Language, Understanding, Kindness.
This card deck equips children and adults with the language and understanding of common disabilities and illnesses.
Perspective-Taking and Storytelling.
Card topics invite users to explore the real-world experiences of people with diverse abilities through a strength-based lens.
WHY?
1 in 4 adults (26%) in the US has some type of disability (CDC, 2023). Of the world's population, roughly 16% live with a significant disability (1.3 billion people), or 1 in 6 of us (World Health Organization, 2023). We need to represent this underserved and, all too often, unseen audience. It is up to us to make them be seen. It is up to us to have conversations that facilitate inclusivity and kindness.
Our goal is to create a world in which everyone, regardless of ability, is represented and treated with respect and kindness.
World Kindness Day
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Dr. Jenny Woo
Dr. Jenny Woo is the Founder/CEO of Mind Brain Emotion. As an MBA social entrepreneur and a Ph.D., she is passionate about bridging science and practice. She dedicates her career to helping people realize their potential -- on their terms. She has worked as a Montessori School Director, a Cognitive Science Researcher on building memory and growth mindset, a certified fitness trainer, an MBA Career Coach, a University lecturer, a Management Consultant, and an HR professional in workplace engagement and wellness.
She is the creator of award-winning card games and mental health tools to help children and adults build emotional intelligence and social mastery. Her bestselling games, 52 Essential Conversations and 52 Essential Coping Skills for families, schools, and workplaces, have been featured by The Harvard Gazette, Business Insider, and Forbes.
Julie A. Stamm
Julie A. Stamm was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2007. Following her diagnosis, Julie made it her mission to educate, advocate, and support others battling chronic illnesses. She works tirelessly to help lessen the burden each patient has to bear. Her efforts have given her the opportunity to work with physicians, patients, and foundations across the Globe.
After the birth of her son in 2016, Julie shifted her focus to supporting the children of parents with a chronic illness. Her children’s book entitled “Some Days: A tale of love, ice cream, and my mom’s chronic illness” was created to normalize differing abilities and amplify how each of us can thrive in spite of the challenges.
Julie's website: http://iamstamm.com/
Julie and Jenny partnered with PBS and WNET Education to provide free resources on "Parenting with Health Challenges"
Parenting with a Chronic Illness
This video features Julie Stamm living with multiple sclerosis, who highlights ways that she and her son have turned tough moments into fun adventures.
Documenting Everyday Moments
Julie Stamm shares how she and her husband use letters and photographs to capture and remember special and everyday family moments.
Workshop: Parenting with Resilience and Empathy
Developed by Dr. Jenny Woo and WNET Education, the goal of this 45-minute workshop is to raise awareness of chronic illnesses and support parents/caregivers in navigating health challenges and disabilities, whether for themselves, their child, or their community.
Additional Resources from Health Central
A Validating Diagnosis
At the age of 26, Julie Stamm finally got a name for the mysterious symptoms she’d been having. It was MS. That set her life on a very different path.
She's Supermom...With MS
Julie Stamm isn’t like other moms. Having MS means getting creative about how she takes care of her son, like making a ball pit in the bathtub when she was unable to take him to a birthday party.
When MS Symptoms Get Worse
Julie Stamm talks about a time when she felt like she had control of her MS, and then she didn’t. Each time her MS symptoms progress, this mom, author, and advocate knows there will be a new normal to get used to.