Dear Terry Trueman,

I am a young girl that hasn’t always been nice.  After reading your book Stuck in Neutral I was forced to evaluate the way I act towards people.  So, I have decided to change the way I act.  Instead of pretending disabled people don’t exist, I am going to be friendly to them and give them a friend…Me!  I will also invite people I don’t know to sit with me at lunch.  I will be nicer to my family as a result of your book.
I walk through the halls of my school and at the end of the hallway is the Intensive Resource room.  The kids walk pass me and I don’t even look their direction.  I know how wrong that sounds, but before now I thought nothing of them.  However, they are people too.  They want someone to talk to, respect, and care for them just like I want to be cared for.  Instead of treating them like an alien, I am going to think of them as an equal.
At lunch I have a table with a bunch of friends and we never invite anyone to set with us—until now.  It makes me sad to know that there are people who don’t have anyone to sit with.  I know if it was me that was all alone I would be miserable.  I can’t imagine how Shawn felt not being able to have someone understand them and give him a place to sit at lunch.  I am going to take a stand and invite those people to sit with my friends and me at lunch.
I can’t imagine how you must feel having a son who you can’t really have a conversation with.  It makes me sad when I realize that I have been blowing off my family lately.  When I get home I go straight to my room and sometimes I don’t even say “hi”.  I can’t comprehend how they must feel when I do that.  As a result, I am going to make a great relationship with my dad and make it so that I can talk to him about stuff instead of keeping things from him.  I want him to realize that I do love him and that he means the world to me.
I am grateful your book made me realize that I need to change some things in my life and that I shouldn’t care what other people think I should stand up for what I believe in.

Sincerely,
Sarah Gray