Sarah Ford | July 22, 2014

Parenting With a Disability

By Christinne Rudd

Being a mom is a challenging role for anyone. Add having a disability to the mix and the adventure has just begun. Getting to know how your limitations are going to affect your ability to parent and finding out what’s available to help you get the job done combined are like solving a puzzle. Then once the baby arrives, you have to get adjusted to him or her at each stage of life, all the while finding ways to meet the everyday challenges of parenting.  

Even though these aspects of parenting may sound overwhelming, the role of parent can be lots of fun because it allows you the opportunity to have a hand in our society’s future viewpoints. When it comes to the topic of our society’s viewpoint in today’s world, in my experience, people seem to automatically discount your ability as a parent just because of the physical limitations you exhibit to the rest of the world.

When I was in Middle School, I remember a teacher asking for a quote to put under our 8th grade yearbook by our graduation picture.  I chose “don’t judge a book by its cover” for what I felt, at the time, were obvious reasons.

Who knew that 25 years later I would still be facing what seems to be the same challenges that I faced with the 7th grade classmate who told me if she touched my left hand, she’d catch what I had because, to her, my Cerebral Palsy was contagious?  Only this time, today, I’m dealing with more real-life issues: my ability to parent and care for my son Adrian.  

>> Continue Reading

Get Our Fundraising Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Explore More Articles

Staff Accountant

March 19, 2024

Position: Staff Accountant Department: Finance Reports to: Assistant Controller Overview of the Role: America’s Charities is seeking a high-performing and dedicated Staff Accountant to join…

Read Article

Pay It Forward Day, April 28

March 7, 2024

Pay It Forward Day and it’s a day to celebrate the power of kindness and generosity. Pay It Forward Day is an international day of…

Read Article

National Stress Awareness Month

March 7, 2024

  April is National Stress Awareness Month, a time to recognize the importance of managing stress and promoting mental health. Stress is something that we…

Read Article

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox

Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.

newsletter-mock