Tag: bp_docs_access_anyone
Coming Out
Coming out is when a person decides to share a piece of their identity with others, usually involving their sexual orientation or gender identity. Coming out can be very scary! It is a very personal decision with no right or wrong answer – you and your identity are valid no matter who you choose to share it with.
I summarized these tips for coming out from The Trevor Project’s guide:
1. Reflect on who in your life supports and encourages you no matter what.
2. Plan it out ahead of time – think of what you’re going to say and maybe even practice it.
3. Be prepared for how other people may react, both good and bad.
4. Test the waters to give you an idea of how someone may react. For example, you could ask them how they feel about an LGTBQ+ celebrity or marriage equality.
5. Think about your environment – timing and location.
7. If coming out doesn’t go the way you expected, remember that it is not your fault. You and your identity are valid and deserve to be supported and accepted.
8. Be aware of resources available to you that you can access throughout the process (included in the guide below).
Here is the link to the full guide, which includes so much helpful information about coming out, healthy relationships, and resources to access: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Coming-Out-Handbook.pdf
Juvenile Arthritis
Did you know about 3 in 1000 Canadian children have juvenile arthritis, making it more common than most chronic childhood diseases?
The word arthritis (arthro = joint, itis = inflammation) is a term referring to inflammation of the joint. Inflammation is a medical term that describes swelling, heat and redness which causes pain and, when in the joints, can also cause stiffness. In cases of juvenile arthritis [JA], the body’s immune system attacks tissue in the joint, which can cause it to feel stiff, warm, swollen, and painful. Arthritis can involve almost any part of the body, most often affecting large joints such as knees, ankles, wrists and elbows. It can also be found in small joints such as the fingers and toes.
No one knows what causes JA and there is no cure at the moment, however, symptoms can be managed through medication and therapy. There are 7 major types of JA, and their common unique features are:
– Growth patterns can be affected by inflammation of the joints
– Many types of JA involve inflammation inside the eye, which may not cause any symptoms but is important to monitor
– Arthritis of the jaw is common in many children with JA
– JA tends to be unpredictable, having an up and down that lasts many years
Information was sourced from this guide by the Arthritis Society: https://arthritis.ca/getmedia/42e31329-43c9-433b-89fb-7e3fc4f30493/ChildhoodArthritis_July23_2020.pdf
Check out this short video that details the lives of 2 children growing up with JA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWhskm2tvOo
Gender Identity via the Gender Unicorn
The Gender Unicorn graphic is SO helpful for visually laying out the differences between terms that are key to understanding gender and sexuality. I like it so much that I made a whiteboard style video about it specifically focusing on gender identity…
Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSkUZSouGvc
Intravenous (IV)
Let’s talk about getting an IV. Sometimes, medications or fluids have to be administered to our body by an intravenous. This is a small flexible tube (picture attached below), called a catheter, that gets inserted into a vein that’s usually in the top of your hand or in your arm, which gets connected to a tube that medicine or fluid flows into. This allows it to go directly into your bloodstream and get pumped around your body by your heart.
This process starts with having a tight rubber band tied around your upper arm, because this helps the nurse to see your veins better. Some nurses also like to wrap your hands with a warm towel for this reason. Then they will clean the area that the IV will be inserted into with a cold sanitizing cloth. Next is inserting the IV, but because its a small flexible tube (some say it looks like a tiny bendy straw), it won’t go into your skin on its own. There is a small helper needle that helps the IV to get into your vein. Once the nurse inserts it properly, they click a button, the needle comes out, and the straw stays in. The last step is to tape the IV in place using stickers and tape. Now that it’s in place, the nurse will attach a long tube to the catheter that medicine or fluid will flow into. Some kids say it feels a bit cold at first when the medicine/fluid enters their body.
NOTE: Specific steps may vary between hospitals, clinics, and even healthcare professionals. This is meant you give you a general idea of what getting an IV involves.
The Gender Unicorn
The Gender Unicorn is a graphic by the Trans Student Educational Resources organization (attached below). It visually represents the differences between gender, sex assigned at birth, and sexuality. Below I’ve provided definitions:
Gender identity: One’s internal sense of being male, female, neither of these, both, or another gender(s).
Gender expression: The physical manifestation of one’s gender identity through clothing, hairstyle, voice, body shape, etc.
Sex assigned at birth: The assignment and classification of people as male, female, intersex, or another sex based on a combination of anatomy, hormones, chromosomes.
Physically attracted to: Sexual orientation.
Emotionally attracted to: Romantic/emotional orientation.
The site offers an interactive unicorn for users to explore their own identity! Check it out: https://transstudent.org/gender/
Mental Illnesses
Many people fear mental illnesses, but the more people learn about them, the less there is to fear. Just like physical illnesses, mental illnesses can take many forms, like:
Anxiety disorders: Causes unexpected or unhelpful anxiety that seriously impacts our lives, including how we think, feel, and act.
Mood disorders: Cause people to feel intense, prolonged emotions that negatively affect their mental well-being, physical health, relationships and behaviour (i.e. depression and bipolar disorder).
Eating disorders: Eating disorders are not just about food. They are often a way to cope with difficult problems or regain a sense of control. They are complicated illnesses that affect a person’s sense of identity, worth, and self-esteem.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: People may experience obsessions, compulsions, or both, and they cause a lot of distress.
Phobias and panic disorders: Mental illnesses that cause fear which impacts ability to live day to day life.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Often involves exposure to trauma from single events that involve death or the threat of death or serious injury. PTSD may also be linked to ongoing emotional trauma, such as abuse in a relationship. PTSD impacts thoughts and experiences.
Schizophrenia: This complex brain disorder affects a person’s ability to determine what is reality and what is not. People with schizophrenia are affected by delusions, hallucinations (sensory experiences, such as hearing voices talking about them when there is no one there), social withdrawal and disturbed thinking.
Sourced from: https://cmha.ca/mental-health/understanding-mental-illness
What does LGBTQ2S+ stand for?
L – Lesbian: A female-identified person who is physically and emotionally attracted to other females.
G – Gay: A male-identified person who is physically and emotionally attracted to other males. Gay is also used as a broad term to describe people attracted to someone of the same gender.
B – Bisexual: A person who is physically and emotionally attracted to people of more than one gender and who identifies as bisexual.
T – Trans: A term used by people who identify with a gender that is different from the gender they were assigned at birth. People whose gender identity falls outside of the gender binary (the idea that there are only two genders — male and female) may also call themselves trans. Since trans is a word used to describe identity, a person has to identify with the term (believe it’s the best way to describe themselves) for it to be applicable.
Q – Queer: A broad term that includes all sexual orientations and gender identities within the LGBTQ2S+ community, including those who don’t identify with any other identity in LGBTQ2S+.
Q – Questioning: some people may feel unsure about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. They may describe themselves as questioning.
2S – Two spirit: A person with both a feminine and a masculine spirit living in the same body. It’s an important term within some Indigenous cultures.
+ – Plus: There are a number of other terms that people may use to describe their own sexual or gender identity. The plus is intended to represent the entire community, not just those who identify with the terms described above.
Visit this link for more information about understanding gender and sexual identity: https://kidshelpphone.ca/get-info/lgbtq2s-what-does-it-mean
Financial Support Resources
Canada Student Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities:
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/education/grants/disabilities.html
Disability Awards (database for scholarships across Canada for students with disabilities. Can search by province, disability, and deadline):
https://www.disabilityawards.ca
Applying to College/University
Applying to college or university can be a stressful process! Each province has a different platform/process for applying to colleges or universities (i.e. Ontario uses OUAC and OCAC, B.C. uses PASBC) and each school or program may want additional information on top of that. It’s important to research the schools and programs you’re applying to yourself to make sure you know what’s needed from you by when! It can be confusing, so reaching out to a parent, teacher, guidance counsellor, or even a friend who’s been through it can be helpful. Here are some tips for applying…
September-November:
– If you haven’t already, research schools and programs of interest and make decisions about which ones to apply to.
– Book tours (if they’re available). Right now a lot of schools are hosting virtual tours!
November:
– Research the application deadline dates for each program you’re applying to and mark them on a calendar
– Get familiar with the website you will use to apply – ask someone for help if you need it!
– Start working on your applications. Sometimes they require getting forms from your school or community agencies… make sure you leave enough time!
December – deadline:
– College and university deadlines range from mid-January to June.
– Ensure you have all the necessary pieces of your application completed and submitted before the deadline.
Colleges and universities may consider your grades, extracurriculars, volunteer experience, and work experience. They may also require a reference from non-related adults who knows you well. All post-secondary schools require you have a high school diploma. Many schools also have a form you can fill out in your application if you have a disability to provide equal opportunity to everyone.