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STEVE GRIEGER lives in San Diego, California, where he supervises three community group homes for people with developmental disabilities. He has been a featured presenter at conferences for the National Association for QDDPs and Developmental Services Network, Inc., and is actively involved in the People First movement.
He has been profiled and interviewed on FOX News, CBS, SiriusXM's The Jay Thomas Show, and NBC’s The Today Show. His varied accomplishments include chef, playwright, screenwriter and teacher, but it is his longevity as a caregiver and QIDP/Administrator in the special needs field of which he is most proud.
Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
Challenged by Steve Grieger is a tribute to special needs adults who struggle to be recognized by mainstream society. Author Grieger needed a part-time job while attending college so he interviewed for the job as houseparent in an independent living facility for special needs adults attempting to undergo transition to a more independent lifestyle. While knowing nothing about the population he supervised, the author delved in to discover the various developmental delays experienced by the residents. He did so with humor and compassion, learning as much about himself as he did about the residents. Strangely enough, as he learned about the emotional issues which separated the residents from those considered "normal," the author began to understand his own psychological situation with a father who had treated the author with childhood disrespect and devaluation.
I loved Grieger's openness to a new and potentially awkward situation with the residents of Shepherd Hills. He did what is necessary in the general population; he listened and learned and he discovered that there are far more commonalities than differences in any given sub-population of humans. Challenged is chock full of stories of humor and inspiration. It shows the challenges of developmental delays as well as the moments of personal triumph which make us all want to stand up and cheer. Finally, Grieger takes us to the next plateau of independence in the challenged population. It is there that he finally discovers that even years of training never prepare you for a heart of grief because of what you have yet to learn about yourself. Pick up a copy and dare yourself to know the persons contained within the pages of the book.
