New York City, a homecoming
Both of my parents were born and raised in Brooklyn. Both of my older brothers were born there as well, read more…
Results for Jennifer
O Canada
A fellow Canadian blogger has reminded me once again that we are fortunate here in Canada with our imperfect but read more…
The world is going mad: my commentary on so-called mercy killings
I am reading with horror about the support of mercy killings of disabled children by their parents, a discussion recently read more…
Ethics in Healthcare Decision-making
I spoke on ethics at this month’s Grand Rounds at Holland Bloorview. This had me spinning for days beforehand! Not read more…
A personal update
For sure the gaps are closing. I’m being reabsorbed into the morass of everyday life, where I get to worry read more…
An unpublished post from the past which I might have called ‘Being Owen’.
I’ve been cleaning up my half-written draft posts this morning (which mostly means trashing them) and stumbled on this one. read more…
UnConference for Caregivers of Children with Disabilities – proposal
I attended an event called HealthCamp a couple of years ago and was impressed by its awesomeness. So much so read more…
Video, from talk at Holland Bloorview
I spoke at Holland Bloorview last month to a wonderful group of parents and professionals about success, as it relates read more…
How to make a disability disappear
Within months after Owen was born, I was told he was deaf. Inside, I shrugged. “Oh well,” I thought. He read more…
New look for Yes or No, and a comment that made my day
Yes or No still has all the same content, but I’ve reorganized it so that older stuff is easier to read more…
My article about Fake Work, featured in Bloom’s recent publication
(Photo: Cover of Bloom, Winter 2012) My son, Owen, passed away in October 2010 at the age of 12. He was born with multiple severe disabilities, some of which were anticipated in utero, and all of which remained undiagnosed, even in his death.
Groupthink and the value of friction (or, Why contrary opinions are helpful)
I read a great article recently about brainstorming, in the late January issue of The New Yorker. Groupthink: The brainstorming myth., by Jonah Lehrer, is about how, despite its popularity as a corporate creativity booster, ‘brainstorming’ is not a terribly creative exercise.
A revelation, while visiting a lovely little school
I was invited to speak at a school last week, as part of their staff’s professional development/team building day. A special needs preschool, it was similar to the preschool Owen attended in mid-town Toronto. This one is located in an older suburb in the west end.
Owen at Spiral Garden – video and photos
I just uncovered this video yesterday. Owen attended the Spiral Garden summer camp at Holland Bloorview.
The best of intentions
I made a decision over the holidays: no more promotion of my book (even though I hadn’t really even started yet!) I decided: I will speak to groups when invited, but for now I will lay low and stop shopping around my box of books and PowerPoint presentation.
What I mean by Hope as Snake-oil (3 of 3)
Hope is a non-activity. Like worry–an unproductive time-filler that distracts from the moment and takes us away from what is real and happening.
