Our Commitment to Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention

In the US, at least 1 in 7 children experience child abuse or neglect annually. Children with disabilities are at least three times more likely to be abused or neglected than their peers without disabilities, and they are more likely to be seriously injured or harmed by maltreatment. Children who rely on adults for their care, as well as children who are nonverbal or hearing impaired, may be more likely than others to experience neglect or sexual abuse. While no single risk factor indicates that a child will necessarily be the victim of abuse or neglect, children with disabilities and their families often encounter societal risk factors that may increase their risk.

The E.WE Foundation is committed to providing education, resources, and support to help prevent all types of child abuse and neglect and improve the overall well-being for children with and without disabilities and their families.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

The E.WE Foundation is committed to ensuring that all families have equitable access to quality healthcare, and specifically, families living with rare diseases, medical complexities, and special health needs should have accelerated access to quality healthcare, early intervention, and social services. We believe patients with and without chronic illnesses like Edwards Syndrome, Trisomy 18, should have immediate access to medical resources and economic support, without bias or prejudice.

We are committed to doing our part for the more than 30 million patients living with rare diseases in the United States and over 400 million worldwide. We stand in solidarity with patient communities and organizations striving to improve and advance how patients interpret, understand, and receive healthcare services, treatments, and information. We are committed to transforming healthcare solutions and positively influencing the medical perspective through efforts of advocacy, education, and public policy. We recognize and acknowledge the disparities surrounding ethnicity, race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, education, religion, geography, gender identity, and legal status. We commit to dismantling the narrative of exclusion by empowering the patient voice to ensure all individuals receive equitable access to healthcare and community resources.

We are committed to recruiting individuals from diverse backgrounds and partnering and supporting stakeholders who share our commitment to inclusivity. We are committed to creating an organizational culture that respects differences and similarities, and reflects our stance on championing diverse representation, equitable access, and inclusion for all.

Our Commitment to Mental Health

Caregivers of children with special health care needs, especially those whose children have emotional, behavioral, developmental, or life-limiting challenges, experience considerable strain and stress when it comes to caring for their child’s special needs. The enormous burden of caregiving can decrease a parent’s ability to provide care, and impact the health of the child, the parents, and the overall functioning family. To manage these challenges, parents report the need for mental health care for themselves and, or their children, but many of these families go without these services.  Understanding barriers to mental health care for families of children with special health care needs is critical to creating policy and practice solutions that will increase access to mental health care for families.

The E.WE Foundation is committed to normalizing mental health and to providing mental health support to families living with rare diseases, like Edwards Syndrome, medical complexities, and special health care needs.