Hi, I’m Emily Ladau, and this is my mom, Ellen.
Ellen: Hello!
Emily: As you can see, we both use wheelchairs
because we have a genetic, physical disability
called Larsen syndrome that
affects our joints and muscles.
We're so often told that
we shouldn't become parents
because people believe that we’re incapable of raising
a child, but my mom is proof that this couldn’t
be further from the truth.
Ellen: When I became pregnant, a sonogram did reveal
that my baby would have Larsen syndrome.
Of course I was then concerned about
the challenges of being a disabled parent
of a disabled child.
I had a lot of anxiety about it, you know,
thinking that she would resent me,
or, you know, just knowing that she would
go through certain experiences that I went through
that were painful.
Emily: Turns out, my mom didn’t need to be so worried.
She’s a wonderful mother.
Unfortunately, though, according to a report by the
National Council on Disability,
titled “Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights
of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children,”
Children of parents with disabilities are separated from
their parents at disproportionately high rates.
The report points out that Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
forbids the child welfare system from presuming that
parents with disabilities are unfit
Ellen: One day, when Emily was younger,
we were leaving a medical office,
and some woman put together
that I passed on the disability to my child
and she made a comment:
“Look at what that mom did to her baby.”
I didn't respond because I was so stunned
that somebody would say something that cruel.
Emily: But the thing is, no one with a disability
should ever be made to feel guilty like that
for having children.
Sure, we had some bumps in the road as I grew up,
but thanks to my mom and dad,
I’ve always been safe and cared for,
I live a full life, and I know
I am always loved.
We’re a lot like any other mother-daughter pair...
watching our favorite guilty pleasure TV shows together,
shopping together, and of course, cooking together.
Ellen: Parents with disabilities need support
and resources just like any other parent.
Emily: My mom and I are asking you, please,
don’t just support the rights of parents
with disabilities because it’s the right thing to do...
respect them, and recognize that
people with disabilities can be great parents, too.
[laughs]
Off camera voice: Wait, you gotta do that again,
I was not prepared for that.
[laughs]
Emily: Written and directed by Emily Ladau.
Special Thanks to Ellen Ladau,
Marc Ladau, and Brittany Washington
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