Teachers Fundraise to Bring Personalized Books to Special Needs Children

Two Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School teachers are a few steps closer to putting personalized books in the hands of special needs children.

• See also: Local Teachers Won’t Rest Until Special Needs Children Gain Acceptance

Heather McCarthy and Kate Ryan have launched a Kickstarter campaign for their business, Someone Special Uniquely Personalized Books, which aims to help parents and children overcome anxiety about acceptance through customized, brightly illustrated books.

The pair have also found a printer, advanced their website design and worked on the book layouts.

Ryan said they’ve received an outpouring of support from families all over the country who want to share their personal stories and customize a book for their special children.

Ryan and McCarthy even have a folder in their email account labeled “Well Wishers,” and it’s full of messages from people who want to see the business succeed.

They’ve heard stories from Tim and Marty, twins with autism, “Zannie” Elsa with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome and Tory with cerebral palsy, just to name a few.

Even the executive director of the Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn, Adam Woodworth, reached out to let them know the museum supports their idea.

The well-wishers have been invited to support the project through the online fundraiser.



If the campaign meets its carefully-calculated $15,000 goal in 30 days, Ryan said she and McCarthy might begin printing the books by early summer to sell them in time for the start of school in the fall.

“It’s a really great tool to be able to bring into school with you,” Ryan said. “Children can learn through the illustrations and stories to comprehend the world around them. It can help parents create the language to explain why someone looks or acts the way they do.”

The money raised through the online campaign will help pay the web designer, the web programmer, the illustrator and the printer, Rutledge Printing of Orland Park.

Ryan said they’ve gotten good feedback from parents, who need freedom to approach their children’s conditions, syndromes or disabilities the way they want. She said they are “very, very confident” that the book templates can be customized to apply to anyone.

“We’re all different from one another, but what this book showcases is these kids with special abilities are more alike than they are different,” Ryan said. “The book says, ’This child loves to dance, she loves singing, and another thing you need to know is she has this special need. But she’s just like you in a lot of ways.’”

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