[blparent] NFB Blind Parents Group Conference Call

[Stacy Cervenka]

Conference Call for Blind Parents of Kids with Disabilities or Medical
Conditions: The NFB Blind Parents Group is hosting a conference call on
Monday, May 6 at 9:00 PM Eastern, 8:00 Central, 7:00 Mountain, and 6:00
Pacific Time.

This month, blind and low vision parents of kids who also have disabilities
or medical conditions are invited to connect with one another and share
experiences. Blind parents often have memories of isolation, bullying, or
educational discrimination they experienced as kids. It can be upsetting,
frustrating, and even re-traumatizing to re-experience these things from
the perspective of your beloved child. Studies have also shown that medical
professionals and therapists often have some of the most negative attitudes
about disability. Having to endure ableism by medical professionals and
having your lived experience as a person with a disability devalued by the
professionals who work with your children can bring up old wounds. We
invite parents to come and share experiences and share how their experience
as a blind or low vision person affects how they approach their child's
disability or medical condition.

The call will be led by three blind parents who have kids with various
disabilities and medical conditions. Stacy Cervenka is a mother of two
children who lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her son has a metabolic condition
called MCADD. She serves as the Chair of the NFB Blind Parents
Group. Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter is a mother of two from Omaha, Nebraska;
one of her sons is autistic. She serves as the Chair of the NFB of Nebraska
Blind Parents Group. Melissa Riccobono is a mother of three from Baltimore,
Maryland. Two of her children are also blind and one experiences abdominal
migraines. Melissa is the coordinator of several programs for blind parents
at NFB National Center.

Besides the three discussion leaders, this call will be limited to ten
participants.

To sign up for the call, please email Stacy Cervenka at
stacy.cervenka at gmail.com with “Blind Parents Call” as the subject line.
(Please use this exact subject line. Also please note that commenting on
this post will not register you for the call.) Please include in the email
the ages of your children and any topics you want to be sure are discussed.
Thank you!