I am my son’s parent, but I am not a part of his culture and he is not part of mine. I have not experienced life as a disabled person and he’s never been non-disabled. I first became aware of this distinction when I heard Andrew Solomon, author of Far From the Tree:...
Inclusion is not solely a disability matter. We cannot talk about representation while excluding other identities.⠀ ⠀ Schools do this well when they boast STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) programs for girls. While this is progress, members...
I often say home education is my personal rebellion against the systems that oppressed individuals like my son for centuries. Unschooling, in particular, is a resistance to all oppressive institutions, including those that oppress marginalized communities....
To stay the course in anything we do, it's always a good idea to ask ourselves why. Why did we choose this? Why did we want to do this in the first place? When we connect with the "why," it keeps us motivated to keep going. I challenge you to go one step further...
Sometimes, the things we request and are requested of our children don't make much sense. In one meeting with our DEM (Direction de l’enseignement à la maison) representative, she asked about our goals and some of my son's achievements. She was trying to get a grip on...
When my son was a newborn, his disability was only mildly noticeable. When he didn't have to meet milestones, it was easy to pretend he didn't have a diagnosis attached to him. As I nestled my baby in my arms, I also nestled cozily into ableism.⠀ ⠀ Moms will often...
I often walk a fine line between honoring who my son is and teaching him the skills required to live a meaningful life.⠀ I first became aware of this tug of war when dealing with my son's sensory aversions. He has a strong objection to the texture of playdough. The...
Ableism robbed my son of the celebratory joy of his birth. My reaction to his diagnosis was steeped in ableism. It was handed to me in an ableist institution by ableist professionals who set us up with months-worth of ableist correctional practices. By the time I left...
Sometimes, the things we request and are requested of our children don't make much sense. In one meeting with our DEM (Direction de l’enseignement à la maison) representative, she asked about our goals and some of my son's achievements. She was trying to get a grip on...
When my son was a newborn, his disability was only mildly noticeable. When he didn't have to meet milestones, it was easy to pretend he didn't have a diagnosis attached to him. As I nestled my baby in my arms, I also nestled cozily into ableism.⠀ ⠀ Moms will often...
I often walk a fine line between honoring who my son is and teaching him the skills required to live a meaningful life.⠀ I first became aware of this tug of war when dealing with my son's sensory aversions. He has a strong objection to the texture of playdough. The...
Ableism robbed my son of the celebratory joy of his birth. My reaction to his diagnosis was steeped in ableism. It was handed to me in an ableist institution by ableist professionals who set us up with months-worth of ableist correctional practices. By the time I left...