Mother's book tells family's struggle to conquer disabilities
DIXON - Anyone who knows "Bible" Joel Shoemaker knows he's an outgoing, friendly man. Not everyone knows the struggles his family went through early in his life to give the developmentally disabled man the education and acceptance he has today. His mother, Jane Shoemaker, has written a book, "Joel's Journey," which chronicles their experience working with others to influence changes in state and federal laws governing children with disabilities Joel was born in Forreston in 1954, two months premature and with a lung disease. At that time few, if any, services existed to help the mentally disabled. "Parents kept them at home because they were afraid they'd be institutionalized," Jane said. And federal law dictated that people like Joel had to leave school at age 16. In the late '60s, the Shoemakers and other Ogle County families met with local school districts and succeeded in changing the policy, getting them to foot the bill for disabled students older than 16 well before state and federal laws changed the limit to 21. "The laws started to change in the '70s for special education kids, through the parents' movement," Jane said. Also during that time, the Ogle County Parents Special Education program launched the Village of Progress, outside of Oregon, which helps the developmentally disabled find employment and support programs. Joel, now 52, has lived in Dixon the past 30 years and has been active in the community, something in which he takes great pride. "Even though we're handicapped, we can still live useful and productive lives," Joel said. At one time, he was a basketball manager for Washington School's seventh- and eighth-grade team. In fact, that's how he got his nickname, "Bible" Joel. A devout Christian, he often would witness to the students. One time he walked up to some former eighth-grade basketball players he knew, and they said "Here comes Bible Joel." It stuck. As for Jane, she is retired in Mount Morris after working 15 years as a special educator at Washington School. The two will be signing copies of the book at the Dixon Petunia Festival and at various other locations in Lee and Ogle counties in coming months. Twenty percent of its proceeds will go to local organizations such as Easter Seals, Kreider Services, Village of Progress, Faith Christian School, the Lighthouse Cafe and others.
Reach Malinda Osborne at (815) 284-2222, (815) 625-3600 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 526.