Photo: Anchel Krishna
When you have a child who is diagnosed with special needs, your life can get clouded by fear. In our case, Syona was diagnosed with cerebral palsy just shy of her first birthday. Once I learned what cerebral palsy was, my biggest fears had nothing to do with wheelchairs or walkers (she uses both). I hadn?t even thought of whether she would be able to talk or sit up on her own. My biggest fear was that she would be treated like she was invisible and feel like she wasn?t supported.
As we settled into our special needs world, I heard so many stories of kids like Syona who had disabilities and these big, engaging personalities they used to draw everyone in. They had a light inside that shone right through?past their wheelchairs, walkers and leg braces?and grabbed hold of anyone who was open enough to engage with them. But over time, as the kids got older, this light dimmed. It wasn?t because the kids themselves changed. It was because they were isolated, despite being surrounded by people and supports that were in place to prevent this sort of thing. Earlier this week, the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth released its We Have Something to Say Report. This report compiles and highlights the lived experience of children and youth with special needs, their families and their caregivers. The report includes experiences at home, in the community and at school, ranging from very personal situations to how the support systems that are ...