Heidi’s Down’s syndrome abortion case: It’s complicated
with input from Colette Lloyd Why have we called this article, “it’s complicated’? Because it is completely understandable that a great many women do not want any further restrictions on …
Category: Campaigns
Dear Boris, you must act now to help disabled children #LetUsLearnToo
On Monday, we ran an article coinciding with the launch of the #LetUsLearnToo video. The campaign is urging the SEND Review not to erode disabled children’s rights as the Department …
#LetUsLearnToo: Don’t dilute disabled children’s rights!
With Hayley Harding, Founder, Let Us Learn Too As part of SEND Community Alliance, SNJ has joined with a new parent-led campaign, Let Us Learn Too, developed out of frustration …
Invest More in Social Care Support for Disabled Children: A Mother’s Open Letter to the Chancellor
with Stephen Kingdom, Campaign Manager for the Disabled Children’s Partnership The Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) is asking the public to add their names to a letter from parent carer and …
SEND cuts campaigners in London tell their council: See you in (the High) Court
With Ken Barlow, Waltham Forest SEND Crisis Parents being forced to throw themselves into the legal system in order to secure basic rights for their disabled children is a sad …
Launching the SEND Community Alliance: An independent campaign group
with SNJ’s Renata Blower, Gill Doherty (SEND Action) and Nadia Turki & Poppy Rose (SEND National Crisis) An exciting announcement today! After a very busy year for a number of …
21 Resources for Trisomy 21 on World Down Syndrome Day
Each year families, educators and charities come together to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on 21st March. The date was chosen to represent the three copies of chromosome 21 that …
Have a care for the carers working 100-hour weeks
Four years ago, we were on our metaphorical knees. The previous 18 months of getting a diagnosis, attending endless medical appointments, fighting for essential equipment and services and trying somehow …
The Secret Life of Holly, from the Disabled Children’s Partnership
In England today, there is an unacceptable gap between the quality of life and opportunities available for disabled children, when compared to those without disabilities. Today, a new coalition of …
A young autistic campaigner asks, What’s ‘normal’ anyway?
I’ve always found normal to be rather dull. But I have children with autism and a diagnosis myself, so maybe I would say that. But what is normal, anyway? And …
Believe me: it’s not awareness that’s the problem with autism
So here we are again, Autism Awareness Week. Every year people go to great lengths to fundraise, stage events, write posts and generally try to raise the profile of what …
Ten Top tips for when your child is diagnosed with a rare disease
Where were you when you you were told that your child had a medical diagnosis? Like many major events in the world and in our own lives, that point in …
Birmingham Children’s Hospital leads the way with the UK’s first holistic paediatric Rare Disease Centre
How many of us spend significant amounts of our time taking our children to medical appointments, often many miles from home? Often several appointments at the same clinic are staggered …
Help me get supermarkets to stock nappies big enough for Brody
When your child has a disability that has made potty training an impossibility, you are left with a growing dilemma – finding nappies that fit your child. Nipping down to …
NAS chief tells SNJ why it’s time to end the autism diagnosis crisis
Last year, the National Autistic Society launched a campaign aimed at ending the often seemingly endless wait for a diagnosis for an autism spectrum disorder. It’s a problem faced by …
Have your say to lift the barriers to play for children with complex disabilities
Sense, the charity that helps people who are deafblind or who have sensory impairments, are running a public inquiry into the provision of play opportunities for children aged 0-5 with multiple needs in …
Why childhood eye tests can be the key to discovering special educational needs
Around a fifth of young people with sight loss also have additional special educational needs or disabilities, and a further 30% have complex needs. This is according to research by …
Top tips for Crowdfunding for your support group or charity
I’ve just attended a workshop on Crowdfunding held by the Findacure Foundation. The workshop was specifically aimed at rare disease groups, highlighting the fact that crowdfunding can be used in …
The pioneering STARS putting patients at the heart of healthcare
Long ago, when my both my kids were under three and I was still perfecting the art of smiling while drowning (lest anyone should think I couldn’t cope with motherhood), …
NSPCC video released to help protect deaf children from sexual abuse
Earlier this year the NSPCC launched guidance called the “Underwear Rule” to help protect children from sexual abuse. To coincide with Deaf Awareness Week, the charity is launching a video version …