Southern Health fined $1.8 million in death of Sara Ryan's son

By Louise KinrossYesterday Southern Health in Britain was fined just over $1.8 million dollars for the preventable death of Connor Sparrowhawk, an 18-year-old with autism and seizures who drowned alone in a bath in a National Health Services treatment unit in 2013. The NHS trust that ran the unit initially attributed his death to natural causes, but his parents called for an independent investigation that found his death preventable. Connor's...

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My jar of awesome

By Louise Kinross Lots of amazing things happen in my son's life, things that fill my heart with gratitude. But too often those memories get lost amid the challenges and worries of raising an adult son with disabilities. Now I'm going to write those great things down, and put them in a glass jar, so I don't forget them. The idea came from Sazini Nzula, a Montreal mother of two boys with autism and the author of Beautiful Inside and Out:...

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Why is using electric shocks on disabled students a non-story?

Members of disability rights group ADAPT protest the use of electric shocks on disabled students in front of FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's home in Washington, D.C. By Louise KinrossWhat if you heard that a school used electric shocks on students for even minor infractions like refusing to take a coat off, closing their eyes for 15 seconds in their seat, or crying?I first heard about the Judge Rotenberg Center (JDC) in Canton, Mass. WAY...

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A son shows his family the way home in Love, Hope and Autism

By Louise KinrossRobert Fresco is a professional filmmaker, so when his twins Fraser and Hallee were born, it was natural that he’d turn the camera on them. His exquisite home movies are the backbone of Love, Hope and Autism, a CBC Docs POV piece. The film covers the family's idyllic early days, the unravelling of Robert's marriage to Shannon Wray when Fraser is diagnosed with autism, and how the family regroups to co-parent with the addition...

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At London's Chickenshed theatre, 'there are no labels'

By Louise Kinross Chickenshed is a vibrant British theatre company that does professional plays and musicals, high school and university education, children’s programs and outreach in schools, prisons and hospitals. Its current show on climate change—Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow—has a cast of nearly 200. What makes the London company unique is it celebrates diversity. About half of its members have disabilities or are considered...

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'Being a black male is...a safety issue over and above autism'

By Louise KinrossMany of you know Amy Ma, who is chair of the family advisory council at Montreal Children’s Hospital. Recently, Amy told me she'd heard a parent speak at a Black History Month event about her fears for her sons, who are black and have autism, and the racism and ableism they will face. That parent is Sazini Nzula, and she lives in Montreal. Sazini has a PhD in medical microbiology and worked for years as a scientist. Sazini has...

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It's time for the Paralympics. Where's the buzz?

By Louise Kinross This morning this story popped up in my Google alerts: Why do Americans ignore the Paralympics? My first thought was 'What Paralympics?' I was surprised to read that the Paralympics in South Korea begin March 9. I hadn't heard anything about it here in Toronto. I messaged my husband, who is an editor at The Globe and Mail: "Did you know the Paralympics start next week in South Korea?" "I did not know," was his reply. I was totally caught up in the excitement of the PyeongChang Olympics, and was surprised I hadn't heard...

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