Donna Thomson began her career as an actor, director and teacher, but in 1988, when her son Nicholas was born with severe disabilities, Donna became a full-time caregiver and disability activist. Nicholas is technologically dependent and continues to rely on medical innovations to address his complex needs. She is mother to Nicholas and his sister Natalie, as well as daughter to her mother who is 89 and also in need of care.
Donna is the author of “The Four Walls of My Freedom”, a memoir of her family experience with her son’s disability as seen through the lens of economics and philosophy. The Indian Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen proposed that GDP and household income were misleading measures of wellbeing for those living in extreme poverty. Rather, he proposed that examining the real human freedoms people had that could lead to a valued life would help the world better understand the reality of living with adversity. Sen’s “Capability Approach” forms the framework of Thomson’s reflections on the future of community care and the changing roles of the individual, the family, the society and the state. Her past work in the area of disability, community health and caregivers’ rights led to her public reflections on a re-imagined future of shared care with a sustainable plan for the country.
Donna Thomson is the International Advisor for the PLAN Institute and its affiliate Tyze. She is a co-founder of the PLAN affiliate Lifetime Networks Ottawa and during the life of her son, has sat on numerous community boards related to disability, health, education and the arts. Donna also serves a board trustee of the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies.
Donna is married to James Wright, Canada’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Jim and Donna are proud parents of Nicholas, who recently moved from the family home into a supported living residence and Natalie, a second year student at the University of Toronto.
Donna Thomson is the International Advisor for the PLAN Institute and its affiliate Tyze. She is a co-founder of the PLAN affiliate Lifetime Networks Ottawa and during the life of her son, has sat on numerous community boards related to disability, health, education and the arts. Donna also serves a board trustee of the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies.
Donna is married to James Wright, Canada’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Jim and Donna are proud parents of Nicholas, who recently moved from the family home into a supported living residence and Natalie, a second year student at the University of Toronto.
