The film 'Deej' upends what you think you know about disability

By Louise KinrossDavid James Savarese, known as DJ or Deej, has autism and doesn't speak. As a young child, he was placed in foster care. He was abused there, but couldn't tell anyone. Only after he was adopted by parents who taught him to read and write was he able to share his story, which is the focus of the film Deej, making its Canadian debut this Friday at Toronto's ReelAbilities Film Festival. "Imagine for a minute," DJ says with a...

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'Being included is every kid's right'

By Louise KinrossGet ready for the Canadian premiere of the film Deej next Friday at The ReelAbilities Film Festival at Innis Town Hall at the University of Toronto.  "No non-speaking autistic has ever lived like a typical college student," says David James Savarese, known as Deej, in a film that follows the Iowa student's life for six years. Deej suffered severe emotional trauma as a young child in foster care. "Imagine, for a minute, that...

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All children have voices, if only we listen

By Louise KinrossBioethicist Franco Carnevale recalled the assumptions he held about families caring for children using ventilators at home, prior to launching a study of them. “Our preconceptions going in were that this was an intrusive, aggressive intervention and we needed to rethink the hardships we were imposing on these families,” he said.Franco, a clinical ethicist, nurse and psychologist at McGill University and its affiliated hospitals,...

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When a child has a chronic illness, every family member adapts

By Louise Kinross Sweet Dreams for Chiyo is a tender film about how one family copes when their toddler is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Families of children with chronic health problems and disabilities are sure to see parts of themselves in it, from the mom who becomes the resident medical expert and the dad who feels unsure of his role, to the sibling who is super-helpful, but sometimes feels left out and resentful. A reminder that a free screening of the film is being held Wed., May 16 at 7 p.m. at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Centre at 506...

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Before you hit share, did you ask your kid?

By Louise KinrossA week ago Rebecca Cokely wrote an interesting piece for Rewire.News called On parenting and consent: When sharing isn't caring. "While nondisabled parents generally raise nondisabled kids to not let strangers touch their bodies, or not to talk about their private matters to people in public, disabled kids are taught to share everything," she writes. Rebecca is the senior fellow for disability policy at the American Center...

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Parent hacks for finding joy

Photo of Anchel Krishna and her daughter SyonaIt's Mental Health Week, so BLOOM asked parent readers to send us their strategies for finding joy and emotional resilience in the midst of lives that can have extra uncertainties and stress. The ideas and answers flooded in, and are pasted below. We hope you find inspiration in them and consider trying something new yourself. Also, feel free to post your own ideas in the comments.What strategy do use...

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'The people that have the voice are too tired to raise their voice'

This family! If you haven't watched the film Caring for Tor that aired on CBC The National, you must. It fits perfectly with Mental Health Week as it relates to families caring for young adults with complex disabilities and medical needs.  Caring for Tor is told from the perspective of Stephane Alexis, 24, who has put his life on hold to care for his younger brother Torence. "He's non verbal, he doesn't really have any balance, he's completely dependent," Stephane says. "A year ago, when Tor turned 21, he graduated from high...

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'Take care of yourself first:' A parent's recipe for mental health

By Louise KinrossStudies show elevated rates of depression and anxiety in parents of children with disabilities. They even show our cells age faster due to high stress. This week is Mental Health Week in Canada. The Canadian Mental Health Association is running a great campaign called '#GetLoud about what mental health really is.' It includes descriptors like 'It's about feeling good about who you are, having balance in your life, and managing...

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Siblings say depression in disabled adults is their top worry

By Louise Kinross Concern about the mental health of a brother or sister with a developmental disability was the most pressing issue for over half of 360 Canadian siblings who completed a survey by the Sibling Collaborative released in March. “People with developmental disabilities are three to four times more likely to have depression and anxiety than the typical population,” says co-author Helen Ries. “As life goes on, and they face more...

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I feel joy

The following is a found poem created last night by the narrative group for parents of children with brain injury at Holland Bloorview. A found poem is like a collage, but in this case brings together a line of writing each parent wrote in response to the prompt: "I feel joy when my child..." In the narrative group, parents read, write and draw about parenting their children as a way to build self-compassion, resilience and peer support. While...

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As a child, 'my strength faded away'

By Terrence BishundayalAt the age of six I began losing my childhood. In 2002, my family came from Guyana to Canada. I started first grade at North Kipling Junior Middle School. Immediately after, I noticed that I had trouble climbing the stairs. I would lose my balance and fall. My teacher suggested I walk on the opposite side of the stairs, while the class walked on the right, so I could take my time.My legs hurt when walking long distances...

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