Resources for You

Each month, Family Voices Indiana provides the families we serve with a summary of our hottest Facebook posts. If you missed us on Facebook, here is the latest!


Awareness:

June was Safety Awareness Month. You can find information and low cost safety products at the Riley Safety Store: http://safetystore.pediatrics.iu.edu/. You can find additional resources here: http://www.nsc.org/safety_home/Pages/safety_at_hom.aspx.

June 2 marked National Cancer Survivor's Day. This day provides an opportunity for all people living with a history of cancer to connect with each other, celebrate milestones, and recognize those who have supported them along the way. Learn more here: www.ncsd.org.

June 16 celebrated the Fathers in our lives. If you’ve never watched this video of a father’s love for his child, be sure to watch it.



Family Voices:
Check out our Family Voices Staff Spotlights! This month’s page featured Ofelia Jimenez’s daughter and husband, Cristy James and her family, Project Coordinator, Jennifer Akers, and our Director, Rylin Rodger’s family.
Facebook fans liked our many inspirational quotes. Be sure to check out our page for a pick-me-up.
"My family celebrated September 23, 2010, the day upon which my children would be permanently insurable throughout their lives despite their pre-existing conditions. I took a full-time position and enrolled my children in coverage, something that would have been impossible just a few months earlier. With the successive increases in annual caps, mandated by the ACA, which my children (finally) did not exceed, our new insurance covered their medical services. The reality of the ACA changed the reality of my family’s life. Economic stability was within our reach. Our children could choose careers based on their aptitude and interests, and not by coverage options or by being forced poor in order to stay eligible for Medicaid as adults with disabilities." Read the entire article by our Director, Rylin Rodgers, here: http://hdwg.org/catalyst/stories/7.
"I had no intention of coming back. I was going to leave my wife and daughter.
I couldn't do it anymore. But then, after I left, I started having second thoughts, and that's when I remembered that my wife had signed up for an online support group. I ended up spending the next two hours talking on the phone about my daughter and family with a man I had never met. He had a 2-year-old with Down syndrome.
I cannot explain it, but after talking to him for two hours I had the strength to go home and face another day. For the next six months, I got up and faced one day at a time." Read the article here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/27/health/down-syndrome-father-essay/index.html. And, remember, you are not alone. Please call us for support or resources.
"I’m going to present today 10 things that many special needs families often don’t talk about, but do often feel. It’s a given that we love our children, and you’ll hear us talk about that and the rewarding parts of raising them, but this is some of the hard stuff"


While our journey can be rough at times, there are certainly joys. Here are the "10 Reasons I Love Being a Special Needs Parent": http://www.ellenstumbo.com/ten-reasons-i-love-being-a-special-needs-parent/.
"When all is said and done, being the parent of a preemie has taught me that I am tougher than I could have ever imagined. When it comes to my wife and daughter there is nothing I wouldn't do for them. It has also taught me to count my blessings everyday and to appreciate the little things in life. Being an NICU dad has given my wife and I our amazing little girl. She is the best gift either one of us could have ever asked for." http://www.papasofpreemies.com/2013/06/what-being-nicu-dad-means-to-me-rob.html
"What if we wrote a letter or scheduled a meeting to request our child be put in a classroom with a child with special needs? Can you imagine the movement that would occur across this country? Can you imagine what a step forward this would be for all of us?!? Instead of the parents of children with special needs asking for inclusion….everyone else was asking for us. What a relief this would be for the parent’s too! We could use one less battle to fight….one less closed mind to try to open to the beauty our children bring to the world, our communities, and our schools."
Let's start a movement! SHARE this with others. Read the entire article here: http://myimperfectextraordinarylife.com/2013/06/10/what-if/.
"Fifteen years ago, when he considered photographing a woman with a disability, he was shocked at images in medical textbooks he consulted. Where, he asked, is the humanity? How do you get people to see those with differences not as victims, but kids and people first and foremost? The pity has to disappear. The fear has to disappear. Behavior has to change. These kids need to be seen as their parents see them, as their friends see them, as valuable and positive parts of society, as beautiful." See his photos here: http://positiveexposure.org/gallery/.


Training and Learning Opportunities:
Family Voices works to fulfill our mission of empowering families by providing you with educational opportunities and resources. Check our website frequently for learning resources by visiting: http://www.fvindiana.org/training. This month, we shared the following on Facebook.
We’re still in tornado season. People with disabilities or medical conditions might have to take additional steps to protect themselves during an emergency such as a tornado. If you have family members, friends, or neighbors with disabilities help them with the following additional precautions. People with disabilities may require assistance and more lead time to prepare for such a disaster. This link provides you with some practical tips for people with disabilities during an emergency.


"For the average person the concept of play is considered helpful in assisting a child to grow, learn, develop and thrive.What many don’t know is that play extremely helpful when it comes to physical, social, emotional and cognitive development."Read about toys to help with gross motor skills here and toys for fine motor skills here. We have pinterest boards on these topics, too: http://pinterest.com/fvindiana/.


Watch this short video for more info about The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). You can find additional info here: www.chipmedicaid.org/.


Newsworthy:
We've created a FB page for our Latino families who prefer information in Spanish and/or would like to connect with other families. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/VocesDeFamiliaDeIndiana.
Proper use of car seats helps keep children safe. But with so many different car seats on the market, it’s no wonder many parents find this overwhelming. The type of seat your child needs depends on several things, including your child’s age, size and the type of vehicle you have.
Here is recent guidance from AAP: http://www.healthychildren.org/english/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/car-safety-seats-information-for-families.aspx. There are also additional considerations for children with special health care needs; so if you need addtl resources, feel free to contact us.
See the CHILD...before the disability. Read the entire report about the State of the World's Children here: http://www.unicef.org/sowc2013.



Requests for Collaboration:

Family Voices always encourages followers to use their voice to affect positive change to our systems, public and private policies. Here’s how you can use your voice.

Does your child learn online? If so, complete this short survey so schools and online providers can learn what's working and not working. If you would prefer to take the survey in Spanish, there is a tab in the top-left corner to select that option.