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Thank you @ABCTNOW for turning a painful moment into an opportunity for education & growth. I hope we all continue to work towards acknowledging & supporting the many faces of academia. From my experience, here some things that would support those w/ disability in the family: 1/ https://twitter.com/ABCTNOW/status/1330221681890238466">https://twitter.com/ABCTNOW/s...
1. Let& #39;s end the narrative that a "successful academic" looks any 1 way. Most prof women I know are desperate to know how to balance career & parenting the "right way." Messages that there is a specific path to success as a parent are fear-inducing to those who don& #39;t conform 2/
2. Observe the tendency for intellectual elitism lurking underneath our convos. We all value intellect for how it serves our goals, but it is not the ultimate trait. It is just one of many that can be good or bad. My son is not conventionally smart, but IS objectively awesome. 3/
3. What every parent w/ a child with special needs wants is for people to see their child as a person, not a disability. If you interact w/ a kid w/ a disability, notice what makes them a cool kid & talk to their parent about them as just that, a kid who their parent 
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4. Recognize that the professional development tips we give will not always work for people w/ different family challenges. You know the tip "write 1st thing in the morning"? That& #39;s when we do Zoom Special Ed! Work w/ mentees in finding a workstyle that works w/ their family 5/
5. A disability in the family does often come w/ extra difficulties (time for therapies, stress of worrying about your kid). It is a kindness when colleagues offer instrumental support to ease these burdens. For me, this usually means taking less important items off my plate 6/
6. Finally, PLEASE can alter our systems to support passionate/dedicated academics w/ extra barriers and NOT the other way around? I& #39;m proud of what I have achieved despite hospital stays, endless therapies, etc., but get disheartened by how little that effort is acknowledged 7
