From a former client sharing his experiences around growing up with a disability to a bestselling author and parent of a child with Down syndrome discussing her personal journey, Five Counties Children’s Centre is offering a new learning opportunity focused on seeing children’s abilities first.
The regional children’s treatment centre is organizing the “Spring into Learning Series” on Saturday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its site in Peterborough, located at 800 Dutton Rd.
The event features personal accounts from guest presenters, along with a Five Counties clinician who advocates for a care framework that focuses on a child’s strengths and not the need to “fix” them.
“I think it’s important to see the abilities in all people, regardless of their age,” Bill Eekhof, spokesperson for Five Counties, told kawarthaNOW. “That said, we know research shows the early years are fundamental to a child’s future success in life. That’s why early intervention and harnessing the abilities in every child ensures they have the supports they need to succeed.”
“The Spring into Learning Series will explore this further, by helping parents, caregivers and other attendees understand they are not alone in caring for a child with a disability and that there are supports available to help assist their family while helping them to better advocate for their child. Spring has sprung, and with it, a new parent learning series that aims to shatter stereotypes about disability with the aim of embracing the abilities in all children and youth.”
While Five Counties supports kids with physical, developmental, and communication needs at five sites across the Kawarthas, the spring learning event is a community outreach effort that is open to all families of children with disabilities and community members who work with individuals with disabilities.
“We want to help parents, caregivers, and community members understand they are not alone in caring for a child with a disability and that there are supports available to help assist their family while helping them to better advocate for their child,” says Hayley Hodges, the event organizer and client and family engagement lead with Five Counties.
The Spring into Learning Series will feature local educator and former Five Counties client Adam White, local educator and parent disability advocate Adelle Purdham, and Five Counties occupational therapist Ashley Parsons.
In his presentation “Seeing the Ability, Not the Disability, in Every Person,” White will share his experiences growing up with cerebral palsy and how the support he received from his parents and at Five Counties helped him realize that anything was possible.
Purdham, who is the best-selling author of the book I Don’t Do Disability and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself, will lead a workshop where she will encourage parents and other participants to think more deeply about internalized “ableism” — the mistaken belief that people with disabilities are less valuable than able-bodied individuals and need to be “fixed.”
“Purdham will share her own journey as mother to a child with Down syndrome, discuss how to talk about disability, explore the concepts of ableism and allyship, and support participants in reclaiming the narrative about their child’s disability,” reads the media release.
Five Counties occupational therapist Ashley Parsons will introduce the F-words of child development, an evidence-based framework that focus on six key areas of a child’s health and well-being: Functioning, Family, Fitness, Fun, Friends, and Future.
The F-Words represent a shift in thinking, as the framework aims to move from a medical model of “fixing” kids to a strength-based approach that promotes health and development using all aspects of a child’s life.
The Spring into Learning Series will include snacks, lunch, an opportunity to mix-and-mingle with other participants, and a chance for attendees to offer input on how Five Counties can better engage and support families.
Those interesting in attending the event are encouraged to register in advance at fivecounties.on.ca/mt-event/spring-into-learning/ or call 1-888-779-9916 ext. 215 for more details.
