Explaining disability to children

Explaining disability to children has an impact on the disabled person, but most importantly, it has a lasting effect on children. Explaining disability to children is something we don’t really talk about, if parents and disabled people are in that situation it kind of just happens… then we carry on with our day, often like nothing happened or without a second thought.

 

Talking about disability to children is very important, it educates them, it broadens their knowledge on the world and people around them, but it also prepares them for when they meet disabled people.

Some parents are great and give their child a fantastic explanation about disability, but others brush it under the carpet like it doesn’t exist, or they act like their child asked something that they shouldn’t have.

 

With that in mind, I thought I would share some tips on explaining disability to children that will hopefully come in handy for some of you.

Disabled people are average people too, we just happen to have a disability.

 

Don’t avoid it

People may drag their children away or change the topic when they ask a question about disability. The fact is, you will more than likely meet disabled people every day, there are many invisible disabilities so you may not realise that someone has a disability when you first glance at them. Believe it or not, not everyone looks disabled.

You can’t drag a child away from every disabled person you meet, and you can’t drag them away from disability. Furthermore, there’s no reason for you to do this.

If you avoid it, you may think that you’re taking your child away from the situation but you are making the situation even worse.

 

It’s all about what you say and how you say it

Children are very good at picking up on what you say, they are also very good at observing and picking up on situations. Children listen, watch and often copy, it’s only natural for them to pick up on what you say and how you say it, so this is something to be mindful of.

 

Be honest

No one expects you to know everything about disability yourself, you can’t know everything about every single disability, it’s not possible. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing and it shouldn’t be seen as something negative.

Children ask questions, and I was one of those children, if your child wants to know more then that’s great, but just because you don’t know the answer, then don’t dismiss it.

Don’t make up a story just to answer their questions in the hope that they’ll move on, because chances are, they will remember what you said. Honesty is the best policy, so if you don’t know the answer then be honest and tell them exactly that.

 

Learn more about disability yourself

There are many ways you can learn about disability – by reading articles, reading blogs and watching YouTube videos, or using social media, there are so many options.

You may feel nervous, but that’s probably because it’s the unknown. By learning about disability and educating yourself, you aren’t only just helping your child, you may need that knowledge in the future as well.

One of the aims of my blog has always been to educate people on disability because there are so many misconceptions and stigmas, if I’m able to help someone learn a bit more about vision impairment or disability then I feel like I’ve achieved something. I share a wide range of disability related content because I want to educate others, strive for change and break down barriers that disabled people face.

 

Remember: disability is not a bad word

Society often perceives disability to be something negative so people avoid talking about it. Disability means something different for everyone, but for many disabled people including myself, having a disability is something to be proud of. It gives us some brilliant skills that we wouldn’t have otherwise, and it gives us a unique perspective on life.

I can’t speak for every disabled person, but my disability is a huge part of my life, it’s part of my identity and other than people’s wrongly perceived ideas and various access issues, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

Be open to discussion

It’s all about how you approach the topic, how you educate your child and raise awareness. Rather than dismissing it, take the time to educate them.

 

Lead by example

The way you act around disabled people is something your child will pick up on and it sends a message to them. They will more than likely follow in your footsteps and remember what you said and how you reacted.

If you stare then so will they, but if you act in a friendly and polite manner then they will remember that.

I may not be able to see you staring, but I can usually sense it and trust me, it’s not a nice feeling, it’s extremely rude and makes us feel very uncomfortable.

 

Start the conversation

You may not know how to approach the subject, but by starting the conversation, you are explaining directly to your child, rather than them getting the information from others. They may also model what other children are doing and this isn’t always the correct thing.

 

Educate your children on the various types of disabilities

It’s important for children to understand that there are so many disabilities, explain that not all disabilities are visible.

It’s vital for children to know that people with disabilities can do the same things they can do, some things may need adapting and disabled people may do them in a different way but that’s ok.

 

The more children learn about disability, the more they understand the world around them. By explaining all about disability to your child, you are widening their knowledge, you are informing them that we are all different, no one is the same.

There is nothing wrong with having a disability, for many of us it’s something to be proud of and it’s important that children know that.

 

Do you have any other tips on explaining disability to children to share? If so, leave them in the comments.

 

Holly x