March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness month; this story underscores the power of inclusion, leading with love, and the strength of community in the ballet experience of WAWOS founder Jacquie Robison’s daughter, Sofia. I still vividly remember watching my daughter, Sofia, twirl at...

Both community and connection are magical, strong, and positive forces for each of us -- whether in the nonprofit arena or the for-profit sector. But, they don't happen by magic. Intentional, thoughtful, and consistent outreach is an important part of the WAWOS ethos, where "community...

On December 3, we celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This year, the United Nations honored a theme of "Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fueling an accessible and equitable world." There's no question that...

As Sofia's mom, I want to do my best for her -- to provide her with the support, love and opportunities that will encourage her to be HER very best. As a parent to a child with a diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy, that includes lots of education, reading, listening, and tracking...

Pop quiz! You're at a park with your little one and another family with a child using a walker arrives at the playground. How do you react? What do you do? I sometimes get asked this question when I'm talking to parents and families, and I encourage them to think about what they...

Building community is core to the WAWOS ethos. When the first walkercape was donated just over 3 years ago, the goal was for it to be about more than giving a cape...I wanted to spark conversations. To create connections. And to encourage others to look beyond an assistive device...

As so many of us are still sporting the "WFH Mullet" (business on top, party on the bottom), here's an easy way to show support for inclusion and help get the WAWOS word out. Download this virtual background and put it in the rotation for your meetings. Tell colleagues and friends...

Accessible recreation is more than just a means for a child with a physical difference to get out -- it's a way for them IN to a world of adventure. It's an invitation to participate, to play, to explore their interests and have opportunities for discovery, community and connection....

Like many families this year, our little tribe of 3 will be celebrating Thanksgiving at-home on our own. There will be plenty of video calls to family and friends, and we'll still make a feast with all the fixings! Our tree is up and decorated...the earliest it has ever been...and...

September is back-to-school time and many classrooms have shifted to a distance learning model. This still provides opportunities to talk to students about inclusion and empathy, which are core to the WAWOS mission. We believe in embracing difference and seeing the beauty in uniqueness....

In the midst of this global health crisis, the constant news cycle of 'unprecedented' and 'unknown' language can be very overwhelming for kids -- and for adults. This is a serious situation with serious consequences, but there is still space for positivity and connectedness. There...

What does it feel like to have a physical difference? To have others look at your outside self and make assumptions about who you are, how you are or what you're capable of ? In the early years after Sofia's diagnosis, anyone who only knew me through Facebook updates would not...

When I talk about inclusion, I mean acceptance. And when I talk about acceptance, I mean celebration. When I say celebration, I mean open-hearted. When I say open-hearted, I mean kindness. When I say kindness, I mean strength. When I say be strong, I also mean vulnerable. When...

Creating this little wreath decoration to hang on a door handle made for a few hours of festive fun and is a terrific fine motor skills activity. It doesn't take much $ or prep and you likely have some of the materials in a craft box or in a drawer of odds and ends (c'mon, we...

On October 10, WAWOS celebrated its second birthday, and I spent time reflecting on the activity and the impact we've made together over the past two years. I looked through notes, reviewed minutes from board meetings and checked out photos from our inclusive mini-runway show...

The first time I touched my hands to my newborn daughter, I said, "she's just so tiny." My husband stood there with me; he had been in the delivery room during the emergency c-section to welcome her to the world and when the doctors took her from my belly, he was the one who saw...

Every Monday morning I have a little ritual I go through (well, after coffee, obviously...I mean, it's Monday). Before rousing Sofia out of bed and really barreling into the day, I jumpstart the week with a quick internal pep talk. I quietly tell myself "this week, I'm going to...

This photo was taken on a recent morning as my 9 year-old daughter headed off to ballet lessons at DTC-San Francisco. She ended her lesson with her peers --- all neuro-typical kids --- with a tremendous sense of accomplishment and was fired up to create a list of poses to work...

The time and talent our volunteers dedicate to creating personality-forward walker capes as part of our WAWOS Wear program is part of the magic that keeps our 100% volunteer non profit going. These capes are donated for free to amazing kiddos so that they can express their interests,...

WAWOS is 100% volunteer-supported with a mission to celebrate children with Cerebral Palsy and related neurodevelopmental delays to promote inclusion and accessibility. Our flagship program is WAWOS Wear -- handmade walker capes that add some personality to assistive devices and...

WAWOS is thrilled to have this amazing woman launch our guest post series. From time to time, we'll feature experts in all areas of pediatric rehab along with innovators in emerging modalities for otherly-abled children with the goal of educating, providing resources and growing...

As a 100% volunteer-supported nonprofit, WAWOS depends on the skills of incredible people to grow our organization and share our mission. Our flagship program is WAWOS Wear; beautiful walker capes that are donated to pediatric rehab facilities, hospitals and groups that serve...

I've been thinking about this photo since it showed up in my Facebook feed this morning. It was taken seven years ago, and Sofia was just about one and a half years old. At the time of this photo, she was not yet diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. That would come two weeks later....

So, this happened. A week ago, I broke the big toe on my left foot by catching it on the bottom of my yoga pants and yanking it the wrong way. Yep. The bad toe puns and jokes have been pretty relentless since I admitted how this accident went down. Trending in my family: #NamasteOnTheCouch...

One of the ways I've found success in reinforcing exercises Sofia is working on in physical therapy is by putting together at-home activities for us to do together. I like to design games and put together projects that practice the new skill and help lock in the muscle memory....

I'm thrilled to share something new from WAWOS. It's a project I've been working on for a little bit, and I'm excited to send it out into the world. Introducing WAWOS WEAR Walker Capes. How did I get here? When Sofia was using a walker, I would take her to the park, the store...everywhere....

Sofia is navigating a little bit of a growth spurt right now and it's pretty fun. I love seeing her realize that she doesn't need a step stool to reach the sink and watch her as she delights in helping set the table because she can actually see what's in the cutlery drawer, rather...

"Let's make some letter pictures", is a frequent request around our place. This is a fun way to work on Sofia's pencil skills and grow her creativity. I simply print a letter on the page and she draws an animal or creates a scene that starts with that letter. Here is a recent...

About a week ago, I had Sofia along with me to do some errands. Characteristically, she was chatting away — sharing stream of consciousness thoughts (“I am spending a lot of time trying to figure out why hiccups go away when you get scared”) and commenting on her ideas for careers...

Recently, Sofia spent a fantastic afternoon with a bunch of friends. Want to peek at the promise of the next (next) generation? Just observe a group of six-year olds come together as a relatively new set of friends and figure each other out. Over the course of the afternoon, there...

MATERIALS ~ two jump ropes (or 4' length of rope) In May 2012, at almost three years old, Sofia began to use a reverse walker. This was a huge milestone for her and for us as a family. She had worked hard on stepping in physical therapy — typically with either someone holding...

In “SIR DUKE”, Stevie Wonder sang Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand. With an equal opportunity, For all to sing, dance and clap their hands. What’s not to love about this sentiment? Music unifies and brings together — without reprisal or judgement....

How are we going to approach activities and outings as a family? That was one of the very early conversations Jeremiah and I had after Sofia’s diagnosis. It ended up being a brief discussion, as we quickly agreed that we would bring her everywhere and she would enjoy the same...

Milestones. Benchmarks. Firsts. I was armed with all the new parent knowledge I could get my hands on as I prepared myself for Sofia’s birth. But, the best laid plans and all that. Turns out there’s really not much of a playbook for the arrival of a 28-week premature daughter....

Since she was about three years old, one of Sofia’s favorite shows has been ‘Jake and the Neverland Pirates.’ She is inspired by the idea of discovery, working together as a team and treasure. Hey, the girl loves her bling! One morning at breakfast, she asked if she could watch...

The air in the house that morning was electric. Sofia was invited to her friend’s fourth birthday party and it was being celebrated at a local gymnastics studio. Some of the other children in her preschool class took lessons there, so she had heard all about the tumbling and jumping...

The diagnosis of our daughter with CP came less than a month after I had given my notice at the office. I had returned to work following maternity leave and I enjoyed the intensity and contribution I made at the technology company where I worked. But, I did feel that push and...

MATERIALS ~ rice ~ cookie sheet ~ small cooking utensils (spoon, measuring cup) ~ items that can be treasure to find (wine charms were handy for me…) Tapping into the creativity of my inner child has been a corollary of welcoming our daughter into our lives. Seeing how certain...

About a week after we first learned of Sofia’s diagnosis, I received a call from her pediatrician. She had been advised of the test outcome by the hospital and had called to schedule a follow-up visit. I was grateful for the outreach and went to the appointment with my daughter,...

MATERIALS ~ silly putty ~ assorted coins ~ small container with lid ~ scissors It was one of those days. I had planned a Saturday of exploring and digging in the sand at our neighborhood park, but awoke to a downpour and watched those plans get rained out. Well, necessity is the...

Over the course of the last three years, we’ve been on the receiving end of a number of curious glimpses and bewildered looks. It could be a sideways glance from someone tracking our daughter’s progress with her walker — or an overt stare when they caught sight of her with her...

I’m no photographer…the truth is that most of my photos are taken with my cellphone. But, I admire the work of many photographers — both in print and film. And, I’ve always been intrigued by the role of the focus puller. Often called ‘1st assistant camera’, it’s the member of...