From: Denise Mercado <dmercado@...> [Add to Address Book]
To: river_otter@...
Subject: Book Available!
Date: Jan 7, 2007 11:09 AM
I am a parent of a 24 year old with developmental disabilities. I am
also a graduate of the first NC Partners in Policymaking class. I
have recently written a book about our family's journey through the
disability world. I believe my book is a valuable resource to
parents of children with disabilities and also professionals in the
field. Below is information about the book. I trust you will have
an opportunity to read the book and pass it on to others. If you
have any questions regarding the book, please do not hesitate to
contact me. My contact information is located below.

Thanks!

Denise Mercado

Danny's Mom & Author

Newspaper Article on Book can be found at:
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=249625

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests, contact:

Denise Mercado, Author

Tel: 910-987-3809

Fax: 910-425-5178

Email: dmercado@...

(When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)

They Created Us
Special Education, Medicaid, EPSDT - A Family's Journey Through a
Bureaucratic Maze!



FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – In They Created Us (now available through
AuthorHouse, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.Com), author Denise Mercado
describes her family's journey through the world of disability. She
details the complexities of the bureaucracy along with strategies to
maneuver through a sometimes unresponsive system.

They Created Us is the story of Mercado's son, Danny, who was
diagnosed with Hflu meningitis at 6 months of age. The family
survived this difficult time, but after the storm passed, they
assessed the damage and realized that their son would have severe
disabilities. It became apparent that outside support would be needed
in order for the family unit to remain intact and to allow the
opportunity for their son to reach his full potential. Although the
family made their needs known to both school and medical personnel,
it took eleven years to uncover the availability of home services and
another two years before they were implemented.

While the Mercados began their journey trusting that the school
system and Medicaid has their son's best interests at heart, the
painful truth was slowly revealed. Mercado discovered that both
systems lacked the monitoring and accountability necessary to make
them effective. The author learned to ask hard questions and to fight
for equality using a special training program, Partners in
Policymaking. Through this program, they were challenged to research,
study and pursue justice, not only for their son, but for all
children with disabilities.

Through this inspirational and informative book, readers will
learn about the complexities of Medicaid, special education, EPSDT
(Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment) and independent
case management, all of which become part of a family's world once
their child experiences a disability. They Created Us will guide
readers through this difficult maze of bureaucracy, help them to
uncover injustices, and allow the opportunity for basic rights to be
realized throughout systems that were put in place to help disabled
children. Mercado vows that the fight for equality will continue
until all children with disabilities are provided the support they
require.

Mercado is an honors graduate of Campbell University. She also
graduated from the first North Carolina Partners in Policymaking
Program (1993) and the national Project Leadership Program (2002).
Over the years, Mercado has held several positions throughout the
disability arena. She is presently co-owner of a North Carolina
Medicaid provider agency that shifts control of Medicaid dollars to
individuals with disabilities through fiscal intermediary and
employer of record services. Mercado and her husband, John, have
established Team Daniel, LLC in honor of their son, who continues to
inspire them both to stand up for what is right. For more
information, visit their web site at www.teamdaniel.info. They
Created Us is Mercado's first book.

AuthorHouse is the premier publishing house for emerging authors and
new voices in literature. For more information, please visit
www.authorhouse.com.

###

First Book Review – Four Stars

HEALTH

They Created Us
Special Education, Medicaid Waivers, EPSDT, Independent Case
Management—A Family's Journey Through a Bureaucratic Maze!

Denise Mercado

AuthorHouse

330 pages

Softcover, $18.95; Hardcover, $24.95

ISBN: 9781425970703 (softcover) 9781425970697 (hardcover)

Four stars



Every parent has high hopes for his or her children and spends a lot
of time imagining what the future is going to be like for them. When
a child is born with developmental disabilities, or develops them
later in life, a parent's hope is changed into a need for action and
support that's not always available.



Denise Mercado knows all about that sudden shift from normal parent
to activist. Her son, Danny, contracted a rare form of meningitis
when he was six months old, which lead to cerebral palsy and other
severe health and developmental issues. Danny has never spoken,
walked, or done any of the things most children do.



In the beginning, Mercado and her husband relied on people in their
community to help them care for Danny. As time went on this military
family realized they needed more assistance and found themselves
mired in bureaucracy, frustration and funding dead-ends.



They were given incorrect information, not made aware of programs
that could help them and denied support that by law should have been
available to them. The more they learned about the way disabled
children are treated, the more they realized their story was not
unique.



"The bureaucracy, in its wisdom, operates through committees and
unending meetings," Mercado writes. "But change will only take place
when the bureaucracy takes the time to listen to the people it
serves. The bureaucracy must be willing to meet families where they
are. It must be willing to leave the state capitol and meet with
families in their homes and observe their surroundings and the
sacrifices they make and the struggles they endure."



This heart-wrenching book describes the struggles of the Mercado
family and others who have developmentally disabled children in North
Carolina in great detail. In fact, there is so much detail, so many
long quotes from e-mails and reports specific to the situation in
North Carolina, that it might not be as useful to parents outside of
North Carolina.



Still, as a guide to show parents of disabled children and adults how
one family has tried to work through the system, its successes and
failures and all the roadblocks, stumbles and victories along the
way.



This book will outrage people who care about the treatment of
disabled people in America. For parents of disabled children, this
book should give basic information that will help them no matter
where they live, as well as details that should inspire them to fight
for their own children as Mercado and her compatriots have fought for
their children.



Reviewed by Sarah White



To order book, go to www.teamdaniel.info www.barnesandnoble.com
www.amazon.com www.authorhouse.com



Denise Mercado
Team Daniel, LLC

910-987-3809 (office/cell)
910-425-5178 (fax)

www.teamdaniel.info (website)
dmercado@... (e-mail)

PRIVACY NOTICE: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is
for the sole use of the recipient (s) and may contain confidential
and private information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or
distribution is strictly prohibited. If this e-mail was not intended
for you, please notify the sender by reply e-mail that the
information was received in error. Please destroy any and all copies
of the original message as well as any attachments.