They're Not Wrong They're Just Different

About the Book

This book was written because we wanted to relive the eleven exceptional years we spent creating activities and adventures for friends who were different, but certainly not wrong. Those who are developmentally disabled are so much fun, so eager, and so surprisingly clever that we wanted to preserve in writing our experiences together.

It started with a rodeo. We hadn't yet met, but we agreed to take four disabled participants to a special rodeo. Soon we had a team of cowboys rarin' to ride, and the two of us became a team. We wandered off through the tall and uncut on nature hikes with Debbie's special education class in tow, climbing cliffs and encountering "dangerous" cattle herds. We loaded our friends into a van and traveled thither and yon to speech contests. We came home triumphantly laden with medals and trophies. But our most exceptional achievement and the central theme of the book, is The Exceptional Theater Company.

Learn how we organized our company of mentally disabled actors, trained them, and traveled with them to perform in various towns including Washington, D. C. Along the way, we discovered we had devised an exceptional tool for teaching both academics and vocational skills.

This book covers the whole hilarious adventure of teaching, training, travel, and yes, trials and tribulations, topped with triumph. Imagine two women, a van and a pop-up camper, and a crew of disabled but delightful people embarking on an eight-day trip to Kentucky climaxing 20 performances of "Daniel Boone". We had so much fun we did a play about Pocahontas and followed it with a twelve-day camping trip to Jamestown.

Read about our disciplinary measures in the chapter, "The Bad Mood Feud", moments of hilarity in "Oh, My Good Lord!", and our triumphs in "And the Winner Is...".

About the Author

Debra Engstrom has a Master's Degree in education. She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for thirty-one years, twenty-four of them as a special education teacher and nine years as a residential supervisor for adults with developmental disabilities. She has been a foster parent for twenty-five years and an active volunteer with Special Olympics, The Arc, Parks and Recreation and other community programs. She is currently teaching special education at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas.

Georgia Becker attended Fort Hays State University and Kansas State University. She taught elementary school for eight years. She is the parent of a son who has Down Syndrome with autistic characteristics. He is forty-eight years old. She has had a lifelong interest in history, geography, and drama. She has taught various classes for people with developmental disabilities and currently serves as director of both Faith and Light and Special Arts Explorers. She resides in Weir, Kansas.

Debbie and Georgia have enjoyed working together on this book and occasionally try to connect with former members of The Exceptional Theater Company.