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Family SupportNet News
Family SupportNet FYI (updated October, 2002)
Issue 8 - Spring 2004 (final issue)
Issue 7 - Spring 2003
Issue 6 - Fall 2002
Issue 5 - Summer 2002
Issue 4 - Spring 2002
Issue 3 - Winter 2002
Issue 2 - Fall 2001
Family
SupportNet FYI:
Visit the Child and Family News
website
Got a story you'd like to see in the news? Send it to us! Story Starters provide a story synopsis, experts, background information and related coverage. The Starters are divided into five folders (e.g., violence) and, within each folder, into files (e.g., school violence). Click on one of the file names to obtain a list of "starters" in that file.
CFN is looking especially for story ideas that fall within our topic areas--Violence, Family, Health, Education, and Poverty. We like stories that are personal and solution-oriented. You can email a brief description of your idea, along with your name and email address or phone, and we will contact you if we want to pursue your idea. Email your story idea to: cfn@tufts.edu
For a list of the professionals who direct the Child and Family News website, visit http://www.tufts.edu/cfn/who.shtml
An example of a submitted story: Brief Synopsis
Elizabeth Ellis has built her professional life helping families to prepare for the day when parents are no longer able to care for their children with disabilities; now she anticipates taking on responsibility for her own 37-year-old brother Danny, who has developmental disabilities. Danny works as a laborer and presently lives at home with his parents.
Ellis seeks balance as she takes on an increasing role in Danny's life. Her affection for her brother is apparent, as is her pride in his accomplishments (such as graduating from high school and competing in the Special Olympics). At the same time, she feels the weight of responsibility: "One of the biggest things I am concerned about is what is going to happen to him when my parents are no longer able to care for him, and ultimately that burden will fall on me."
Questions arise in regard to respecting her parents' wishes for Danny, working with her two other brothers, meshing her own family life with Danny's care. There are also the more practical issues of everyday life: Where should he live? How much guidance is enough? How much independence is the right amount? Should I become his guardian? How do we pay for his needs? Along with the prospect of caring for aging parents, baby boomers like Ellis are encountering the fact that their parents will one day no longer be there to provide homes and support for their children with disabilities. Research indicates that siblings are an integral part of the lives of disabled adults, a fact sometimes overlooked by service providers; in addition, they will ultimately carry the full responsibility of care. Siblings can benefit from support and information about the disability. (Krauss)
For Elizabeth Ellis, one source of support has been getting to know others in a similar situation. Arc Massachusetts (formerly know as the Association for Retarded Citizens of Massachusetts) offers support groups and educational programs for adult siblings. With the proper support, having a sibling with a disability can be a positive experience. As Elizabeth Ellis reflects, "It has really changed my life, it has shaped me as a person, having a brother with special needs."
*Download the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe to view PDF documents online. Access.Adobe.Com is a tool that allows people who are blind or with visual impairments to read documents in Adobe PDF format. The tool converts PDF documents into simple HTML or ASCII text which can then be read by a number of common screen reading programs that synthesize the HTML as audible speech.
