No Ordinary Move Un mémoire

How a trail-blazing special-ed teacher set beanbag kids on their feet because she believed they could walk.



A triumphant story of renouncing victimhood, reclaiming human dignity, and risking everything to see caged hearts and minds set free. Hers may not be a household name, but Linda Bidabe is a hero to thousands of people – especially children, worldwide. Now, in this riveting memoir, the rest of us are let in on what made this Californian special education teacher so unique. A radical who refused to accept the conventional wisdom that the so-called “beanbag kids” in her care would never walk, Linda persisted in her efforts to get even the most severely disabled among them on their feet. In No Ordinary Move she reveals the source of her success and of the passion that drives her. In the process, she takes us through a hardscrabble childhood on a Kansas farm, the self-loathing of adolescence, the heartbreak of divorce, and the trials of single parenthood – and haunting memories of “too many small white coffins” of children with severe disabilities who, she was sure, could have been saved. Driven by a fierce loyalty to those in her care and the conviction that all of us deserve a chance to live before we die, Linda swore to help each child fulfill his or her greatest aspiration. From the rubble of her own painful life experiences, she built the revolutionary approach to overcoming obstacles that shows us that if we set our sights on a goal, nothing can hold us back. Her story holds promise for anyone facing challenges.