The Odyssey: Parenting. Caregiving. Disability.

Reaching full potential. Becoming independent. We want these things for our children. For kids with disabilities, providing the assistance they need while trying to achieve these goals is like walking a tightrope. Help from even the most well-intentioned people, often is not helpful. It's not just educators, parents unintentionally hold their children back as well.  Dr. John McNaught has made it h...

There is no crystal ball to give us insight into what parenting a child with a disability is like. But conversations with Lisa Richard sure come close.    Lisa is a mother to seven children ranging from ages 18 to 30. Two of her kids have Down syndrome.    Lisa's honesty and insight is refreshing. She is the first to affirm how hard the early years are and will NEVER tell you that you'll miss thos...

Every April 10th our social media feeds are flooded with throwback photos in honor of Siblings Day. It may seem like a stunt to keep us scrolling, but it's much more than that. In fact, there is an ongoing effort to get the United Nations to officially declare it "International Siblings Day."    Siblings Day hits differently when a brother or sister has a disability, especially one that comes with...

Summer camp sign ups are well underway across the country. Parents and caregivers are scrambling to secure spots so they can work while their children make new friends, learn new skills, and have fun.    It's not so simple for the estimated 17% of children ages 3 through 17 who have one or more developmental disabilities. If a child needs extra support or even the smallest modifications for activi...

The moment you become a parent, your life is transformed forever.    For parents of children with disabilities this transformation is on a whole other level. For some of us, it's a defining moment where our life is split in two: before and after. Because we're not just parents anymore. We're caregivers.   The end to that caregiving role isn't after high school or college or when our child moves ou...

One of the hardest things families go through is when something seems wrong with their baby or child. When we envision becoming parents, the hopes and dreams we have usually do not include a disability. Socital norms focus so much on "healthy" babies that getting a diagnosis of intellectual or deveopmental disabilities shatters our preconceived notions of what being a parent is.  Then there are ra...