Ensemble

12/24/2025

From my home to yours, may this season be filled with peace, joy, and meaningful moments with those you love.

Merry Christmas 🎄

Diane

12/23/2025

12/21/2025

12/19/2025

A LETTER TO MY CHILDREN (and ALL children)

As I sit here on a cold and blustery December Saturday morning, reflecting on the focus of my message from Ensemble, I’ve decided to continue highlighting caregiving and caregivers.

At first, I intended this letter for the brothers and sisters of children born with intellectual disabilities. But as I reflected, I realized how many people walk alongside our families on this journey - playmates, school friends, support staff, neighbours, and community members. So, while this letter is primarily for our able-bodied children, it truly is for everyone who has grown up as part of the caregiving world.

When our families welcomed new additions, we were young with stars in our eyes - so much to look forward to, so many milestones ahead. As the days turned into months, we made the decision to grow our families, doing our best with the optimism, hope, and love we had at the time.

As our little ones grew, we noticed things that made us wonder, reflect, and learn. Like all parents, we moved forward celebrating every milestone, even when the path looked a little different than what we had first imagined.

And then you, our able-bodied children, entered the picture with your innocence, curiosity, and wide-open hearts. You embraced family life exactly as it was. You accepted your brothers and sisters as they are, without hesitation or judgment. You didn’t know it then, but you were beginning to learn the art of caregiving simply by being part of a family that loves differently, uniquely, and deeply.

As time went on, we all adjusted. We found routines, solutions, and possibilities that supported every member of our family. Whether you realized it or not, you were growing into compassionate, thoughtful individuals who understand what it means to show up for someone else.

To the siblings of children with intellectual disabilities, and to everyone who has stood alongside our families, thank you. Thank you for your patience, your humour, your adaptability, and your unwavering acceptance. Thank you for embracing uniqueness, celebrating accomplishments big and small, and helping build a community that includes and values everyone.

Our collective strength and resilience come from our shared understanding of the joy and privilege of caring for one another.

And finally, a heartfelt thank you to our children with intellectual disabilities. You have opened our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to an extraordinary world - a world we are privileged to share as an Ensemble.

Hugs to all families 🤗

Marilyn
Ensemble Family Consultant and Advisory Committee

12/16/2025

Dear families and caregivers,

As we head into the final days before Christmas, I want to gently acknowledge how heavy this season can feel. The to-do lists are long, routines are disrupted, and for many of us, our bodies and hearts are already running on empty.

This time of year asks a lot of caregivers .. to keep traditions alive, to show up with a smile, to manage complex needs while the world around us feels loud and rushed. It’s okay if you’re moving more slowly. It’s okay if your version of “Christmas” looks different than it used to.

Sometimes care means doing less. Sometimes it means leaving early, saying no, or choosing rest over perfection. Those choices are not failures .. they are wisdom.

If you’re feeling burnt out right now, please know you’re not alone. Give yourself permission to simplify, to accept help, and to protect your energy in whatever ways you can. The love you give every day matters far more than any tradition or expectation.

Be gentle with yourselves in these final days. You deserve care too.

Diane
Ensemble Committee Member

12/15/2025

If your child is nearing 18 years of age, you may want to start to think about applying for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Understanding how this program works and how to maintain it alongside other financial resources will ensure your family member continues to receive this support for as long as they may need it.

Join us in the new year on January 14th at 7pm as panelists, Graeme Treeby and Ken White provide a comprehensive overview of all things ODSP, and answer some of your questions.

Register here: https://conta.cc/4pMQgcl

Planning

Image Description: A close-up image of a handwritten list of expenses, alongside a pen and calculator. An orange graphic features text that reads, "Free P4P Webcast. Intro to the ODSP. January 14 at 7pm."

12/12/2025

12/11/2025

MAINTAINING CALM

The December clock continues to tick, and as more sources of overstimulation appear, our children may be sending us reminders.

As parents, we know how critical routine is in their lives. The unexpected can bring anxiety for many, and when combined with seasonal sights, sounds, and smells, it can be enough to trigger negative behaviours. It’s difficult to shield them completely from these seasonal triggers, so now more than ever we need to create calming atmospheres—both at home and elsewhere.

Big crowds and busy activities aren’t ideal situations. There is often too much movement and noise! Malls during peak times should be avoided.

Look for event dates designated as “sensory-friendly,” when lights are dimmed, music is kept low, and crowds are minimal.

Windsor features a Jackson Park experience that may interest you.

As families, we understand the needs of our kids, and to help them enjoy all that the December season brings, we need to prepare—ourselves, our friends, and our loved ones with special needs. Communicate the impact festivities may have on them. Be open and honest.

At home, take a moment to step back and assess your environment. Maintaining predictable routines will bring much-needed calm and joy—not only to your loved ones, but also to you.

Best wishes for days filled with joy!

Marilyn,
Ensemble Family Consultant and the Advisory Committee

12/09/2025

Caregiver burnout doesn’t have a look.

It’s quiet and unsuspecting.

It’s not mental breakdowns in public, or messy buns and puffy eyes.

(Although sometimes it can be….)

Usually though,

It’s a smile that lingers and a quick “I’m fine” without further explanation.

It’s a cry in the bathroom before wiping your tears and continuing on.

It’s cracking a joke in the emergency room because it’s easier than letting yourself fall apart in that moment.

It’s remembering every medication, every appointment and years of medical history,

but forgetting if you ate today.

And sometimes it looks like you have it altogether…

because we’ve become pros at hiding in plain sight.

Caregiver burnout doesn’t have a look because we have learned along the way that it is easier to hide the hard and the uncomfortable than it is to explain a life no one will understand.

So we cry in the bathroom.
We wipe our tears.
We put on a smile.
We say we’re fine.

And we keep going…

Burnt out or not.

Written by: Carla Moore from Payton's Path

12/06/2025

Gifts From the Heart

December has arrived—bitter temperatures and snow! No escaping winter now! Whatever traditions you and your family celebrate, the hustle and bustle fill the air. We can't turn back the December clock now!

Everywhere we turn, there are constant reminders of the need to spend, spend, spend! Lists are made, and we’re haunted by the possibility that we may have forgotten someone. Why do we make lists of people we need to remember? And who are these people?

We have been conditioned to think that purchasing gifts is the obvious way to show others that we care. Who do we put on our lists—family, friends, coaches, teachers, etc.? The list is never-ending!

But is purchasing gifts the only way we can show people how much we care? If you asked a young child—one bombarded by media sights and sounds focused on the next sale—they will innocently tell you it’s time to buy gifts for those on their lists.

As adults, we need to expose children to other gift ideas. Not every gift given or received needs to be purchased online or at the mall! Handmade gifts, created by hands big and small, are always treasured. Food gifts created by children and adults are welcome additions to holiday festivities. Each of these ideas gives individuals opportunities to create and to share in the true meaning of gift-giving—caring!

As promised, I’m going to focus now on the classroom. Much to the dismay of my students, I announced that Madame would not accept gifts from them at Christmas time. I let them know that I appreciated each and every one of them and that they had already given me the best gift ever—themselves!

There was still great disappointment, so I made a compromise. I told them that if they had decided to give me a gift, this is what I wanted: a thank-you letter highlighting things we had done together that made them feel understood, valued, happy, and special. This was the first of several meaningful letters they would write.

As a mother, I knew how much little “love notes” from my daughters meant to my husband and me. So, closer to the Christmas holidays, I gave each student special paper on which to write letters to their mothers, fathers, grandparents, or whoever was a special caregiver—knowing that each family’s makeup was unique. Their decorated letters were placed in sealed envelopes to be given to loved ones at some point during December celebrations.

They hopefully learned that meaningful gifts have no dollar value. The act of giving comes from the heart—not the mall!

Happy 🥶 December days!

Marilyn,
Ensemble Family Consultant and the Advisory Committee

12/03/2025

This is a message to remind others to do that thing.
To spread that kindness.
To share a compliment.
To smile with a hello.
Because truly you have no idea the impact small gestures make.

The past few weeks my family has been through it.
Between Pip losing her vision, my ER visit & now decisions regarding my health moving forward.
We are at our max.
Add in things like my sweet Aunt Donna being sick for weeks & weeks all while caring for her husband whose just getting out of the hospital himself.
And it's almost too much.
Throw in me finally seeing a Specialist about my shoulder that got jacked up from one of those lake obstacle courses last summer.
Only to get out of my van at his office for the cortisone shot, which holy hell is such a looooong needle.
To completely slip on black ice.
Head over my feet.
And now icing a swollen ankle, praying to whoever will listen at this point, that it's just bruised and not broken.
So safe to say, I am just feeling soooo overwhelmed.

But, when I dropped off the kids at school this morning.
A lovely lady came running out to me.
With the kindest face, warmest smile & a word of encouragement.
As she handed me a small bag filled with Snickers.
She had no idea, I had been crying just this morning.
She had no idea, all that was happening with our family.
She had no idea, how a small act of kindness would totally change my outlook on the day.

So, if you're ever on the fence about doing something kind.
Wondering if you should.
Or worrying about how others will react.
Just do it.
It means soooo much.
Her taking the time to do that this morning.
Felt like Pip hugging her Aunt Donna in the hospital cafeteria.
The warmth of another human.
It's a beautiful thing ❤️

12/02/2025

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