Aligning with this publication's mission, content made available to aspiring and practicing child life specialists will be presented with a focus on using a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) lens. For more on my background and approach, please visit the DEIA page.
Included Below and More to Come
- Vetted Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) resources to celebrate diverse cultures and learn about different lived experiences
- Annotated bibliography of evidence based, scholarly articles related to DEIA topics. This will include commentary on how child life specialists can incorporate and apply article findings to our work
- For child life program educators, supervisors, and leaders, suggestions on how to facilitate diverse student programming and recruitment
Please note: some links may repeat as they overlap categories
Please consider exploring the Family Resources page if seeking resources for interventions.
Articles (More Coming Soon)
ACLP Bulletin article: A Diverse Workforce Saves Lives - Divna Wheelwright MA, CCLS
ACLP Bulletin article: Refocusing on Competencies: A "Yes AND Approach" to the Child Life Crisis - Lindsey Murphy, PhD, CCLS; Genevieve Lowry, MS.Ed, CEIM, CCTSF, CCLS; Cara Smith, MA, CCLS
ACLP Bulletin article: Supporting Autistic Child Life Students - Mary Ann Gill, MEd, CCLS
Annotated Bibliography: Coming Soon
DEIA Resources (Please see DEIA page for general resources)
Accessibility: Coconut Moon. "Embracing Disability through Playful Learning" by co-founders Leah Terrill, CCLS, CTRS and Lauren Hall, MD. "Empowering families to talk about disability through awareness." Check out "Child Life Library" videos for books! Instagram, Facebook, Resources
ACLP Bulletin article: A Diverse Workforce Saves Lives - Divna Wheelwright MA, CCLS
ACLP Bulletin article: Supporting Autistic Child Life Students - Mary Ann Gill, MEd, CCLS
ACLP Webinar by Rebekah Taussig. Free for ACLP members and students, Rebekah's "Rethinking what accessibility & inclusion look like and transforming the patient experience" was the closing keynote at the ACLP 2023 conference. "She writes to understand, to reclaim, and to participate in changing the cultural narratives we have around disability, motherhood, and what it means to live in a human body. She believes storytelling can change the world. Literally." She is the author of Sitting Pretty and has a free Substack. Website. Instagram.
Books: my bookshop list here for adults, here for children, and my book reviews on DEIA topics here
Race: The Conscious Kid is an education, research and policy organization that supports families and educators in taking action to disrupt racism, inequity and bias." Instagram, Resources, Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) Storytime ("Out of all racial groups, API’s receive the least attention in school curriculum and textbooks"), and Read-Alouds (contains video links)
Multimedia Resources
Books for you as a professional: My Recommendations for Adults Bookshop Wishlist and Book Reviews: for Adults
Books for your work with children: look at "books" dropdown menu on "Family Resources" page, post on Grief and Bereavement books, and post with Book Reviews: for Children
Podcast by the Dougy Center: Grief Out Loud Podcast
Podcast by Wonders and Worries: WonderCast (podcast), WonderCast Instagram
Podcast with Lisa Dion, Lessons in the Playroom
TED Radio Hour, Press Play: to highlight part 3, "How Does Play Shape Our Development? [with] Dr. Stuart Brown [who] is the founder of the National Institute for Play in California"
Spanish Language (See Recursos en Español)
Child Life to Go with Allie Jones, MA, CCLS: Blank Page Children's Books available in Spanish.
Nemours Health Videos: KidsHealth for Kids (Spanish), KidsHealth for Teens (Spanish), KidsHealth for Parents (Spanish). Such a great hub of videos that are tailored to different age groups as well as caregivers. Provides developmentally appropriate explanations and anticipates questions that children typically have regarding their upcoming procedures, disease processes, and more.
Oncology resources: please see submenu on the Recursos en Español page
Organizations and Links to More
Child Life Disaster Relief: Resources and External Organizations
Child Life on Call: Instagram // Podcast // Resources
Child Mind Institute: Family Resource Center (available in Spanish), Videos
I Am Courageous: "Creating & sharing uplifting entertainment to enCOURAGE children in the hospital."
Zero to Three: for Families, for Professionals
Sesame Street: Family Resources, Courses and Webinars
Preparation for Medical Experiences
Child Life to Go with Allie Jones, MA, CCLS: "Delivering the words to cope with illness & medical experiences." Resources. Podcast. Instagram. Blank Page Children's Books also available in Spanish.
Nemours Health Videos: KidsHealth for Kids, KidsHealth for Teens, KidsHealth for Parents. Also available in Spanish: KidsHealth for Kids (Spanish), KidsHealth for Teens (Spanish), KidsHealth for Parents (Spanish). Such a great hub of videos that are tailored to different age groups as well as caregivers. Provides developmentally appropriate explanations and anticipates questions that children typically have regarding their upcoming procedures, disease processes, and more.
Osmosis Videos: if you want some more in depth understanding to some of the physiology or disease processes, I found this resource to be one of my absolute favorites during my medical studies. Great illustrations, easy to follow explanations, and accurate content.
St. Jude Children's Hospital: Child-Friendly Definitions
Trauma-Informed Care
Caring for Child Survivors of Sexual Abuse Guidelines: produced by UNICEF and International Rescue Committee, this 200+ page report "offers an up-to-date global technical guidance on providing a model of quality care for children and families affected by sexual abuse in humanitarian settings" (Available in Spanish, French, Arabic, Ukrainian, and Portuguese)
Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse: Several resource pages are available for professionals to "improve your knowledge, skills, and confidence in identifying and responding to child sexual abuse" including a supporting parents and carers guide
ChildHelp: "Childhelp exists to meet the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children." To get started, see Child Abuse Statistics with linked resources
Child Life Disaster Relief Webinar: Simplifying the Response: Five Essential Needs of Children During Disasters
Darkness to Light: "Preventing child sexual abuse through education and action", here is a resource page for adults and families with tip sheets for navigating conversations with children and guides for other relevant topics (also in Spanish)
Defend Young Minds: "Encourages and equips parents and professionals with tools to raise empowered, resilient and screen-smart kids who know how to reject pornography." These digital safety tools include articles and free and $5-7 guides
Monique Burr Foundation for Children: their programs "educate and protect children and teens from all types of bullying, abuse, and other types of child victimization with our evidence-based and evidence-informed prevention education programs." This page has a thorough list of topics with their own resources, blog posts, and webinars as well as links to external resources
National Center on Sexual Exploitation: "Many people have been affected by pornography, sexual abuse, sex trafficking and more either directly or through those they love and care about. Here are resources to help understand the issues and with both prevention and recovery efforts." By clicking "explore these resources" for the Prevention and Recovery Resources section, you will find tools for parents and an extensive menu of tech solutions for managing online safety
NO MORE Project: Includes a global directory of domestic and sexual violence helplines and services and a learning hub with information about how to help survivors and more
Prevent Child Abuse America: ACEs/Vital Signs Report Resources & Talking Points
Stop It Now!: "Eqipp[ing] adults to prevent child sexual abuse," Stop It Now! "provide[s] support, information and resources to keep children safe and create healthier communities." Some highlights that you can find on their website is a Library of Resources, resource guides, and articles in their help center. Such articles include "What Should I Do After a Child Tells?", Tip Sheet: Warning Signs of Possible Sexual Abuse In A Child's Behaviors, and Healing and Support for Children and Parents
Working with Students (More Coming Soon)
ACLP Bulletin article: Supporting Autistic Child Life Students - Mary Ann Gill, MEd, CCLS
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Bookshop Referral LinkFor More Files and Content
Majority of proceeds from paid subscriptions will be donated to humanitarian causes worldwide.
Refer to Paid Subscription Tiers on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Page for most up to date availabilities to exclusive DEIA content, seminars, and more
DEIA Child Life Specialist Subscription Tier. Coming Soon.
Gain exclusive content from seminars to workshops on how to positively impact your professional growth and your interventions with children of diverse backgrounds. Access a private community to learn from each other and discuss DEIA topics and challenges with this author.
Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color (BIPOC) Child Life Specialist and Student Community Group. Coming Soon.
If there is enough interest, look forward to a friendly space for all of us to meet without any oversight to get face time, chat in community, and get much needed support from one another to fill ourselves and push the field forward.
Shedding Light on Child Life is an independent publication launched in November 2024 by Anisha S. Reza, MS, CCLS. All posts and resources are curated from this author's professional opinion and expertise. Any questions, comments, or requests can be directed via email to childlifewithanisha@gmail.com.
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