Thinking Globally Acting Locally is more than
just the memoir of a distinguished career. It is a history of the twentieth
century reflected in the life and work of one individual.
It begins in 1938 with a year in the life of an eight
year old Viennese Jewish boy as he experiences the worst and best of humanity,
from Nazi persecution to rescue by strangers through the Kindertransports. It
tells of his encounters with an English schooling system at its worst and best
and of his formative years.
But this is not a story of one person’s liberation.
That little refugee boy grew up to contribute to the liberation of hundreds of
thousands of people world-wide. Influenced by his own early experiences, Peter
Mittler has spent a lifetime committed to the human rights of people with
intellectual disabilities. From their liberation from the big
institutions left over from the nineteenth century, to their inclusion in
shaping the 2008 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, it tells the story of a dynamic and powerful human rights
movement.
It is perhaps the last great untold story, the story
of how persons with intellectual disabilities finally gained the right to
respect, value and autonomy and of the long struggle for schooling, access to
work and their own front door key.
This memoir weaves professional memories and accounts
of collaboration across the global village with anecdotes and travellers’ tales
to reflect a global perspective from someone who was there at every twist and
turn, working with families, teachers, researchers, governments and
self-advocates for over 60 years to influence legislation and drive lasting
reform.
REVIEWS
Socrates is reputed to have said that each generation produces a very small
number of 'hero innovators' who change the way in which society values its
citizens. For me and for many others, Peter Mittler is indeed one of
those 'hero innovators', radically changing both national and international
attitudes towards people with intellectual and other disabilities and their
families.
Dame Phillipa Russell (from foreword)
Peter Mittler is
one of the giants of learning disability in the second half of the twentieth
century. It is rare to find such a wonderfully understated page turner.
Duncan Mitchell British Journal of Learning Disabilities
The book succeeds in going far beyond an autobiography… is easy to read, and
carries the reader through with the strong narrative.
Ingrid Lunt, Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
What an incredibly full and constructive life! The book is very well written
and highly readable.
Paul Williams Community Living
Peter Mittler has the happy knack of being able to synthesise disparate
material in an interesting manner, with an eye to the broader philosophical
context. This book is a fitting summation of one man’s personal journey
to address inequalities, particularly as they apply to those among us who have
disabilities.
David Mitchell, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
This is a fascinating book, which chronicles the life journey of Peter Mittler,
a leading exponent of evidence-based services and social inclusion for people
with intellectual impairments. More than this, though, it is a
history of the slow and often halting progress which has been made in the
United Kingdom and throughout the world in accepting that people with special
needs are people first, and should be afforded the same rights as
others.
Chris Cullen, History of Psychology and Philosophy
So when we are
excited by a new policy such as ‘patient and public involvement’ in setting the
agenda for research, or by adopting real-life outcome measures to evaluate a
clinical service or intervention study, we would do well to acknowledge that we
are the fortunate inheritors of a rich tradition of excellence.
Helen McConachie, Child: Health, Care and Development
I highly recommend this book to every special educator, humanist, parent,
teacher, educationalist, psychologist, historian, and to leaders everywhere.
Chris Forlin, European Journal of Special Needs Education
Full-length
autobiographies by major British psychologists are a scarce genre; this is a
remarkable and frank account of the personal journey of a campaigning
psychologist, relevant to advocacy today for disabled people.
John Hall, The Psychologist
The 16 chapters of this volume flesh out his career highlights with humour and
frankness, with anecdotes and insights – but above all, as they say in Ireland,
he tells a good yarn!
The book
encapsulates the quest for social justice that has pervaded Peter’s thinking
and actions both locally and globally. It stands as much as a call for
action as it is a celebration of achievements.
Roy McConkey, Journal of Intellectual Disabilities
To read this personal journey is to understand from a very personal and
intimately informed account the enormous changes in attitudes and rights for
persons with disabilities on which we can now build.
Dorothy Howie, Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development
Throughout the book there is an analysis of both cooperation and confrontation
and it is as if the warp and woof of personal and public life are closely knit,
each bringing its own challenges and successes.
Roy Brown, Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities
Provides a reflective and poignant account of the history of psychology and
education from the viewpoint of a man who was at the forefront of shaping some
of the fundamental research and policies.
Emma Woodward, Educational Psychology in Practice
Under Mittler’s
leadership thousands of children, formerly considered to be ineducable, entered
mainstream education, taught by hundreds of teachers. What a good thing
that eight year old was put on the train in 1939.
Michael Power, Journal of Children’s Services
If you would like to read more about this author please go to the link below
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