Within the pages of Vicky Stewart's new book, Heide Loves to Cheer ($17.99, paperback, 978-1-62509-113-0; $ 8.99, e-book, 978-1-62509-114-7) readers will get to know Heide, a fun-loving 28-year-old woman who sees herself as a child. It is the story of how the neighborhood children learn to accept Heide for who she is and realize how much she adds to their lives with her positive personality. They embrace her into their activities, but more importantly, into their hearts. The children and everyone else involved see how they can make a difference by looking past people's disabilities to the good they can contribute.
"My hope is that by learning how a person with disabilities feels and thinks, it will bring an awareness to the readers that will encourage them to look for those opportunities to make a difference by including these special individuals in their lives," states the author. "There are limited resources on this topic, one that most people don't want to address. Most mentally challenged individuals cannot speak for themselves, but their feelings are real. They deserve a chance to develop relationships at their level in the communities they live in."Videos