Disability Identity for Caregivers: Small Group Discussion

Caring for a loved one with a disability can be a turbulent experience mentally and emotionally. There are challenges to navigate at work, in your personal life, and in your ties to community. There are also opportunities for new and strengthened connections, personal growth, and joy.

The LSA Disability Navigators are facilitating small group discussions for LSA employees (faculty and staff, including student workers) who want space to process their experiences as caregivers for loved ones with disabilities with a group of peers. This group is appropriate for parents and foster parents of children with disabilities as well as people caring for parents, siblings, other family, or friends with disabilities.

Participants will:
- Learn about the 7 stages of disability acceptance.
- Explore how to help their loved one incorporate disability into their identity in a healthy way.
- Discuss how to foster a support network and fend off burnout.
- Crowdsource resources and advice for navigating work and life as a caregiver to a disabled loved one.

Participant Privacy: Participants will receive guidance on how to protect their loved one's identity and personal details. Participants may share as much—or as little—about their personal situation as they are comfortable. By registering, you are agreeing to respect the privacy of other participants and agreeing to not share their identities or details of their lives outside of the discussion session.

Format: This discussion group will be conducted virtually on Zoom. Camera use will be optional, but is encouraged. Auto-captioning will be enabled and slides will be shared during and following the workshop. Participants can participate verbally by unmuting or in writing via the chat function. This session will not be recorded.

Accommodations: The LSA DEI Office greatly values inclusion and access for all. We are pleased to provide reasonable accommodations to enable your full participation in this workshop. Please contact LSA.Disability.Navigators@umich.edu if you would like to request disability accommodations or have questions about access needs.

Waitlisted Registrants: This session is capped at 10 participants. Depending on interest level, we may host more sessions so if you are waitlisted please monitor your email for updates.