Mom writes book to help kids talk about differences

By Louise Kinross “This is me,” Sheriauna said proudly when she saw the book her mom Sherylee Honeyghan had published. The cover is of a young black girl wearing a tiara, smiling at herself in the mirror. She has one hand.Growing up, Sheriauna, now 10, didn’t see herself in the books and toys around her. Dolls “aren’t black, don’t have hair like me and have two hands,” she’d tell her mom. The only time Sheriauna saw herself was when she drew...

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A dad's view of the NICU

By Louise Kinross Bob Moran is a political cartoonist for The Telegraph newspaper in Britain. In 2015, he illustrated a heartfelt memoir about his daughter Poppy, who suffered a brain injury during birth. Father’s Days contrasts how he imagined his new role as dad with the terror of seeing his critically ill newborn hooked up to machines. It’s been viewed millions of times around the world and is used to train clinicians in neonatal intensive...

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Kenyan moms sew a better life for kids

Photos by Chelsea DeeBy Louise Kinross In 2013, BLOOM covered a unique sewing project in Maai Mahiu, northwest of Nairobi, Kenya, that was changing the lives of mothers of children with disabilities. The project—then called Malaika Mums—is still flourishing and is now called Ubuntu Made. Mothers in the program make cotton bags, reusable coffee sleeves and beaded bracelets that are sold online and through Whole Foods, Zazzle and other businesses....

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Cartoonist draws about his life as Poppy's dad

By Louise Kinross In 2015, British Telegraph cartoonist Bob Moran illustrated a heartfelt memoir about his daughter's birth with a brain injury. Called Father's Days, it contrasts how he imagined his new role as dad would go with the terror of seeing his newborn hooked up to machines and tubes. "I just didn't feel strong enough," he says, as an illustration of him lying prone on the floor after being sent home from the hospital appears.The...

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Like gender, ability is more fluid than we think

By Louise Kinross I was at a fabulous workshop at Holland Bloorview yesterday on how to create places that include and respect people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or queer (LGBTQ). The most important thing is “to give people space to self-identify,” said Ashley McGhee, a specialist in education and training from The 519 community centre in Toronto. That’s done by asking a person what pronouns (he/she/they) they use to describe...

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'We don't want to be held on leashes'

By Jadine Baldwin As a 17-year-old girl who has cerebral palsy, every day I encounter teens with a variety of abilities and disabilities. The Limited versus the Limitless! Society tells people like me that we’re limited because of our disabilities—mental or physical—and that because of what we’re lacking, we’ll never be able to live a full life. This can be disheartening for parents and guardians to talk about and process with their disabled...

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Designs make wheelchairs a work of art

By Louise KinrossIzzy Wheels is a business that sells designer spoke guards created by Irish sisters Ailbhe and Izzy Keane. Izzy uses a wheelchair. Growing up, she loved her wheels, but it bothered her that they didn’t reflect her personality and style. When Ailbhe was at design school, she was tasked with creating something to enhance the lives of people of people with disabilities. She and Izzy brainstormed, and came up with art-decorated spoke...

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Mindfulness cuts parental stress, depression

By Louise Kinross What would best support parents of adult children with developmental disabilities who’ve left school and fall into a black-hole of services to fill their day?A six-week mindfulness group that taught parents to pay attention to their feelings and thoughts in an accepting, non-judgmental way, or a six-week group that gave parents information and support on how to get services for adults, many of which are wait-listed?A fascinating...

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