by Gabriella | Nov 17, 2021 | Accessibility, Essays and Reflections
When my son was first diagnosed, I was handed a stack of white, legal-sized envelopes with the headings of clinics he would need to consult within the first weeks of life. Most of the departments I didn’t even know existed, let alone know how to pronounce. In...
by Gabriella | Aug 11, 2021 | Accessibility, Essays and Reflections
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...
by Gabriella | May 22, 2020 | Accessibility, Essays and Reflections
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...
by Gabriella | Mar 12, 2020 | Essays and Reflections
There’s something that is not being said during this pandemic. As lockdown restrictions loosen and gatherings become more frequent, there is a population for whom nothing has changed. The risk for complications for disabled/chronically ill individuals as well as...
by Gabriella | Feb 3, 2020 | Essays and Reflections
As newbie parents of a disabled child, we were immediately placed under a microscope. From the moment we received the diagnosis, we were observed intently. How would we cope with the diagnosis? Would we be able to handle it long-term? Did we have adequate...
