My Advocacy
At age 20, I met two young women with intellectual disabilities that have shaped my life.
The first one had two children and the other one had just had a tubal ligation (without her knowing) to prevent her from ever becoming pregnant. With these two women in mind, I knew I could only become a disability advocate.
I became a psychologist and worked in the Health and Social Service System, and creating the first program offered to parents with intellectual disabilities in the province of Quebec, Canada. And I taught in several Universities on the intersection of Parenting and Disabilities.
Fifteen years into my career, due to an interesting turn of fate, I acquired a Spinal Cord Injury. I have since navigated through the system as a person, and parent of a young child, with an acquired disability status.
My academic and professional training, my management experience, the research I conduct (still to this day) and my accident and subsequent injury have given me an interesting perspective on parenting, employability, equity, privilege, diversity & inclusion.
In 2021 I became The Inspirational Speaker of the Year as I learned about the transformational power of storytelling and the science behind Positive Psychology.
This was the start of me embracing my disability and leveraging it as an untapped hidden talent and perspective.
I have lived experience of disability and inclusion.
I have academic and clinical expertise about accommodations and interventions strategies.
I have reflected on my positioning as an Author and I have continued my leadership skills as the Chair of the Parenting and Parents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Special Research Interest Group (SIRG) of the International Association on the Scientific Study on Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IASSIDD).
I believe that focusing on our strengths of character and building services and tools we can all use will not only lead us to living a fulfilling life but will also enhance our common resilience and ability to bounce forward, as parents and citizens.
With my family, I learned to be a solution-finder to make our world more accessible.
Amplifying Voices
CBC Montreal. Colin Harris. Story Lab Editor. Friday June 4th 2021.
AMPLIFYING VOICES OF PARENTS WITH DISABILITIES: The Amplifying Voices of Parents with Disabilities occur on June 1st of each year. June 1st is the Global Day of Parents during Canada’s Accessibility Week. When we parent as a disabled people, accessibility is key. During each event, ten to twelve parents with different disabilities ranging from mobility, vision, hearing, mental health, neurological, and so forth, speak for five minutes about their perspective as a parent with a disability or share a parenting story.
Podcast
Parenting Done Differently
Becoming a parent is a valued role in our Society and one that is highly celebrated.
Except when you have a disability.
When you have a disability, the first thing most people express is concern.
And concern sometimes leads to decisions that aren’t in the best interest of the child or family. In most cases, support is the better option for all.
To envision a better future for these families, we, as professionals, need to be clear on what is possible and how we can make it happen.
And that is what this podcast is all about. I want to show you how parenting can be done differently successfully and I want to share with you the knowledge and tools experts in the field have come up with.
If you are a worker in child welfare, a new practitioner or someone with numerous years in the field, an early career researcher, a lawyer or even a parent or child yourself, you will have a rare opportunity to learn directly from these experts.
We all know that parenting is hard, Yet Parents with Disabilities parent well with creativity and because we value teamwork and the concept of interdependence! Come hear about ways experts say we can best empower these families and let’s all learn together about how parenting can be done differently.
Click to listen to the Introduction: Parenting Done Differently
Buy Marjorie’s Book
