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Over 100 people registered for our webinar to help protect people with rare diseases from bullying on March 19th. You can watch the video recording and find additional information and resources on this page.
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Over 100 people registered for our webinar to help protect people with rare diseases from bullying on March 19th. The recording for Appearance Bullying: How to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones addresses the following topics:
- Understanding the fear of differences that leads to prejudice
- Resisting Internalized oppression
- Eight emotional safety techniques to protect your feelings from hurtful words and behavior
- Setting boundaries with people you know
- How to protect your children
- Assertive Advocacy for yourself and others
- Changing attitudes through bridges of understanding
We really appreciated everyone’s interest, enthusiasm, and questions. Thank you to RareConnect and Eurordis for their guidance on the prejudiced behavior that people with rare diseases face and help in getting out the word of the webinar to their members.
This webinar was inspired by a courageous mother who had written to us with this request:
I have a rare genetic condition which makes me have very unique features and a very different face from what is labeled as “normal”.
I usually get a lot of unwanted attention. People stare at me and laugh and sometimes make rude comments. I was bullied as a kid and teenager and I was called names all the time. I have developed general anxiety disorder and PTSD symptoms because of that.
Now, I am 37 years old, and I have a child with the same condition. Yesterday we were in the park and a 5 year old girl came to us and said that I was very ugly and looked like a witch. I was so shocked I didn’t know what to say… I am looking for resources on how to deal with things like that.
I also fear for my son, I know he will be teased and leave out because of his condition. Do you have any resources on how to deal with that? What should I teach him?
In response to questions during the webinar, we mentioned a number of our additional free resources that many people have found to be helpful:
Protecting Our Transgender Youth
Speaking Up About Putdowns
Face Bullying With Confidence: 8 Kidpower Skills You Can Use Right Away
Safety Plans for Families with Special Needs
Kidpower Bullying Solutions Resource Page
Triggers, Emotional Attacks, and Emotional Safety Techniques
Please contact us if you have any additional questions or stories to share.
Live Webinar Recorded: March 19, 2018 | Last updated: March 26, 2018
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Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.