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.
When people hear the word advocacy, too often they think of lobbyists or formal advocacy at a national level. While there’s a place for this type of work, often the most successful and impactful advocacy starts at the grassroot level. Don’t underestimate the power of grassroots advocacy.
Read MoreA common fear I hear from parents and caregivers is not wanting their child to be labelled. There can be so much resistance to getting a child assessed or accepting the diagnosis due to this unnecessary fear. Yet we need to embrace not fear labels.
Read MoreIn every workshop I give on How to Advocate for Change, I talk about the power of community. Why? Because I’m a strong believer of tapping into the wisdom and experience of others in your advocacy journey.
Embracing the power of community has been key to many of my advocacy wins. It has also helped me grow as an advocate and mom.
While it might seem like a simple concept, I’m amazed at how many people don’t embrace the power of community. Often because they’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.
Learn 4 easy ways to strengthen your advocacy skills by embracing the power of community.
Read MoreIt’s amazing how often the topic of boundaries comes up in the work I do with my clients and other caregivers – particularly the consequences of not setting boundaries. I’ve had many conversations over the years on why setting boundaries is important, not only for you, but those around you.
Read MoreWhen children are young, as parents and caregivers we tend to be their voice. But as our kids grow and have opinions of their own, we make the shift from being their voice to their megaphone to their cheerleader.
What this shift looks like and when it happens depends on the individual. What is important is we encourage self-advocacy in kids, regardless of their ability. This is not only an important life skill, but also essential to having personal safety and fulfillment.
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As a responsible member of the community, there’s no getting around volunteering out of obligation. But when looking at how you spend the majority of your volunteer hours, and where you want to make a true difference, you need to ensure you’re volunteering with passion not obligation.
Read MoreI really wish I didn’t have to write this article. I wish that kids with disabilities and complex needs would get the support they require to not just survive but thrive. I wish they had the education, learning supports, therapy and career counselling needed to help them live their best lives.
Sadly, this isn’t the case and is the reason why advocacy is critical to supporting kids with disabilities.
Read MoreFocusing 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.
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Cynthia Lockrey is a change maker + communications expert.
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