51 pages • 1 hour read
Sharon M. DraperOut of My Dreams
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Social Context: Disability Advocacy
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses ableism.
Out of My Dreams is the third book in a series that directly addresses issues of accessibility and disability advocacy, using the experiences of the main character, Melody, who has cerebral palsy. Author Sharon M. Draper writes from a personal place, using her experience as the mother of a child with a disability to inform her portrayal of Melody’s experiences.
Disability advocacy has a long history in the United States, with disability rights groups dating back to the 1800s. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the subsequent ADA Amendments Act of 2008 have greatly increased accessibility for people with disabilities in public spaces and have prohibited discrimination in many aspects of public life. Activists continue to fight for equal rights (“Disability History: The Disability Rights Movement.” National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior.)
The disability civil rights movement also helped to establish the field of modern disability studies, an academic discipline that examines the nature of disability through multiple lenses. Scholars debate the differences between medical definitions of disability and social constructs around it, and view disability through intersectional lenses with race, gender, age, and class (“Disability Studies: Foundations & Key Concepts,” JSTOR Daily). Through Melody, Draper has endeavored to create an accurate portrayal of the character’s specific disability and daily challenges even as the overall narrative works to empower Melody and those like her by calling attention to issues of access and discrimination.
Medical Context: Cerebral Palsy
Out of My Dreams chronicles the experiences of a teenage girl who has cerebral palsy and uses assistive devices that help her to move and communicate. Cerebral palsy is a group of conditions that affect muscle control and usually stem from injuries to the developing brain, which can occur before or during birth.
Symptoms of cerebral palsy can include exaggerated reflexes, limbs that appear floppy or stiff, irregular posture, uncontrolled movements, and difficulty with walking, swallowing, and eye focus. The severity of symptoms can vary from person to person; some people can walk, while others require wheelchairs and other assistive devices. Likewise, some people with cerebral palsy have intellectual disabilities while others do not. Symptoms of cerebral palsy generally remain static over time (“Cerebral Palsy.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 28 September 2023). In the novel, Melody experiences many of these symptoms; for example, she cannot walk or talk, and although she does not have an intellectual disability, she often finds that people assume she does.
Assistive devices that are designed to help people with cerebral palsy include mobility aids like wheelchairs, walkers, walking sticks, braces, and chair lifts. A variety of communication aids also allow people with cerebral palsy to speak by typing out messages and selecting letters, images, and words that are read out loud by an electronic voice. Newer technology features eye-tracking to help users with more limited ability to create their messages. In the novel, Melody uses a wheelchair to move around, and she also makes frequent use of a communication board to express herself, socialize, and participate more fully in the events around her (“Assistive Devices - Aids for Cerebral Palsy.” Cerebral Palsy Guide. 9 July 2024).
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By Sharon M. Draper
