This is the story of a woman who chose to raise her severely disabled child at home, at a time when doctors recommended putting brain damaged children in an institution and forgetting about them. Nicola's motivation to keep her daughter with her at all costs was inspiring.

I did not finish the book feeling convinced that Catherine knows she's there, but Nicola knows Catherine is there, and that is what seemed to work for the family as Nicola struggled to get her daughter what she deserved.

This book is about a mother's love for her daughter and her acceptance of, and her pride in, her daughter as she is.

It's hard to believe that Mrs. Schaefer isn't a professional writer who spends hours at the typewriter every day of her life. Her writing is amazing! I am the mother of a son with severe disabilities who was born in 1998, and Nicola is now my role model. Her daughter, Catherine, was born just a year before me in 1961, a time when services were essentialy non-existent for someone with her degree of disability. The Schaefer's raised her at home during a period of history when supports were something that had to fought for and won. And fight she did. What a woman.

What's most inspiring to me, though, is the joy and humor that Nicola shares when telling Catherine's story. Despite the "inconveniences", as she refers to them, that Cath's disability presents, life is good. Not easy, but very, very good. I fell in love with the entire family.

Does She Know She's There? brings the story of Catherine Schaefer up to date. Brought up at home, after doctors told her parents to put her in an institution, Catherine now has her own home, and is an integral part of her community. The book, by her mother, Nicola, is a funny, intelligent, and compassionate story of her years of effort to create an atmosphere where her daughter can thrive and have joy in her life. And yes, Catherine knows she's there!