Annick Janson and Sylvana Mahmic

Abstract

Globally, more than a billion people experience disability. Disability affects not only the individual, but also their families. Parents and carers of a child with a disability have increased risk of economic and health burdens and tend to encounter systems focussed on the child's deficits. As parents of children with a disability and professionals in the disability sector, Annick Janson and Sylvana Mahmic wanted to help empower these families. They created Now and Next, a community and program for parents and carers of a child with disability. Now and Next is led by peer-facilitators, has run in four countries in a range of languages, and has grown into a thriving community of parents and carers actively supporting each other. An independent evaluation found that Now and Next improved parents' ability to set and achieve goals and their levels of wellbeing, hope, and empowerment. Annick and Sylvana provide an example of how by focussing on a child's strengths, transformation in disability is possible.