FamilyConnect®: A Parent's Voice Archives

Strength After Domestic Abuse — Never Losing Sight of Who Matters

Posted on September 25, 2023 - 8:08 am by Melissa Schenkel

Mother and child embrace; adult has a light forehead scar.

“I went blind in 2016 when I was two months pregnant,” says Stacie. She shares her ex abused her, injuring her neck and head. “I lost my vision — leading to two unsuccessful eye surgeries. I am now blind; I have no light perception.” Adapting Stacie had to learn to deal with her new circumstances […]

To Be Happy in Whatever My Son Chooses

Posted on September 4, 2023 - 5:53 am by Ashlyn Lincoln

A family photo of Ace, Axel, Ashlyn, and Gunner. Gunner is holding a cane in front of a front door with fall décor.

Most special needs parents know the well-known poem “Welcome to Holland” by Emily Perl Kingsley. For those unfamiliar, it’s a poem describing the experience of raising a child with a disability. You plan an extravagant trip to Italy, including buying guidebooks and making all the magnificent plans, only to find out you are going to […]

Attending the APH ConnectCenter Family Retreat

Posted on July 12, 2023 - 12:32 am by Melissa Schenkel

A teen using a white cane and an adult walk down a hallway.

“I have never walked into a room full of strangers and instantly connected,” says Rob Harris. Rob attended the APH ConnectCenter Family Retreat recently held in Louisville, and he hasn’t stopped raving about the amazing connections he made or the amount of information he has absorbed since. Rob says that it wasn’t difficult to become […]

Advocating for Max, My Son Who Is Deaf-Blind

Posted on June 21, 2023 - 8:15 pm by Tiara Jones

Adult sitting behind a teen who has a large grin and fingers resting in their mouth.

I’m Tiara, and my son’s name is Max. He has a rare genetic disorder called Chromosome 13, Partial Monosomy 13q, which is the partial deletion of the 13th chromosome that causes a combination of cognitive, sensory, and physical challenges. Our doctors initially told me not to expect Max to live. While dealing with that shocking […]

How One Mother Spreads Awareness of Everything a Child Who is Blind/ Low Vision Can Achieve

Posted on May 2, 2023 - 10:41 am by Amy Lynn Smith

A woman with long dark blonde hair sits with her arm around the waist of a young boy with dark hair and glasses. They are both smiling. (Hilda and her son, Ashton)

Although she shares she was initially “heartbroken” when she learned her infant son, Ashton, was born blind, Hilda Dunford has learned as much from him as he has from her. As she says, “He’s taught me how to see with my heart.” Hilda had Ashton when she was 21, her first child with her husband, […]

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