Hey Everybody,

It’s been a long week for me and having a support group to talk to helped me get through it. Having a disability or living with a person with a disability can be tough because family members and friends might not understand the issues that you are going through on a daily basis. One good way of finding a group of people with similar issues is to join a support group. My family and I use or have used support groups to express our opinions on issues relating to our lives dealing with a person with a disability. My Mom’s first support group was through the Achievement Centers for Children. The support group focused on mothers who have young children with disabilities. This is where she started learning information about different services that were available for me such as BCMH (Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps). Through this support group she was able to learn how to advocate for our families needs concerning my disability. She was also able to meet parents with similar experiences. As a new parent with a child with a disability you can often feel isolated, that it is just your child or that you did something wrong to cause your child’s disability. Support groups can offer the opportunity to meet other parents dealing with similar issues. The common experience of a support group can help advance the acceptance process of your child’s disability. Support groups, however, are not just good for parent’s experiences. I participate in a “men with disabilities” discussion group at Cleveland State University. In this group we discuss each other’s experiences in a safe environment and try to help each other deal with the issues that we bring to the group. Some of the issues that we talk about are: masculinity and having a disability, sexuality and disability and people’s perceptions of someone with a disability. These are the broad topics that we discuss, which often lead to sharing our own personal experiences or lack of them. Support groups give a person an opportunity to talk about deeper issues that we might not feel comfortable discussing in other forums because, either we are too busy or embarrassed about a certain subject. The support groups, both at the Achievement Centers and Cleveland State, have helped my Mom and me process and deal with disability issues. Although we attended at different times, they both helped us grow and accept the role my disability plays in both of our lives. A support group can be easy to find- check your local independent living center or social service agency for more information. If there isn’t one in your area, ask the center or the agency to help you get one up and running. In my opinion support groups help someone keep their own issues in perspective.

Just wondering if anyone else has been in any kind of support group- I’d like to hear your perspective on this or any topic you want to comment on.

Talk to you next week.

Steve