Locking kids up, tying them to chairs

A chilling article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution crossed my desk yesterday. It’s about Jonathan King, 13 (right), a boy with ADHD who hung himself in a “time-out” room in an Atlanta, Georgia public school for students with behaviour problems.Georgia is one of 19 states that do not regulate restraint and seclusion in schools, and don't have to report when and why they use them.Following an investigation into their son’s death, Jonathan’s parents...

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‘We don’t need to be perfect or normal’

Envisioning New Meanings is an art exhibit that tells the stories of women with disabilities – in their own words and images. It grew out of workshops across Ontario where participants were asked: “How can art change perceptions of disability and difference?” “Too often, we’re seen only within the narrow confines of two common stereotypes: the tragic, pitied victim, or the spirited survivor lauded as a source of inspiration,” says Lorna Renooy,...

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Is life with disability half as good as life without?

Every time I see an article written by bioethicist Peter Singer, my chest gets a knot in it. Last weekend, his piece Why we must ration health care appeared in the New York Times Magazine, along with this description: A utilitarian philosopher's argument for placing a dollar value on human life. The article is about why health care, as a finite resource, needs to be rationed in the U.S. It's about setting limits on what we're prepared to spend...

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What stresses parents of special-needs children?

A new study provides some unexpected resultsParenting kids with disabilities is stressful. But sometimes pulling apart what elevates parent stress, and how factors related to different types of disability contribute to parent stress, is trickier.In a study published in the journal Autism this month, moms of preschoolers with autism reported significantly higher levels of parenting stress and psychological distress – general worry and anxiety – than...

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Ballet in the water

Patty Daly contacted me to tell me about a sport that welcomes children with disabilities: synchronized swimming. Patty’s daughter Lauren, 18, has cerebral palsy and has been doing “synchro” since she was 10. Her duet partner – Nicole Flynn, 16, has Down syndrome, and the pair compete in Ontario and nationally (see photo). The sport has had numerous benefits for Lauren “and I would like to get the word out to other families so they’re aware...

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At a dark time, bringing light

Sue Robins remembers what it was like to learn her son Aaron had Down syndrome shortly after his birth. “We didn’t reach out to anybody. I remember lying in bed and thinking I wouldn’t get out of bed again. I was never going to laugh again or have a sense of humour. All the joy in my life had been taken.” Six years later, she knows what would have helped: connection with another parent of a child with Down syndrome – someone who understood...

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