National Parenting with a Disability

2011-12-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

NEW NATIONAL PROJECT: FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
Research, training and resources concerning the 21 million U.S. families with disabilities

BERKELEY, CA -- December 6, 2011. Through the Looking Glass and its National Center for Parents with Disabilities was awarded a five-year 2.5 million dollar federal grant to conduct research, training and provide consultations and materials regarding families in which an infant, child, parent or grandparent has a disability. In the United States, it is estimated that 28.9% of families (20.9 million families) have at least one member with a disability: 3.9 % of families have at least one child with a disability and 6.1% of families with children have one or both parents with a disability.

This new national project titled “Families with Disabilities through the Life Cycle: Disability Culture Perspectives” is funded by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research, U.S. Department of Education. Over the next five years, project activities will focus on critical issues that impact families with disabilities across the lifespan: from those disabled and nondisabled parents who are at the initial stages of having an infant with a disability through children with disabilities growing up to parents and grandparents with disabilities. In keeping with Through the Looking Glass’ 30 years of groundbreaking research, training and clinical intervention work, project activities will address family members with diverse disabilities and draw from the experiences and perspectives of the Disability and Deaf communities. Among the innovative activities planned are:
Free consultations to parents, family members and professionals regarding families with disabilities across the lifespan.
Research regarding national statistics, discriminatory practices and appropriate resources for families with disabilities.
Training and resource materials for more than 2,000 Early Head Start programs and Independent Living Centers throughout the U.S. regarding parents with disabilities or deafness and their children.
Legal research and consultations for parents with disabilities involved in custody situations.
Scholarships for high school seniors and college students who have a parent with a disability
Training and tools for occupational therapists to support parents with disabilities
Expertise to inform federal and international policies regarding the rights of parents with disabilities.
Research regarding innovative techniques to help parents with intellectual disabilities be more responsive to their babies.
Online reviews of equipment and adaptations designed to help grandparents with disabilities care for their grandchildren.
Trainings to professionals from Japan regarding services to infants and families with disabilities.

The project will be staffed by TLG’s nationally recognized experts regarding families with disabilities, most of whom have personal or family experience with disability or deafness.

Spina Bifida Moms: "Abled" Parent

2011-11-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Spina Bifida Moms: "Abled" Parent

2011-04-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

Original Artwork Project by Children of Parents with Disabilities

Through the Looking Glass -- the National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families – announces a unique opportunity for children of parents with disabilities. Children ages 5 through 11 who have one or more parents with a disability are invited to send us original artwork showing themselves and their families doing a favorite activity.

All materials must be submitted and postmarked by Monday, May 16, 2011.

Complete details and application information are posted on our website: www.lookingglass.org/artwork

2011-03-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

TLG has a new home at the Ed Roberts Campus

On December 7, 2010, Through the Looking Glass (TLG) moved into its new space at the Ed Roberts Campus, located at the Ashby BART Station in Berkeley, CA. Please note that our address has changed, but our phone and FAX numbers will be the same. However, if you are used to contacting a staff person by their extension, those numbers have changed. If you call our main number, you can get directory assistance.

Here is our new address:

Through the Looking Glass
3075 Adeline Street, Suite 120
Berkeley, CA 94703
Main phone number: (510) 848-1112
Toll-free number: (800) 644-2666
FAX: (510) 848-4445
TTY: (510) 848-1005

Glenn Sacks and Margaret Johnson: Senate bill would protect rights of disabled parents - LA Daily News

2010-09-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

Glenn Sacks and Margaret Johnson: Senate bill would protect rights of disabled parents - LA Daily News

Severely disabled, is she still a mom? - latimes.com

2010-04-12T11:42:00.001-07:00

Severely disabled, is she still a mom? - latimes.com

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2010-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

2010 THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS

WITH PARENTS WITH DISABILITIES ANNOUNCEMENT

Through the Looking Glass and its National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families are pleased to announce new scholarships specifically for high school seniors and college students who have parents with disabilities. A total of ten $1000 scholarships will be given out Fall 2010. These scholarships are part of Through the Looking Glass’ National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families. Please note that the 2010 awards have different application procedures than previous years. There are separate scholarship awards for high school seniors and for college students, and each has separate eligibility requirements:

1. High School Seniors. To be eligible, a student must be a high school graduate (or graduating senior) by Summer 2010, planning to attend a two-year or four-year college in Fall 2010 in pursuit of an AA, BA or BS degree, and have at least one parent with a disability.

2. College Students. To be eligible, a student must be currently enrolled in a two-year or four-year college in Fall 2010 in pursuit of an AA, BA or BS degree, be 21 years of age or younger as of March 1, 2010, and have at least one parent with a disability.

All application materials must be postmarked by March 1, 2010. Individuals may submit only one application per award period.

Selection criteria for all scholarships include academic performance, community activities and service, letter of recommendation and an essay describing the experience of growing up with a parent with a disability.

Please go to our website: http://www.lookingglass.org/scholarships for more information, including the application form, complete application directions, and a FAQ page that answers many common questions as well as offers helpful suggestions.

Through the Looking Glass
2198 Sixth Street, Suite 100
Berkeley, CA 94710
(800) 644-2666
(800) 804-1616 (TTY)
www.lookingglass.org
scholarships@lookingglass.org

Coping as a dad in a wheelchair - Times Online

2009-10-13T18:02:00.001-07:00

Coping as a dad in a wheelchair - Times Online

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2009 Students of Parents with Disabilities Scholarship Winners Announced

2009-09-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

BERKELEY, Calif. – September 9, 2009 – The National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families at Through the Looking Glass announced the winners of its 2009 College Scholarships for Students of Parents with Disabilities. Funding was only available for eleven scholarships, yet over 900 students from across the U.S. applied these scholarships. Although there are over 9 million American parents with disabilities, there are almost no scholarships specifically for the hundreds of thousands of students who have parents with disabilities. These awards not only recognize the diversity and contributions of these families, but their financial need. Approximately 25% of U.S. families with a disabled parent live below the official poverty level for families of their size and geographic location, and are twice as likely to be below the poverty level than are families with non-disabled parents. In addition, standard college financial aid applications do not typically weigh the considerable medical expenses or specialized equipment expenses of many parents with disabilities. These expenses can substantially reduce a family’s annual income by tens of thousands of dollars.

Each award is a $1,000 college scholarship for an outstanding high school senior or college student who has at least one parent with a disability. Selection criteria included academic performance, community service, letters of recommendation and an essay describing the experience of growing up with a parent with a disability. Students applying for these scholarships included those with parents who were quadriplegic, blind, deaf, amputees, as well as parents with spinal cord injury, cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, mental illness, polio, traumatic brain injury, muscular dystrophy or intellectual disability. As one of several projects of the National Center , these scholarships are funded through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), U.S. Department of Education.

Eleven $1,000 scholarships have been awarded to the following students: High School Seniors: Ansley Bredar (Danville, KY), Allen Etzler III (Walkersville, MD), Alina Ostrow (Franklin, MA), Jeffrey Rosenbaum (Dallas, TX), Danielle Spencer (Layton, UT), and Sarah Steelman (Las Vegas, NV). College Students: Amanda Gallagher (Feasterville, PA), Matthew Gorman (Torrington, CT), Courtney Kurinec (Cameron, NC), Caitlin Thorn (Las Vegas, NV), and Lee Vandivier (Philadelphia, PA).

In their essays, the winning students describe routine, remarkable and sometimes difficult stories of parents with disabilities and their children. Individual stories are dramatic, candid, humorous, loving, provocative and moving. Despite the wide variation in parental disability and other demographic features among scholarship applicants, several consistent themes emerged that have been documented over the years by Through the Looking Glass in several national research studies: the normalcy of growing up with a parent with a disability, and the resilience and strength of these families despite social and financial obstacles. Below are excerpts from essays by four of the scholarship winners:

My father suffered a major stroke in 2004 and many of the effects of that stroke are still with him today. Living with a person who is disabled obviously has its down sides and is pretty tough, but what people don’t realize is that I’m kind of lucky. I’ve had the opportunity to become far closer to my father than most kids will ever be. –Allen Etzler III

Watching my mom fight to get out of bed and walk by herself, things I normally take for granted, has taught me how much power I have to accomplish whatever I put my mind to. Believing she should have died decades ago, my mother is a medical miracle by no accident. Despite the bad hand she’s been dealt, my mother is one of the strongest people I know and has taught me that a good attitude can go a long way. From her I have learned that as long as I believe in myself, no hurdle is ever too big to overcome. – Sarah Steelman

I know that life has not dealt my father the best hand, but I am still very proud of him, not only for what he has done for this country and for our family, but for the fact that he wakes up every day, in chronic pain, and doesn’t give up. I am proud of the fact that he wants to help other injured soldiers. My father has inspired me to not give up when things get bad, because if he can live with severe pain for years, then I can deal with whatever life hands me. – Courtney Kurinec

So, what is it like growing up with parents who have a disability? In many ways it is just like growing up with a parent who does not have a disability. The trick to adolescent survival is to remember that some days go smoothly with little conflict, where other days are filled with embarrassment, frustration, and anger. My wisdom is that disabled persons are also abled persons in so many ways and the goal is to search out and discover the gifts. –Jeffrey Rosenbaum

Complete essays of all the scholarship winners are posted on Through the Looking Glass’ website: www.lookingglass.org

Many of the essays underscore the need for increased resources and accommodations for disabled parents and their families throughout the U.S. Despite some progress, parents with disabilities and their families remain largely invisible in the larger society and are often left to fend for themselves with inadequate and inaccessible resources. For many families, their best and only resources are the family members themselves.

A new round of scholarship applications will be announced on Through the Looking Glass’ website in January 2010.

Also, anyone wishing to contribute to this Scholarship Fund may make a donation to “Through the Looking Glass, and indicate that this is for the Scholarship Fund. Mail to: Through the Looking Glass, 2198 Sixth Street #100 , Berkeley , CA 94710 or call (800) 644-2666. Donations may also be made via PayPal on Through the Looking Glass’ Donations web page.

Blind father, son find their way - The Denver Post

2009-08-10T15:16:00.001-07:00

Blind father, son find their way - The Denver Post

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New blog for Parents with Disabilities

2009-08-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Through the Looking Glass (TLG) is pleased to begin its first blogging effort to connect with our community.

TLG is a nationally recognized center that has pioneered research, training, and services for families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue. TLG is a disability community based nonprofit organization, which emerged from the independent living movement, and was founded in 1982 in Berkeley, California.

Our mission is "To create, demonstrate and encourage non-pathological and empowering resources and model early intervention services for families with disability issues in parent or child which integrate expertise derived from personal disability experience and disability culture."

You can also see more about TLG on our website