What Do You Say?

I remember when my boys were younger we went a family gathering out of town and a family member who my boys had never seen was there. Their child had celebral palsy. My boys had never been around anyone who had a disability such as this and they really did not know what to think. They were scared at first but then through alot of talking they were a little bit at ease before we left for the day. I explained to them that everyone is differnt and that God did not make us all the same. Even thought someone may not be like you they still want to have friends and be loved just like you do. I explained that the person will not hurt them but when they act scared of that person how it might hurt that person's feelings. I explained we need to treat everyone the same regardless of how that person is. As the years went by my boys never had that fear anymore of seeing someone with a disability. I have always taught them you don't make fun of anyone and if you can't say anything nice about someone then don't say anything at all. Being a classroom teacher and explaining this to my students I will tell read stories and talk with them about how each and everyone is different. We have a saying in our classroom and we say it often "Everybody is different, nobody is perfect" and they understand this. Some of the things I would incorporate in my classroom when discussing with students someone who has a disability would be no two people are the same -- some differences are just more noticeable, a disability is only one characteristic of a person. People have many facets: likes and dislikes, strengths and challenges,children with disabilities are like all children in that they want friends, respect and to be included, children can be born disabled or become disabled from an accident or illness. You can't "catch" a disability from someone else, just because someone has a physical disability (when a part or parts of the body do not work well) does not mean they necessarily have a cognitive (or thinking) disability and children with disabilities can do many of the things that they can do, but it might take them longer. They may need assistance or adaptive equipment to help them. When talking to children about peopel who may be different I try to use clear, respectful language when talking about someone with disabilities and most of all listen and talk with my students.