Awareness Archives

Feature: Niall’s Favourite Accomplishment

canfasdblogSeptember 9, 2022Feature Fridays, Guest BloggersLeave a Comment

I hosted a National event that has never been in the province of Saskatchewan history and later found out that it was also the first National event in the city of Warman’s history.

FASD Advocates Criticize SNL for Inappropriate Sketch

canfasdblogJanuary 19, 2022CanFASD AnnouncementsLeave a Comment

CanFASD Statement January 19, 2022 On January 15, 2022, NBC’s Saturday Night Live broadcast an inappropriate skit about alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Positioned as a comedy, this sketch poked fun at a teenage boy for his hygiene and social behaviour, before revealing he was prenatally exposed to alcohol. This is ableism. Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a lifelong disability impacting the brain and body. “Jokes” like this contribute to negative stereotypes and persistent stigma around FASD. This stigma negatively impacts people with FASD, their families, and people who are pregnant and using substances, making it harder to get much-needed funding and support. This stigma can also lead to feelings of shame and contribute to social isolation. Drinking during pregnancy is not a punchline. FASD is not a joke. Advocating for our community can feel like an uphill battle, especially at times like this. It is disheartening when a popular media outlet further perpetuates negative stigma, stereotypes, and misinformation that causes harm to our community. Everyone has a responsibility to learn about FASD, so that dehumanizing and traumatizing content like this is not broadcast to millions of viewers worldwide. This event highlights the need for a National FASD Strategy to further raise awareness and understanding of Canada’s leading developmental disability.

Unfortunately, not all news we get to share is good news. Over the weekend, NBC’s Saturday Night Live published an inappropriate sketch featuring a character with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Thinking About FASD Month in 2021

canfasdblogJuly 28, 2021Holidays and EventsLeave a Comment

FASD Month is just around the corner! Held every year during the month of September, FASD Awareness Month is a time to raise awareness about FASD and the potential impacts of alcohol use during pregnancy and to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of those with FASD.

What FASD Awareness means to CanFASD

canfasdblogSeptember 23, 2020Holidays and EventsLeave a Comment

Raising awareness of FASD in Canada can help us to overcome stigma and stereotypes and improve supports and services to address FASD.

4 Unique Ways Canadians are Celebrating FASD Day During a Pandemic

canfasdblogSeptember 9, 2020Conferences and EventsLeave a Comment

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, FASD awareness events and activities are a little bit different this year. Here are four unique campaigns that are doing a great job of raising awareness of FASD during the pandemic.

#FeatureFriday – Provincial FASD Awareness Surveys

canfasdblogFebruary 14, 2020Article Summaries, Feature Fridays, Guest BloggersLeave a Comment

This is how our study came to be. We realized there are a number of different tools and questions surveys use to try and measure the same thing: FASD awareness. We wanted to evaluate how effective these tools were in getting an accurate measurement of this concept.