New York City Mom Erica Blit is one of those people you meet and immediately feel as if you’ve just come in contact with an angel. She’s kind, funny, and no nonsense – just the sort of person you’d come to if you were in need. Which is why she was the perfect person to get straight to work when her 7-year-old ‘typically developing’ daughter Skylar, wanted to be able to explain to her friends why her brother Brandon was different.
(Here’s Erica, Matt, Skylar, and Brandon Blit)
Brandon has been living his whole life with developmental disabilities, so together Erica and Skylar created an illustrated storybook that described Brandon’s challenges and strengths. Erica read the book they created to Skylar’s class, and the impact was ginormous and immediate. Kids who previously made unkind comments suddenly turned compassionate. Erica wanted to create the same magical impact for others, so she designed a storybook creator that is fully customizable, because each person’s disability is unique.
But that’s just the start of the story.