The recently released documentary Full Circle weaves the stories of sit-skier Trevor Kennison and longtime New Mobility editor Barry Corbet. Much of the power of the movie comes from excerpts from Corbet’s 1980 book, Options: Spinal Cord Injury and the Future, a how-to manual for thriving with an SCI that is based on his own experiences and those of SCI survivors across America. With the release of the film, Corbet’s family has made Options available in digital format for the first time.
“Barry Corbet passed away in 2004, and is still much missed. Much has changed in the over 40 years since Options was written; some things have improved, others have not. But the words in this book, and the people portrayed within it, are as relevant and important as they were in 1980,” writes his family.
The genesis of Options was the fact that Corbet’s post-SCI experience was largely devoid of other wheelchair users. Ten years after his accident, despite living an outwardly successful life, Corbet felt that “some part of me was still broken and was being steadfastly ignored.” So, he set off to interview dozens of people with spinal cord injuries across America. The experience would prove transformative. Corbet writes in the book’s preface:
“Once embarked upon this Giant Plagiarism, this picking of other brains, I found myself recognizing the experiences of others. The same things had happened to me, but had been stored somewhere below the surface of my normal recall. Bringing this body of experience into the light, into an area of availability and utility, has been enriching beyond all measure for me. I want you to share this experience so that you will not have to muck about in the wilderness for years, as I did, to acquire it by yourself. The wheel does not need to be reinvented, and why not take a free ride when offered?”
Yes, why not? You can download Options for free in pdf or epub versions or read it on your web browser.