusiasm for life will rub off on all her readers?
As she says in the introduction, "The year is full of delightful people and events, as well as tears and laughter. The other major characters in this journal are my Seeing Eye dogs past and present. They'd encourage you to read the book because then at least some good will come of my spending so much time tapping on the keyboard of my talking computer."
An excellent vade mecum for handling the uncertainties of retirement.
As someone who is acquainted with Dr. Schneider (we have exchanged emails), I could wish I occupied my 40s quite so well as she does her 60s. The proactive attempts to educate about disability issues, the volunteering, and public speaking are outstanding. Maybe some of her enthusiasm for life will rub off on all her readers?
As she says in the introduction, "The year is full of delightful people and events, as well as tears and laughter. The other major characters in this journal are my Seeing Eye dogs past and present. They'd encourage you to read the book because then at least some good will come of my spending so much time tapping on the keyboard of my talking computer."
An excellent vade mecum for handling the uncertainties of retirement.
April 29, 2019
This is one of our WTBBL book club reads, written by one of our members. I really enjoyed it. It is both insightful and entertaining. I like the causal style of observations about daily living, especially her ability to see things everywhere to be grateful for.
February 2, 2015
Katherine Schneider, a devoted advocate for accessibility for all people, offers an inspiring glimpse into a year of her joyful, engaged life. As baby boomers age, many will find themselves facing disabilities. With her Seeing Eye dog by her side, Kathie offers encouragement and motivation for readers to discover their path to living a happy, fulfilled life. The impressive bibliography offers many opportunities for further reading.
June 7, 2014
I read Occupying Aging before I actually met Katherine Schneider in person, and I'm very glad I did. Her personality comes through so vividly in her book that I felt like I knew her before we actually met, and she offers excellent insights on how non-disabled people can be helpful and friendly without being patronizing when interacting with people who do have disabilities. I truly appreciated her insights, and I feel fortunate to have made her acquaintance in print as well as in person.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews