JOANNE DE SIMONE: FALL & RECOVERY
This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Quality of Life” Show features writer, author, and educator Joanne De Simone who discusses her memoir “Fall and Recovery: Raising Children with Disabilities through Lessons Learned in Dance.” Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
In “Fall and Recovery: Raising Children with Disabilities through Lessons Learned in Dance” (She Writes Press, Sept. 17, 2024), author Joanne De Simone delves into the transformative power of dance in navigating the challenges of parenting children with disabilities.
When the pediatrician placed the measuring tape around her infant’s head and noted, “His head is a little small,” Joanne knew that motherhood wouldn’t be as she had dreamt. Even as a special educator, Joanne wasn’t prepared to raise a child with a life-limiting brain malformation. Nor was she ready for the compounded pain and alienation that came when her second son was diagnosed with autism. But the struggle to balance her sons’ medical and educational challenges drove Joanne to reconnect with the lessons she learned as a modern dancer – and there she found enlightenment.
Inspired by her experience performing José Limón’s “There Is a Time,” based on Ecclesiastes 3, each chapter of “Fall and Recovery” details a dance lesson and the dichotomy of parenting children with disabilities. Over time, Joanne discovers that surviving motherhood isn’t a matter of strength, bravery, or faith. It’s a matter of linking your past experiences and creating your own purpose. It’s realizing that we live simultaneously in love and grief. In the end, dance teaches Joanne not only how to move freely through pain but also how to fall and recover.
Joanne De Simone is a graduate of Hunter College with degrees in dance and special education. After dancing professionally with companies including José Limón and Dianne McIntyre, she dedicated her life to teaching children with disabilities and supporting families. Currently, Joanne is a special education advocate for the Alliance of Private Special Education Schools of North Jersey. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, and she is a contributing author to “Barriers and Belonging: Personal Narratives of Disabilities.” Joanne and her son, Sebastian, were instrumental in a legislative change allowing students with intellectual disabilities to participate in NCAA D3 intercollegiate sports. Visit www.Special-EducationMom.com for more information.
