Special needs Round-up: News and views for March

Spring has finally sprung and this month I have been feeling particularly thankful for the close-knit special needs community online. More than ever the support we offer one another is evident, joined voices are making a tangible difference, and there are some exciting events to tell you about too. May we all continue to pull together to create lasting change.

Support

The first support network I’d like to tell you about is a new live Twitter chat that takes place every Wednesday evening from 8 til 9pm run by the lovely Joy @PinkOddy. Simply use the hashtag #SENbloggers and jump in with questions, tips and resources for one another.

The other weekly visit I like to make is to Ethans Escapades who runs a linky to celebrate the Small Steps, Big Achievements. Just reading around the blogs that join in leaves me with a sense of how hard our children work at their goals, and how much we value their progress. For example, Tom at The Futures Rosie made us all smile this month with his uplifting post learning to walk and fork. And yes Rosie, I love cauliflower too! What small steps has your child made that has made you proud this month?

This month I am featuring a new charity that would like help to raise their online proflile. If you think you could support Puzzle Centre online support and research for early years autism in any capacity, please contact them directly.

Awareness

Sometimes awareness is about educating others, gathering support or literally telling the world that a condition exists. This month saw Rare Diseases Day, marked with a stunning poem by Touch and Tickle whose daughter has SMA. It is simply entitled Rare.

NHS Change Day brought medical professionals, patients and their families together to make pledges to create positive change within our health service. Orange Flavoured Sky‘s Emily’s Room and Just Bring the Chocolate‘s Will NHS Change Day Change Anything? had very different takes on what NHS Change Day meant for them. I urge you to read bothmoving posts.

It was National Eating Disorders Week and everyone’s favourite blogger and healthy role model Katy Hill writes about providing good body images for our children on her site.

21st March sees World Down Syndrome Day which I am of course involved in. This year the focus is on health care for individuals with DS and the DSA have published many useful articles. Fundraising is marked again by asking everyone to wear brightly coloured socks, for we are all colourful and unique, perhaps post a photo of your funky footwear and donate a £1. You can use the hashtag #LotsOfSocks and #WDSD14 on the day. Here’s how you can join in.

Stephs Two Girls brings PDA Awareness to the fore with her post Pathalogical Demand Avoidance – Please Help Us!

Fun

The next exciting and positive news is that Disability Rocks are following their success of disability-friendly festivals last year with 4 new dates for this summer. Fun, music, comedy, sensory tents, open mic all for acts with disabilities, great food and most importantly full access, hoists and changing facilities for wheel chair users. I even hear Singing Hands will be there! So pop across and see if there is a venue near you.

Campaign

Hannah Postgate at Rosy and Bo appeared on Radio 4 Womans Hour recently to talk about going back to work when you have a child with a disability. Read her post Work, Kids. Special Needs, Making it Fly. This struck a chord with many, and sparked some fabulous posts by women who simply find the childcare implication prohibitive when seeking employment. What is your experience of this?

Areyoukiddingney tells an emotional and very identifyable story of how being a working Mum makes her feel she is judged by those who care for her child while she is at work. I had a lump in my throat as I read Nice Work if You Can Get it.

Complicated Gorgeousness writes an incredibly infrmative post about what worked for her, how she has managed work and medical appointments, and advises on changes that would improve life for her family in Working Mum, Disabled Child and the Myths in Between.

As ever, we’d love you to visit the blogs that link below. Come and join us with whatever is on your mind this March and I will feature some of your posts in the next round-up.

About Hayley Goleniowska

A former language teacher and voice-over artist, Hayley is now the Mum of two gorgeous girls, the youngest of whom, Natty, has Down’s Syndrome. She blogs, speaks and writes articles on the subject for all who will read or listen. Through Downs Side Up she aims to both offer support and encouragement to new families with a diagnosis, and gently change perceptions of Down’s Syndrome from within hearts through beautiful words and photos. Her daughter Natty is a clothing model and an amazing ambassador for children with disabilities everywhere. She has appeared in The Sun, Mail Online, Bella Magazine and on ITV Daybreak. You can find Hayley on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

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