For over 75 years, families in Ontario have come together to build better lives for their loved ones with a disability. Through meaningful relationships with one another, families build resilience, and courage and also bring innovation to the challenges they face. 

This webcast features family caregivers who share their experiences of starting their own Family Support Networks, and the overall benefits of Family Networks. Join us to learn about the importance of family-to-family connections for family members of a loved one with a disability, what you might expect from connecting to a Family Network, and how to begin to connect to a Family Network that is a good fit for you.  


This webcast includes a Q&A with our panelists.

Sherron Grant
Sherron Grant is an educator, advocate for persons with special needs and the co-founder of Sawubona Africentric Circle of Support (formerly The Black Parents Support Group). Sherron supports families, volunteers and advocates for persons living with various disabilities, to be recognized for their valuable contributions to society and emphasizes the benefit we all experience when eliminating barriers for others. Sherron is the 2020 recipient of the Community Living Toronto Jim Turner Award for Outstanding Voluntarism and in 2022 received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubiliee Pin for this work. When not “on the clock”, Sherron is an avid foodie, enjoys a good workout at the gym and time with her grandchildren.

Carla O'Neil
Carla O’Neil is a proud parent to two children and grandparents to two little boys.  Carla has spent over 25 years on a journey to learn and advocate for her child with a developmental disability. This led to Carla’s advocacy work on behalf of people with a disability at the local and provincial level. Carla’s journey has enabled her to meet many people with a developmental disability as well as those with addiction and mental health challenges and their families. These relationships and knowledge gained have propelled Carla to work on committees, working groups, and planning tables to assess needs, identify gaps, propose solutions, advance initiatives, services and programs, promote and encourage local and provincial networking, and affect change for people living with a developmental disability.

Joyce Rivington
Joyce is a mother of three children with the youngest having a rare genetic syndrome and developmental disability. She has a strong background advocating for integration and inclusion in schools and throughout the community. Her previous experience includes IEPs/support in a school placement, former SEAC member Lanark County Board of Education (now the Upper Canada District School Board), Board Member and former President of Community Living Association Lanark County (CLALC). Currently, Joyce is a Board Member of Family Alliance Ontario, a member of P4P Family Advisory Committee, the Co-Founder of the Parent Support Group Family Voice of Lanark County, and is an independent advocate to support families. Joyce is also the designer and co-author of three resource handbooks.