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The letter that made me cry
The letter that made me cry When I have author visits with schools I tell the students my inspiration behind writing MYSTIC. Arielle. Before I knew I was going to write a fantasy, I knew I would have a protagonist who used a wheelchair. Arielle was reading many books as a fourth grader in the Accelerated Reader program and not one of them had characters using a wheelchair. Meanwhile, I watched as Arielle’s life changed and she had to persevere through many obstacles while surrounded by able bodied people who she continually had to educate about these obstacles. Kids as well as adults could behave in ways that were insensitive. Playgrounds were not accessible and often her friends would run…
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Why the University of Illinois?
I have had several people ask me why Arielle went to the University of Illinois. Wouldn’t I rather have her close? Of course! USF, Florida State, or the University of Florida would’ve been nice. We toured all their beautiful campuses. But none of those universities have a wheelchair track and field team. The University of Illinois is the most accessible college in the United States and now has twelve Track and Field athletes competing in the Paralympic Games in London. Arielle made the decision to leave her home state and all her friends to pursue wheelchair track. It was a difficult decision. Illinois is far from Florida and gets very cold in the winter! We are very…
