Now what do I do?
Being informed of a child’s disability during a prenatal screening or at the time of birth can be an extremely emotional and difficult experience for parents. Disappointment, hopelessness, guilt, sadness and worry are all common responses to the news.
Will I be able to take care of my child given all the additional challenges?
What did I do to cause this?
Some parents eventually come to a difficult conclusion:: I don’t think I will be able to provide my child with the right level of care.
All too often, parents don’t know that adoption is an option. This alternative may not be mentioned by medical staff and support givers during the difficult first moments that follow the discovery of a child’s disability. Instead, parents are often bombarded with medical information that gives them little reason to be hopeful.
For parents caught in this situation, it can feel like all your dreams are suddenly shattered. Eventually, many hear about Association Emmanuel and the possibility of putting the child born with a disability up for adoption, either through their own research or from care personnel.
Why can some parents provide for a disabled child and not me?
The adoptive parents have the advantage of choosing the type of disability they feel equipped to handle. They’ve had time to think about adoption and prepare for it. Adopting is a choice that they have made for any number of reasons.
Respect for each family’s approach is an important value for Association Emmanuel.
How does it work?
Being raised by our biological parents is the first choice when it’s possible. However, adoption can be a positive conclusion to an unexpected event. The child can exist in a new lineage, with parents that will commit to him or her for a lifetime.
Legal procedures are done by the Centres Jeunesse throughout Quebec, from the adoption consent to the final adoption judgment.
