Your Story. Your Voice. Be Heard.
Cynthia Lockrey shares her insights and experience as a patient advocate and her patient advocacy work. Blog posts include topics such as patient storytelling, working with healthcare professionals and advocating for children.
Focusing on a child’s behaviour does nothing to help the situation. Rather, it allows biases, judgement and assumptions to take root and cloud what’s really happening.
Being curious about the behaviour versus judging the behaviour is the best way to support any child.
Read MoreDespite all the talk about diversity and inclusion in classrooms, many schools and families still struggle with what this actually means and why it matters. Just having a child with disabilities or complex needs in a classroom isn’t enough. They need to be seen as a valued member of the school community.
Too often the conversation focuses on the challenges versus gifts these students bring to the classroom.
How can any kid be successful with this approach?
Read MoreWe need to include neurodiversity in the diversity conversation. Approximately 15 to 20% of the world’s population exhibits some form of neurodivergence. This includes individuals with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, mental health conditions, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette syndrome and more.
Read MoreAs kids head back to school, many parents and caregivers will be rolling up their sleeves and advocating for the supports their child needs and deserves. While some of us are seasoned veterans when it comes to advocacy, I know it doesn’t come easy to everyone.
Advocating for your child, or any child, can be frustrating, lonely and overwhelming. It can also cause friction with family members, educators and even friends.
Here’s the thing – advocacy is not a popularity contest.
Read MoreRaising a child with a disability comes with enough pressure, without having to hold the emotional load of others. But it can take courage and persistence to set boundaries and not own others’ emotions.
Read MoreAs I was scrolling through Twitter, I came across a CBC article about the lack of appreciation of the pain caused to women during the insertion of birth control devices. In reading other women’s experiences, I jumped in and shared my own stories of not receiving pain management for extremely painful procedures.
It quickly became apparent that I’m not alone in going through unnecessary pain.
Despite the shared experience, women’s health still doesn’t receive the recognition or attention it deserves. It’s time to stop ignoring women’s health.
Read MoreWhat is authentic leadership?
Simply put – it’s a person who shows up as their authentic self. It goes beyond taking leadership courses, implementing the hot lesson of the year or seeing leadership as a role. When you’re working with an authentic leader, you feel it.
Read MoreAs a consultant, advocate and mom of an autistic child, I’m juggling a lot of balls. During those years where I rolled by eyes at the notion of self-care, I also dropped a lot of balls because my tank was empty.
After working with a business coach, I saw the need for self-care through a new perspective and completely changed my approach to how I ran my business and life.
Read MoreLike millions of people around the world, I gasped when Will Smith got on the stage during the Academy Awards and slapped Chris Rock across the face. This after Chris Rock made fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition - alopecia.
But reacting with violence does not equal advocacy. Rather, it distracts from the real conversation - understanding and accepting a medical condition or disability.
Read MoreFebruary 23 is Pink Shirt Day and February is also Kindness month. Both get lots of coverage at schools and in the media. The growing awareness of Pink Shirt Day has shone a spotlight on bullying. But has it moved the needle in preventing bullying?
Not for diverse learners and kids with disabilities. While these students are most likely to be bullied, Pink Shirt Day ignores their high bullying risk.
Read More
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Cynthia Lockrey is a change maker + communications expert.
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