Author: Karen Copeland Trust. As we work our way through life, we come across multiple instances where we simply need to trust ... in processes, in people, in our kids. Parents and caregivers who have kids who require accommodations and support are tasked with trusting others on a much larger scale. Sometimes it feels like… Continue reading Trust
There is a quote from Jane Goodall that says: "You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." At the beginning of May, I was invited to speak to… Continue reading Guest Post: The Power of A School Wide Experience
Author: Karen Copeland Fair warning: I'm not sure what the intent of this post is, other than a bit of rambling about where I am at right now and some of the ways I am trying to move forward. Thanks for reading. There are times when I feel like I just think too much. I… Continue reading Contemplation
Author: Karen Copeland [with much inspiration and guidance from BC Educator, Tracy Cramer] Buy In. I can't even begin to count how many times I have heard these two words over the years -- in many different circles. It seems to be the 'go to' phrase that is used when a new (or re-designed) idea is being… Continue reading Believe In
Author: Karen Copeland Most of us are familiar with icebergs, and that you really only see a small piece of an iceberg above the surface; there is so much more underneath. In the human services realm, the iceberg has become a metaphor for exploring deeper below the surface instead of relying solely on what we… Continue reading Re-Thinking the Iceberg
Author: Karen Copeland It's been a busy few weeks around here with our family finally being reunited after many months apart, getting our son back to school [sort of] and a number of commitments that have simply happened mostly all at the same time. It's been ... exhausting but exhilarating. I finally hosted my first… Continue reading I’m Not Comfortable {and why that’s a good thing}
Author: Karen Copeland Every once in awhile someone will say to me that my life must be so difficult, so hard. I've often said that I consider myself to be the lucky one because I have a child who does not fit this preconceived idea our culture has of what children should be like. If… Continue reading I Am the Lucky One
I am proud to share this post, which has been written my daughter. It is comprised of a series of paragraphs she wrote for her English class. She is a teenager and presents her perspectives on how we sometimes view kids who behave unexpectedly, as well as how we "do" inclusion. I believe her voice is… Continue reading Guest Post: One Youth’s Thoughts on Acceptance and Inclusion
Authors: Laurie Schulz and Karen Copeland Reprint permission for this article has been granted by the British Columbia Association of Social Workers. This article was originally published in the Winter 2016 Edition of Perspectives Magazine. The notion of "not doing this work alone" is heavily encouraged within the social work field, emphasizing the importance of… Continue reading Collaborative Practice: Passions that bind, not titles that confine
Author: Karen Copeland This is a post I have been wanting to write for a long time now. Most of you will not be surprised this post is about the challenges families face with their children who have special needs being included in the public education system. How we are simply dropping our kids into regular classrooms… Continue reading Let’s Be Blunt: The Illusion of Inclusion
Champions for Community Mental Wellness 