Take the time to talk about disabilities with your children.
I am a junior at Vanderbilt studying Special Education, and I’m writing about an issue that is near and dear to my heart: disability awareness. In addition to being a student at Vanderbilt, I work at Susan Gray School, an inclusive preschool (we have kids with disabilities and typical peers), and I’ve seen what it can look like when typical kids really understand and love their friends who have disabilities.
As parents, take the time to talk about disabilities with your children. Explain that sometimes people have differences. Physical disabilities are often easier to explain than intellectual disabilities. Children can usually understand that someone has muscles that work a little bit differently. Use examples to help them understand, but try to not just list off all the things that the individual with a disability cannot do. Think of what he or she can still do, which varies. Maybe he or she can feed himself or herself and can walk but not run. Be mindful that you don’t want your child to think that the person is sick or that they are in any way scary or fragile.
Intellectual differences can be a little bit more complicated. Talk about how some people have a hard time learning how to talk, but they try really hard to make sure you can understand. Maybe mention that it’s hard for people to learn how to read and do math, and some people are better at it than others, but it’s ok.
It’s not hard to make your child accepting of different abilities, but it does take some careful conversation.
