Author Stuart D. Jones, Ph.D.
FOR THE LOVE OF
S T E P H E N
The Story of a Boy Who Was Never Broken
For the Love of Stephen is a poignant, sharply honest memoir about growing up alongside my brother, Steve—a beloved soul born with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in a time when society pushed families like ours to institutionalize, forget, and move on. Instead, our family chose love—a decision that shaped and scarred us, deepened us, and ultimately defined us.
Spanning more than five decades, the story traces Steve’s journey from his fragile, premature birth in the 1950s, through the dawning era of public school special education and desegregation for students with disabilities in the 1970s, to the egregious injustices and courageous joys of his adult life—and, ultimately, to the tragic accident that ended it too soon. With warmth, wit, and emotional clarity, I chronicle the misguided advice of well-meaning professionals, the silent saints who showed up with compassion and grace, the systems that failed us, the courageous determination of our parents, and the unshakable love that held us together.
Above all, this book is a love letter—to my brother, to those who loved him, and to the defiant hope that people with disabilities deserve full humanity, not just a seat at the table.
Endorsement
“Stephen’s story is beautifully told through the eyes of his brother, Stuart. He was born premature in the 1950s and diagnosed as mentally retarded. Today, his condition is labeled Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD). His parents refused to put him in an institution, and he was successfully educated in a regular public school classroom. He also had a job he loved in hospital housekeeping. Steve was different, not less. You will love his story.”
— Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State Univ.
Author, The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism
Author | Autism Advocate | Speaker
Subject of the HBO movie, Temple Grandin, and the
documentary, An Open Door
Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Temple Grandin, used with permission.
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