'I want a job where I play with toys and make kids feel awesome'

Photo and interview by Louise KinrossLisa Kakonge is a speech-language pathologist with Holland Bloorview's brain injury program. She did her training in Albany, New York, but always planned on coming back to Toronto, and had her eye on working here since high school.BLOOM: How did you get into the field?Lisa Kakonge: I knew about speech pathology from the time I was four years old. I have a brother one year older, and he had a severe phonological...

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Why parents get hooked on 'normal'

By Louise KinrossOn Friday I did a narrative workshop with developmental pediatrician and psychology fellows at Holland Bloorview. Something that emerged in the comics the fellows drew was how parents express their hope that their child will be “normal”—even years after receiving a disability diagnosis.  It got me thinking about how the word normal is really a code word for “value.” In our culture, normal is valued, and disability...

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Listening to a band or hosting a tea party makes therapy more fun

Photos and interview by Louise KinrossCarling Robertson (right) is an occupational therapist assistant at Holland Bloorview. She works with children with brain injury and youth preparing for employment. After doing an undergraduate degree in kinesiology, Carling changed course and began working for a trucking company. “I remember the exact moment when I said I can’t do this anymore,” she says. “I had spent months coordinating a huge delivery...

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'The biggest thing is just... the joy'

We're excited to share our new A Family Like Mine video! This one features Joanne Downing and her husband Mark, and their children Katherine, Matthew and Andrew. Matthew, 18, known as Mattie, has cerebral palsy. “The greatest thing about Matthew is that he’s such a happy guy all the time,” Mark says. “He really lives life in the moment, you know, as you often hear people say you should. He enjoys most aspects of his life. He doesn’t worry about things. He doesn’t fuss about the future…He brings your spirits up.” Matthew, who uses a communication...

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