This Is My Child: Mumsnet’s New Campaign On Disability

Yesterday, I read about This Is My Child. It’s Mumsnet’s latest campaign and it aims to “support parents of children with additional needs, inform everyone else, and open up a conversation about how we can all act to make life easier for everyone caring for children with additional needs.”

They have put together an image gallery with photos of special children, as well as facts, figures, stats and support links.

Disabled since birth, I was, and still am, someone’s ‘child.’ My parents and I have experienced the hurtful comments, stares and situations that the special parents of today described and discussed on Mumsnet, and which led to this campaign being launched.

Parent carers need a great deal of support, and they don’t get nearly as much support as they need or deserve. When my parents first entered the world of disability, there was no Internet. Support sources like Mumsnet didn’t exist.

I can’t tell you how glad I am that Mumsnet is here for the new parent carers of today. For the slightly more experienced parent carers who just need a place to vent when someone doesn’t understand that their child can’t help it- the autistic meltdown, the wheelchair, or the twisted footsteps.

I can’t tell you how glad I am, as someone who was once a disabled ‘child,’ that Mumsnet have recognised the unique challenges faced by parent carers, and the desperate need that exists to support them through campaigns just like this one.

I can’t tell you how glad I am that Mumsnet have started up this campaign. I send out very sincere thanks to them in the form of this post, which they did not ask me to write, as well as an assurance that the campaign has the full support of Same Difference and that through this site, I will gladly support it in any way possible.