First Ever E-Magazine | December 2011 | www ... - Oshwal Centre

~ Peaks and troughs of a Family Facing a Disability Issue ~broader assimilation of ideas.• Adopting a broader outlook for self and the othersiblings• Increasing our inner strength• Enhanced family cohesion• Encouraging connections to community groups.It is important to emphasize that these strengths areavailable to most families who are simply “raising a child”.However, these positive adaptations are morepronounced to ensure a better coping strategy isdeveloped when faced with a difficulty.CounsellingAn essential part of the coping strategy is to seekcounselling. The ability to wade through the emotionaltroughs mentioned above through the power ofcounselling cannot be underestimated. As a couple,counselling helped us to articulate our thoughts and madeus realise the extent to whether we were truly aligned inour approach to help our child.Whilst family support is paramount and provides thevirtue of fortitude to persevere and overcome thetribulations in one’s life, seeking outside help is anessential part of getting some clarity of thought. Anindependent counsellor whom we met over a p eriod ofmonths was a great source of help. We felt however thatan even more powerful source of strength was linking upwith other affected families. Sharing experiences and warstories with people who are in a s imilar position, is apowerful way of putting things in perspective. Oneimmediate negative it erases from the mind is the feelingof isolation.Community NetworkSeeking out an appropriate counsellor or even affectedfamilies was not an easy process and certainly somethingyou could not easily tap into or out of easily. There areresources and a m ultitude of organisations from outsideour community but we feel that the community network isa good starting point for families facing disabilities as theyshare the same values, beliefs and culture.As part of last years’ successful Oshwal Career &Development Fair, a small group of individuals wereasked to organise a s mall workshop focused ondisabilities issues faced by members of our community.From this, Enabling Network (EN) was formed led byUrvina. EN has empowered us as it has given us anopportunity to share our experiences and meet interestingand like minded people.We hope that Enabling Network provides an effectiveforum that can not only support families affected bydisability but also raise awareness to help instilunderstanding and banish myths regarding all disabilitiesin the wider community.This in itself will go a long way to help affected familiesmove away from the troughs and sustain the peaks.More Informationabout EnablingNetworkTel: 07981 130 471Email: en@oshwal.orgWeb: www.oshwal.orgOshwal News E-Magazine of the O.A.U.K. 23 December 2011 Edition