The Heller School for Social Policy and Management
The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy

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The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy's Community Blog

Example text: The Lurie Institute's community blog, which we are calling "Community Connections," features blog posts from community members who discuss their experiences as people with disabilities. Many of our blog posts to date have focused on parents with disabilites, but community members who would like to submit posts about other topics for consideration are welcome. 

etc etc (can we get some posts from the CLPC or CLEC?)

  • Submission page or pages
  • Guidelines
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Muffin Tin Meals: My Life Hack

Aug 18, 2025

By Nicole Lomerson Parents with disabilities are master problem-solvers. Nicole Lomerson of the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities shows her own life hack in this short video, originally published on March 16, 2023. Interested in submitting a life hack video? Feel free to be creative in making your own! Learn more on our …

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My life with disability

Jun 20, 2025

By Liliana Torres | My name is Liliana Torres. I’m a mother of two, an aspiring writer and a school teacher. I was born in Illinois from Puerto Rican parents. I was born hydrocephalus and those first years of my life were painful. Then we move to Puerto Rico so my hydrocephalic relapses would have an end.

Preeclampsia’s far worse than childbirth: What my doctors didn’t tell me about placenta abruption

Mar 27, 2025

Preeclampsia can damage or destroy almost every one of the mother’s organs and is risky for the baby too—it can reduce a baby’s access to blood, oxygen, and nutrients. Preeclampsia is so dangerous that doctors often induce labor shortly after diagnosis even if the baby is premature.

Las etapas de la vida

Jan 29, 2025

por Jennifer Senda A veces quisiera detener el tiempo, pero no hay forma de hacerlo. Cuando comencé esta jornada de ser madre, tuve miedo. Sinceramente, sigo con mucho temor. El temor de avanzar con una discapacidad, al igual de ser responsable de un ser indefenso, parece una tarea insuperable (aterradora). Por favor no me malinterpreten. …

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Ser padre no es fácil

Sep 09, 2024

por Jennifer Senda Soy madre. Soy madre que tiene una discapacidad. Mi discapacidad nunca se ha podido esconder, ya que utilizo una silla de ruedas. Ésta ha contribuido a mi sentido de independencia y movilidad. A veces fue un poco complicado crecer con una discapacidad en un hogar latino. Mi crianza no fue una jornada …

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After the diagnosis: Battling HG for a healthy twin pregnancy

May 29, 2024

by Chelsea Devona NOTE: In this post, Chelsea describes her experience after receiving a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum. Her earlier post describes her experience up to the diagnosis. The physical toll of a pregnancy with twins with a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum was enormous. I experienced intense nausea immediately and it continued throughout my entire …

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Can You Please Pass the Message to My Son?

Jan 27, 2024

by Abha Sharma “I am so sorry, but I am hard of hearing and very dependent on lipreading. I find it very difficult to understand on the phone. Can you please speak a bit more loudly?” It was easy to introduce myself on the phone, followed by the same request, each time, for enunciated and …

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Never Giving Up

Jan 09, 2024

by Tiffany Rose Bailey Parenting is a challenge. Who said parenting was easy? I was never given a parenting manual when my first born arrived. I was given books to read or suggestions and advice by my doctor and my parents, but never an actual manual. I was never given a magic wand to help me. …

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A twin pregnancy with a diagnosis of Charlotte Brontë’s pregnancy disability—hyperemesis gravidarum

Dec 18, 2023

Hyperemesis is a disability I’d read about in my pregnancy books, with vague descriptions like “the morning sickness from hell” and “if you think you have this, get thee to a doctor ASAP.” But my life—already affected by pregnancy—was completely upended by this disability, which affects approximately 0.3-2% of pregnancies.

Lurie Institute community blogs cover a range of topics relevant to people with disabilities.

Dec 07, 2023

Are you a parent with a disability? Share your experience in a blog post or video for the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities.  Share your story in our blog below about the experiences and needs of parents with disabilities. Please see the NRCPD blog post submission page for more information.