Essays
We in the limb difference community are blessed to see so many social media posts about all of the everyday and amazing feats that children and adults are doing. These posts can help both the limb different and limb typical communities challenge ableist attitudes. But there’s more to the story. Championing our beautiful children means more than celebrating their strengths and successes. Let’s dive into what sometimes doesn’t get talked about: the frustrations and difficulties that children and adults with limb differences experience.
All parents experience moments of sweetness while raising their children. As a new parent of a child with a limb difference, you may wonder what moments of sweetness you may experience that specifically relate to raising your child. Here are some that parents have shared over the years.
This past weekend, I participated in the Lucky Fin Project weekend for people affected by upper limb differences. As a pediatric occupational therapist with a congenital hand difference, I promoted the information and resources on my website and demonstrated the EazyHold adaptive silicone grip assist.
Had I been able to articulate what support I needed as a child, here is what I would have requested of the adults in my life
I don’t know why my younger self was born with a little left hand, but I certainly have learned quite a few things about living this life that I wish I could have shared with a younger self
In my personal statement for my graduate school application, I explained how having OT as a child and later as a teen inspired my desire to pursue becoming an occupational therapist.
My childhood experiences receiving occupational therapy instilled a passion for my profession; as an adult, I marveled at the beauty of OT the first time I worked with a child with a similar hand difference.
In this reflection, I explore the question that I feared most in my life and how to ask it of someone else with a limb difference
Reflections on being asked about my difference and suggestions for practicing “scripts” with your child
Before there were so many groups for people with limb differences, meeting someone else with a hand difference was a rare experience. This essay contains many of my thoughts and musings on meeting someone with a similar body