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67 per cent of 615 British families of children with disabilities believe understanding and acceptance of disability is poor, according to a recent survey by the charity Contact a Family.
Other key findings:
· 64 per cent do not feel their role as caregivers is valued in society
· 62 per cent do not feel professionals listen to them
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| BOOKS OF INTEREST |
When My Worries Get Too Big! A Relaxation Book for Children Who Live with Anxiety, Kari Dunn Buron, 2006
Reconstructing Motherhood and Disability in the Age of "Perfect" Babies, Gail Landsman, 2008
The Special Needs Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Special Needs, Ellen Sabin, 2007
The God of War: A Novel, Marisa Silver, 2009
Exceptional Children - Ordinary Schools: Getting the Education You Want for Your Special Needs Child, Norm Forman, 2004
Spelling Love with an X: A Mother, a Son, and the Gene That Binds Them, Clare Dunsford, 2008
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman, 1998
Special Gifts: Women Writers on Raising a Special Needs Child, Arlene Schusteff, 2007
Parenting Across the Autism Spectrum, Maureen Morrell, Ann Palmer, 2006
There and Back: A Journal Companion for Special Needs Parents, Mary Lee Moser, 2009
Parenting an Adult with Disabilities or Special Needs, Peggy Lou Morgan, 2009
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Welcome to our spring e-letter.
BLOOM addresses the joys and challenges of parenting kids with disabilities by combining firsthand family insights and professional advice from Bloorview and beyond. To receive our June print issue, click here and send your snail-mail address. |
| From the editor: The enough house |
| We live in a culture that values constant self-improvement.
I think that value seeps into the world of children's rehab, and makes it hard for parents to feel blessed with who their children are, just as they are. More
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| The guessing game |
 Having a child with a disability but no diagnosis can be terrifying and isolating.
"You don't have a group of medical professionals or parents to reach out to who know your child's condition and can provide a clear path of what to do and what to expect." More
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| New funding targets social inclusion |
 Almost $4 million in funding for childhood disability research was announced by the federal government at Bloorview on April 24. More
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| One dad's mission to save respite |
 When Vito Bigioni learned a respite camp at Bloorview was being cancelled, he did something he'd never done before. He launched a fundraising campaign, bringing in over $750,000 to ensure the camp's survival. More
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| RESOURCES |
Best Buddies
Promotes one-to-one friendships between youth with intellectual disabilities and high school and university students.
Cornell University Disability Statistics
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| Parent pick |
Camp Winston
 Who: Parent of Evan, 8, neurological disability
What: An overnight summer camp for children with learning and neurological disabilities. Swimming, tubing, gross-motor sensory room, drama centre and nature centre.
Why: "The staff at Camp Winston 'get' my kid in a way that people at school or in the community don't. They don't label his behaviour as negative. They find safe, acceptable ways for Evan to express himself and help him feel like he fits in. That increases his confidence and ability to take risks. The program is very structured, with visual schedules. Throughout the year, Camp Winston offers sibling and grandparent weekends and behavioural workshops for parents."
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| ONLINE |
New York TImes Motherlode Blog
Handcuffing Special-Needs Kids
Parents of disabled school-age children are likely to be distressed by a report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office, which found that such children are being "pinned to the floor for hours at a time, handcuffed, locked in closets and subjected to other acts of violence" in the name of maintaining discipline.
May 20
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Articles in BLOOM are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Community and web resources listed in BLOOM do not necessarily signify endorsement by Bloorview Kids Rehab. Where appropriate, please consult your physician.
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