what's the deal for disabled parents?

disabled parenting | help and info

help and info

Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.

organisations

Disabled Parents Network
Unit F9
89-93 Font Hill Rd
London N4 3JH
Tel: 0870 241 0450
Text: 0800 018 9949
E-mail: information@DisabledParentsNetwork.org.uk
E-help: e-help@disabledparentsnetwork.org.uk (e-mail helpline service)
Website: www.disabledparentsnetwork.org.uk
A national membership organisation run by and for disabled parents. They operate a peer support/ contact register that is open to all disabled parents, circulate a newsletter to members and operate a helpline (see number above), which is operated by disabled parent volunteers between 12pm and 2pm on weekdays (answerphone at other times; calls will be returned). Some useful publications include 'Disabled Parents and Needs Assessment' and 'Disabled Parents and Direct Payments'.

Disability, Pregnancy & Parenthood International (DPPi)
Unit F9, 89-93 Fonthill Road
London N4 3JH
Tel: 0800 018 4730
Text: 0800 018 9949
E-mail: info@dppi.org.uk
Website: www.dppi.org.uk
A small UK based registered charity, controlled by disabled parents, which promotes better awareness and support for disabled people considering, during and after pregnancy and as parents. Encompasses the Deaf Parenting Project. Lots of useful links on their site covering many different disabilities.

DeafBlind UK
John and Lucille van Geest Place
Cygnet Road
Hampton
Peterborough PE7 8FD
Helpline: 0800 132 320 (voice/text, 24 hours)
Tel: 01733 358100 (voice/text)
E-mail: helpline via the website
Website: www.deafblind.org.uk
A national charity which provides a range of support services to deafblind adults and their carers. It also campaigns on behalf of deafblind people.

REMAP
D9 Chaucer Business Park
Kemsing
Sevenoaks TN15 6YU
Tel: 0845 130 0456
E-mail info@remap.org.uk
Website: www.remap.org.uk
A unique national charity that designs, manufactures and supplies technical aids to disabled people where there is no suitable commercial item. REMAP will also modify commercial equipment to suit the needs of an individual. No charge is made to the disabled person.

Royal National Institute for the Blind
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
Tel: 0845 766 9999
E-mail: helpline@rnib.org.uk
Website: www.rnib.org.uk
Provides over 60 services and support for blind and partially sighted people of all ages and their families. Produces a monthly magazine 'You and Your Child' for blind and partially sighted parents and parents-to-be that features informative articles on all aspects of bringing up a child.

Sense
11-13 Clifton Terrace
Finsbury Park
London N4 3SR
Tel: 020 7272 7774
Text: 020 7272 9648
E-mail: enquiries@sense.org.uk
Website: www.sense.org.uk
A national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. Provides specialist information, advice and services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. Also supports people who have sensory impairments with additional disabilities.

websites

Adoption Net
www.adoption-net.co.uk/news/2001/mar/
010330disabled.htm
Article looking at the issues facing disabled people who want to adopt.

BBC – Ouch! Emma's Baby Diary
www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/lifefiles/baby/
Emma Bowler's disability is genetic (Kniest Syndrome), which has implications for her unborn baby. Read her diary here.

Deaf Parenting UK
www.deafparent.org.uk
Aims to relieve the needs of deaf parents by highlighting the gaps in UK services and improving access to information and services. Also runs deaf parenting courses and has an e-mail discussion group.

Department of Health: Direct Payments Information
www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/Organisation
Policy/FinanceAndPlanning/DirectPayments/fs/en
Information about Direct Payments.

Disability Information Service
www.diss.org.uk/index.html
A comprehensive national database of disability information.

Disabled Living Foundation: Making a Complaint
www.dlf.org.uk/factsheets/pdf/Making_a_complaint.pdf
Factsheet about making a complaint to your local authority social services department (and other organisations). The DLF website contains lots of other useful factsheets on a range of topics.

Forest Books
www.forestbooks.com
A specialist online bookshop, selling books and materials on deafness, sign language, deafblindness and Usher syndrome.

National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL)
www.ncil.org.uk
A national organisation providing information, training and expertise on direct payments and independent living for disabled people and others working in the field.

National Family and Parenting Institute
www.nfpi.org/disabledparents
The aim of this study has been to find out about the kind of support that disabled parents find helpful, or would find helpful, in making parenting less difficult.

Parents with Disabilities Online
www.disabledparents.net
US site, a one-stop resource for parents with disabilities.

reading

	Bigger Than the Sky edited by Michele Wates and Rowen Jade (Women's Press, 1999) An anthology by disabled women on the subject of parenting. They describe the fight to become pregnant in the face of prejudice from the medical profession, and of teaching children the benefits of having a parent who is different. Get this book
	Children of Disabled Parents: New thinking about families affected by disability and illness by Tony Newman (Russell House Publishing, 2003) The core theme of this book is that, whether disabled or not and despite their occasional failings, parents are the most important source of support for children, and that disability is a normal and essentially unremarkable aspect of the human condition. Get this book
	Mother Father Deaf: Living between sound and silence by Paul Preston (Harvard University Press, 1994) Based on interviews with adult hearing children of deaf parents throughout the United States, this book includes both anecdote and analysis, with insights into a family life normally closed to outsiders. Get this book
	Multiple Sclerosis and Having a Baby: Everything you need to know about conception, pregnancy and parenthood by Judy Graham (Healing Arts Press, 1999) Judy Graham has had MS for more than 26 years and gave birth for the first time at the age of 38. Drawing on her experience and on the latest medical research, she offers a guide to pregnancy for people with MS. Get this book
	Parenting and disability: Disabled parents' experiences of raising children by Richard Olsen and Harriet Clarke (The Policy Press, 2003) Provides a comprehensive review of relevant policy issues; explores the barriers to full participation in parenting that disabled parents face; examines the complex ways in which broader social divisions, including gender and socioeconomic status, interact with disability; and advocates measures to support disabled parents and their families by promoting and supporting relationships within the family. Get this book
	Pregnancy and birth: a guide for deaf women by Sabina Iqbal (RNID, 2004) Published by RNID in conjunction with the National Childbirth Trust, this book is written for deaf mothers and mothers-to-be. It provides clear information on the key things you need to know about when you're pregnant, including antenatal and postnatal care, labour and birth and your baby's first few days. Get this book

Back to feature.