My daughter said she wants to live with me forever. When she was young, I told her she could live with me for as long as she needed to. She tells me she is terrified of living without me – that she does not know how she will manage. While she was not ready to … Continue reading An FASD Wish: Confidence in her Future
School is geared for the masses. If we want an inclusive society and promote education as a right, then students should be taught in a way that supports and accommodates their development. FASD is not recognized in our school system as a condition that qualifies for support, be that an Educational Assistant (EA) or Child … Continue reading 2020 Wishes for My Daughter and FASD: #4 Recognition in the School System
One of the keys to helping someone with FASD is to meet them “where they are” not where society thinks they should be. I’ve had discussions with countless people who offer well-meaning but ill-informed advice, such as, “When I was 18, I was in college, had a job, was living on my own, or in … Continue reading FASD Acceptance and Understanding (Wish 3/12)
While FASD is a physical disability with over 420 co-occurring conditions, the part of the body that connects this, the brain, is invisible to our eyes. Very few people with FASD have any visible characteristics. When people can’t see a disability, people are quick to judge.
In 2016 I wrote a blog post called 12 Wishes for FASD and My Daughter. It was a combination of things I wanted in terms of FASD awareness and things I wanted for my daughter. I did update it in 2017 - 12 Wishes A Year Later - but have not been back to look at it through the lens of another 3 years. Over the next 12 days I will update for the 2020 edition. Today we look at friendships.
Some advice from an employer's perspective when interviewing, hiring and supporting individuals with FASD in workplace.
Robin Burgamy a librarian, FASD advocate and co-founder of KAFASD, a regional support network for FASD recently had her paper Bright Futures: Creating College Opportunities/Programs for Students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder published in Future Review: International Journal of Transition and College and Career Success.
UPDATE: Bill 172 passed Second Reading! It will now go to a Standing Committee for further consideration. During the Committee stage the specific details of the Bill will be examined, and members of the public may be given the opportunity to appear as a witness or produce a written submission with thoughts on the Bill. … Continue reading Second Reading of Bill 172 – FASD and the Education Act
I am not talking about what the acronym FASD means or even how it is caused, but going deeper into what it really means for Society. Most people see it as an alcohol and pregnancy issue - but it really goes beyond that. The Canada FASD Research Network released their 2020 FASD Awareness Month Toolkit … Continue reading What is FASD?
I've been thinking about grief and loss for awhile now. We know many caregivers for individuals with FASD experience grief and loss. We hear others say, "Oh, that's grief and loss!" - but what do we really know about it? Most of the information available on grief and loss is about death. Or in relation … Continue reading FASD: Grief and Loss for Caregivers
