These cool costumes are for kids on wheels

Occupational therapy student Chantal D’Souza wanted to create costumes that work with wheelchairs for inpatients at Holland Bloorview. “I know kids in wheelchairs often get asked: ‘What happened?’ or ‘What’s wrong with you?’ says the University of Toronto student. “I wanted to change that to: ‘Tell me about your costume?’ or ‘How did you make that?’ Chantal volunteered with artists Lynn Simmons and Marek Wojcik in Holland Bloorview’s Centre...

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How to build a family

Nine years ago Robyn Sheppard welcomed a son into her family through adoption. It was Deion, 7, a student she’d worked with as an educational assistant at the Bloorview School. She and her husband Norman would later adopt Benjamin, also a student in the Bloorview school, as well as their daughter Skylar. BLOOM spoke to Robyn about adopting two children with disabilities. BLOOM: Tell us about how you met Deion.Robyn Sheppard: I originally met him...

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A scientist works with toy maker to get disabled kids moving

By Louise Kinross Five years ago, Cole Galloway had an existential crisis.The scientist at the University of Delaware was publishing papers about developmental gains in pre-crawling babies who were given robots they could drive with a joy stick.“Everyone was happy, with the exception of one group—families of kids who needed power wheelchairs,” says the professor of physical therapy. “Their kids are waiting four to seven year to get mobile....

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A play, an alphabet board, a new voice

This Is The Point is a play about two couples: a man and woman who have cerebral palsy, and a man and woman who have a child with cerebral palsy. One of the actors uses a head pointer to communicate with an alphabet board. “The play is about love, sex and disability,” says Dan Watson, a co-writer and actor whose son Bruno, 7, has cerebral palsy. He co-leads Ahuri Theatre, which is producing the play with The Theatre Centre. “The themes we...

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Why I can't be 'for' the 'SickKids vs' ad

By Louise KinrossDisability is personal. It’s part of identity. When your child has significant disabilities, it becomes part of your identity too.Perhaps this is why the Hospital for Sick Children's latest campaign video SickKids vs—which positions the hospital and its patients against cancer, kidney failure and autism, and includes this image of a girl standing defiantly atop a huge pile of discarded wheelchairs—feels like...

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A Family Like Mine: Who should we feature next?

A Family Like Mine is a series of videos on diverse families raising children with disabilities. The photos above feature three of our families to date. We aim to identify families composed in different ways and representing a variety of ethnoracial backgrounds and disabilities. Check out our playlist of five videos here. Is there a certain type of family you'd like to hear from in video number 6?  Please post your ideas belo...

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Drug cuts weight gain in autistic kids who take antipsychotics

By Louise Kinross Weight gain is a dangerous side effect of antipsychotics used to treat severe irritability and aggression in some children with autism.Now a randomized study published in JAMA Psychiatry finds that taking the diabetes drug metformin while on atypical antipsychotics decreases this weight gain. The study was led by Holland Bloorview researchers in partnership with scientists at Ohio State University, the University of Pittsburgh,...

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Disabled? Own it, says keyboardist Casey Harris

Renegades isn’t your typical music video: It’s about disabled people doing the things they love. This summer American indie rock band X Ambassadors hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative chart with this song about people who aren’t afraid to stand out. “It’s not a matter of enjoying it more or less,” a blind guy hiking on a mountain tells us. Then we see athletes with amputations working out. “It’s about enjoying it differently.” Later...

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On World CP Day, recognizing a 'mama bear'

When Roma Bennett's son Joshua was only two weeks old, she had to return to work. That meant working till 3, then going downtown to care for Joshua who was at SickKids Hospital, spending the night, and doing it all over again the next day. Roma was raising Joshua on her own. Early on, teachers suggested that Joshua, who has cerebral palsy, wouldn't do well at school. "I'm a mama bear," says Roma in this A Family Like Mine interview with...

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How one family's dream of a service dog came true

By Kara Melissa SharpI knew Sebastian needed a dog when he was two. He was recovering from pneumonia in hospital, and we hadn’t seen him smile in a week. Then the hospital therapy dog arrived and he beamed. Four years later I applied for a service dog for Sebastian, only to be heartbroken when he was turned down. I’d spent months on the 15-page application for a dog trained in seizure assistance. But five minutes after the charity received...

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