BCIFV home > Media Releases > April 17, 2000

For Immediate Release
Contact: The Person Within Project, 604-669-7055
April 17, 2000

Spring brings opportunities for growth
Some opportunities can enrich the lives of others as much as our own

Spring is here. All around, things are growing. At this time of year, many people begin to feel like growing a little themselves - like indulging in a feeling of renewal by losing a few pounds, embarking on a fitness program, brushing up on an old skill or activity, or taking a workshop or course that will help them grow mentally or spiritually, professionally or personally.

One such workshop is The Person Within - not the person within the workshop participant, but within someone the participant may know or even just see on the street; specifically, the person within a child - or adult - with disabilities.

'So often, when people look at a child with disabilities, the disability is all they see,' says Sally Rogow, director of The Person Within. 'They become distracted by the child's facial features, body movements, manner of speaking, or other superficial characteristics and make no effort to connect with this child as they might do with a non-disabled child of the same age.'

That simple act of non-response - that choice on the adult's part to forego any effort to connect and communicate - can trigger a series of reactions and interactions, says Rogow. Feeling rejected, the child might become irritable. Unable to communicate his or her feelings, the child might lash out inappropriately.

Observing this, the adult might cast a disapproving glance. Further hurt, the child's behaviour might deteriorate. And so on in a cycle that begins every time an adult sees a disability instead of a child, continues all too often with the child being seen as less than fully human, and ends . not often enough.

A retired UBC professor of special education - the first person ever awarded a doctorate in special education by the university - Rogow has been working with children with disabilities for over 30 years. It was she who conceived of The Person Within, which was subsequently developed by the BC Institute Against Family Violence and launched last year.

The Person Within consists of a video, handbook, and workshop. The video is moving, blending the perspectives of parents raising children with disabilities today with those who raised their children decades ago, of professionals who've devoted their careers to disability activism to people with disabilities whose own experiences of have made them into activists. The two-day workshop teaches strategies that help people recognize and respond to emotional abuse by focusing on children's social and emotional needs.

'The Person Within is aimed at those who work with children with disabilities - caregivers, teachers, physicians, social workers, and others,' says Rogow. 'But it can be equally valuable for neighbours of children with disabilities, parents of classmates of children with disabilities, or anyone who might come into contact with a child with disabilities at some time' - which is to say, anyone.

The Person Within video and workshop currently are being promoted among health, education, and community groups throughout BC, and will eventually be marketed Canada-wide and internationally. To speak with Rogow, for more information, or to schedule a workshop, contact the BCIFV, 604-669-7055 or www.bcifv.org.