Tuesday, October 30, 2012

PACER Center recognizes that a grandparent's life is impacted by the birth of a child with a disability. Grandparents can influence a family's adjustment. They are often called upon to provide support to the entire family. A Minnesota grandparent of a child with a disability told PACER at a Grandparent to Grandparent meeting, "I was overjoyed to walk into a room of people who understood how I felt without explanation. No one knows as well as someone who's been there."
What are some ways grandparents of a child with a disability be involved and helpful? What are your experiences? 

3 comments:

  1. My mom accepted my son just the way he was. She took classes to try to learn to communicate better with him. It was just a ray of sunshine for us during some tough times. Carolyn

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  2. PACER has a grandparent support group that meets the third Tuesday of each month (September-April)from 6:30-8PM. We have a great group of people who come together to offer support, advice, and information to others. Their grandchildren are a range of ages, with a range of disabilities. Each meeting we also have a speaker present to the group about a topic related to children with disabilities. We welcome new people joining us - please contact Debbie Andrews at PACER, 952-838-9000, for more information.

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  3. When my son was young, my Mom shared how his challenges were a double-whammy for her: she was concerned for me as her child and for her grandchild. Although she was many miles away, I found it so helpful to know there was someone just a phone call away who would share my joy in his very slow progress and with whom I could confide my fears and let down my defenses and cry.

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