Return on disability

This story on CBC's The National last night looks at the economic benefits of hiring people with disabilities. It includes an interview with Rich Donovan, CEO of Fifth Quadrant Analytics in New York City, a company that helps businesses assess how well they’re engaging people with disabilities as employees and customers. We interviewed Rich here last year. Check out how companies like Walgreen's are making money by innovating in ways that accommodate employees with disabilitie...

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Immigrant moms hit a service wall

York University researchers Nazilla Khanlou and Mahdieh Dastjerdi (above) share the findings of their study on the experiences of 30 immigrant moms in the Greater Toronto Area and their service providers. Rich findings about the barriers faced and how we can better support immigrant families were offered at this BLOOM speaker night. ...

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A therapist finds herself in parent shoes

At five days old, Lucas Puchta had an MRI.   He was born with a port wine stain on his face, which can sometimes be a sign of Sturge-Weber syndrome, a rare disorder where an excess of blood vessels is found on the face and the brain, causing an increased risk of seizures and other symptoms.  Lucas’ mom Lizna was told that the MRI came back clear, “so I put it behind me,” she says. “Other than being told that he...

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Are kids with 'behaviours' bad?

The other night I woke with a vivid memory. I was in junior high taking band class.  Because I didn't step up quickly when the horn instruments were handed out, I ended up playing the oboe.  The oboe is a woodwind instrument that looks like a clarinet but has a long, double reed. In the Middle Ages it was played by huntsmen and shepherds. It has an unusual, haunting sound. You can imagine what it was like to hear...

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How misguided values make us sick

A number of stories crossed my desk recently that made me think about how our culture assigns value to people and how this disadvantages families of children with disabilities. First I read this New York Times piece about how we tend to equate a person’s income with their inner worth: You are the money you make. This measuring stick not only divides people socially, the authors say, but it harms them at a personal level, making...

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