Caregiver Help Desk – It’s Free!

Sister Caregivers

Adolescent Caregivers

Many of you who read this blog are care-givers for  persons with chronic illness and disability. The following website is for

YOU.

To access:

Caregiver Action Network

In the image and likeness:” Human Perfection and Disability (Sessions 1 & 2)

From The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, England: First session, by the Reverend Professor Frances Young OBE FBA (Emeritus Professor, University of Birmingham) , delivered during the IOCS/Wesley House Conversation Day on ‘”In the image and likeness”. Human perfection and disability’, on 5 April 2019. 

Second Session, by Dr Petre Maican (University of Aberdeen), a Research Member of the St John Chrysostom Orthodox Research Group’ (https://orthodoxresearchgroup.com). 

‘I Am Odd, I Am New’: Autistic Boy Writes Breathtaking Poem About Differences

10-year-old Benjamin Giroux was assigned a homework assignment: write a ballad. He made it personal – how it feels to be new in class as a person on the autism spectrum. 

To access the article:

‘I Am Odd, I Am New’: Autistic Boy Writes Breathtaking Poem About Differences

Four years later:

North Country boy’s poem about autism went viral. Now he has a book deal

Two YouTube Videos

The poem has been made into a song. Here is the first video:

Kyle Baptista, who is also autistic, sings the second one, with a piano accompaniment:

 

Summer Kinard: “My Children Want to Know God” Video & several Slide Shows from her Talks

AND . . . the notes or slides from Summer Kinard’s talks or small groups, including . . . 

• Faith You Can Touch
• The Whole Household of God: Forming Lifelong Memories by Teaching with Sensory Anchors
  Presented at St. Emmelia South Homeschool Conference 2020
• They Shall All Know Me: Seven Best Practices for Therapeutic Homeschools Presented as a Webinar with the St. Raphael School Ancient Faith Speaker Series January 2020
• Adapted for Joy: A Recipe for Accessible Welcome, presented at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Austin, Texas
• Accessible Church School: An Introduction to Best Practices, presented at Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church in Austin, TX

To Access: Recent Talks 

The Difference between Having Depression Vs Feeling Depressed

 

Totally Restored: Affirming the Image of God in Persons with Disabilities, by Fr. Pishoy Salama

An Introduction to “Totally Restored: Affirming the Image of God in Persons with Disabilities,” from Upper Room Media on SoundCloud: 

In this Sunday sermon, Fr Pishoy Salama contemplates on the Gospel of the blind man and the misconception of illness and disability as a punishment for sin over the past generations. In previous Jewish traditions, it was believed that the perfection of the body is a symbol of the perfection of the soul, which consequently marginalizes those with disabilities as the undesirable.

Christ came on earth to change this concept and restore the image of God existent in each one of us despite our physical infirmities. Tune in to listen to a contemporary and Biblical view of persons with disabilities.

About Fr Pishoy:  Father Pishoy Salama

Also from Father Pishoy:

The ever changing life of living with Muscular Dystrophy, by Kerry Thompson

To Access:

The ever changing life living with Muscular Dystrophy

This is a blog by Kerry Thompson, who has Muscular Dystrophy. Her blog addresses a wide range of aspects of her life. She is a disability activist; disability access and rights are addressed in the blog. Lifestyle, mental health, and life in a wheelchair, among other things, are also addressed. The Categories Page on her blog includes:

• Changing Places
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Disability
• Accessibility
• Mental Health
• Travel

Kerry Thompson also has a You Tube Page: My Life Kerry’s Way

A Sample of Her Videos:

St. Elizabeth Convent: Working with special children

The nuns at St. Elizabeth Convent in Minsk, Belarus began working with children who have special needs who live at a nearby boarding home nearly twenty years ago. The nuns take them to Divine Liturgy, at which they receive the communion of Christ’s Body and Blood, as well as other worship services. They also take them on field trips, pilgrimages to holy shrines, to concerts, and to celebrations. They provide activities: arts and crafts, plays in which the children are the actors and actresses. They have constructed a chapel the St. Nektarios of Aegina Chapel, on the grounds of the Boarding Home. 

To access the story:

St. Elizabeth Convent: Working with special children

From You Tube:

International Aphasia Choir: What A Wonderful World

The International Aphasia Choir page on the website Sing Aphasia begins with “Our Story:”

In May 2020, Trent Barrick, board-certified music therapist, had an idea to connect people with aphasia through music. ….

You can find the rest of the story under “Classes and Activities;” it’s the 4th of four pages listed there.

On the website Sing Aphasia one can learn what Aphasia is, as well as the activity they promote: the formation of Aphasia choirs (consisting of persons with Aphasia, of course) around the world. They also offer classes that providing the training and development of the participants of the choirs. And their are references for further study, a news page, and other pages useful for their purpose. 

To access Sing Aphasia/International Aphasia Choir and their other pages:

Home

The results of a You Tube search for “Aphasia Choirs:” You Tube: Aphasia Choirs

A few samples: 

Christ Is Risen!

This icon of the Holy Myrrhbearers depicts the biblical story of the women arriving at the tomb to anoint the body of Christ. The angel is seated upon the stone that covered the tomb, and he is pointing to the empty garments showing that Christ has risen from the dead.

When You did cry, Rejoice, unto the Myrrh-bearers, You did make the lamentation of Eve the first mother to cease by Your Resurrection, O Christ God. And You did bid Your Apostles to preach: The Savior is risen from the grave.