We first wanted to say thank you for all the thoughtful comments on our prior post. We are grateful for your support and celebrating alongside Camila! 

 

We are excited to share that Camila has received her third mobility device, the Firefly Scooot. When she is ready, the Scooot can provide multiple forms of mobility: crawling, scooting, and wheeling. We notice Camila feels the most comfortable in her Scooot and we even have an accessible table she can roll up to for arts and crafts. 

 

Camila has also successfully learned how to maneuver in her Permobil Explorer Mini. She is joyfully and fearlessly exploring both our home and the outdoors. It has been a gift to witness. If you are interested in seeing a video (or two) of Camila’s joy in her mobility devices, please feel free to reach out to us. We would happily share! 

 

Something we continue to make a conscious practice of is respecting Camila’s bodily autonomy. She knows how to roll herself in her Explorer Mini and is fully capable to make that choice, similar to an able-bodied child choosing when to walk or not. Sometimes Camila wants to stay put, take in her environment, be silly, communicate, and stim. That is entirely all right. It is not mine or anyone else’s place to take control over her mobility device. A large part of teaching Camila how to utilize mobility devices is for her to learn that her body extends to her wheels. It’s the same thing I hope for her community to learn and embrace. 

 

Children under three have the right to on-time mobility, to develop agency. With her mobility devices, Camila has the freedom to explore, to make choices about where to go, to problem-solve, engage socially, and to assert her wants and needs. We wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

Frankie and I also wanted to share a couple resources: 

 

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel, Disney+ will soon be releasing a movie – Out of My Mind. Comes out November 22nd. Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvVxyoQQzFs 

 

As November is National Family Caregivers Month, there are free screenings available for a new documentary about caregivers to disabled children – Unseen: How We’re Failing Parent Caregivers & Why It Matters. Here is the trailer: https://watch.showandtell.film/watch/unseen-nov?subscriberID=dffb8822-a060-11ef-9a26-9360ec77591f 

 

You can register for any of the following screening dates through that link: 

We hope you are able to access and watch these resources. Undoubtedly, they will be both affirming and informative for us all. 

With love,
The Weilnhammer Family