Disabled Parents in the NICU
June 7, 2022 at noon EDT
What can happen when a parent with a disability faces a lengthy stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with their baby? This webinar featured two disabled parent panelists (Kristie Lewis and Patrick Cokley) whose babies were born prematurely and were admitted to the NICU. The panelists shared their stories about the challenges and successes they encountered during that time when navigating an environment that is not at all built with disability in mind. Our parent panelists also explored the role that implicit bias and ableism may have had in interactions with their babies' care team, and in parenting their babies in the NICU. Our faculty speaker, Dr. Paige Church of Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, spoke about the ingrained nature of implicit bias within the NICU, how this can adversely affect families, and how we can better care for families headed by disabled parents during this most vulnerable time.
Black, Disabled, Deaf, & Proud
Date: March 30, 2022
Featuring: Heather Watkins, Morénike Giwa-Onaiwu, and Earl Allen
Facilitator: Linda Long-Bellil