Children are naturally curious and highly observant. They are constantly exploring and absorbing information about the world, themselves, and those around them. Sometimes they can be curious and ask direct questions about people or objects that they are new or unfamiliar with.

As adults, it may be tempting to pull the child away when he or she reacts negatively or points out a person with disability. However, this could be a learning opportunity to foster open conversations with our children, using the situation to share with them about respect and inclusion. It would be easy to walk away from it, but taking the time to engage and educate your child can make a significant impact. To initiate this process and cultivate a more inclusive community for your child, consider adopting these tips:

Tip 1: Answer your child’s questions clearly and openly

• Stopping your child from raising questions about disabilities gives the impression that disability is a taboo topic. Instead, giving clear and open responses can help them to understand that disability can be congenital or acquired later in life.

Tip 2: It is fine to say “I don’t know”

• When parents do not have the answer to their child’s questions, it is all right to admit that you do not know, and you could offer to look up the answer with your child when home.
• Be mindful to refrain from making assumptions.

Tip 3: Model inclusion

• Parents can encourage their children to interact and play with their peers with disabilities.
• They can also demonstrate disability etiquette, such as asking before offering help, speaking to the person with disability directly instead of to their caregiver etc.
• Content featuring disability knowledge or of people with disabilities going about their everyday lives such as their involvement in sports, school and work, helps to normalise disability and create a more levelled view of persons with disabilities. This presents to children the similarities we share, not just the differences or sympathy for persons with disabilities. Such content is available on SPD’s social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok or YouTube.

Tip 4: Learn more about disability with your child

• Pick up some books on disabilities or watch shows that have a positive representation of persons with disabilities. For instance, the Sesame Street character Julia has autism, the titular character of ‘Finding Nemo’ is clown fish Nemo who has a right fin which is smaller than his left one, and both Hiccup and Toothless the Night Fury of How to Train your Dragon are amputees.
• Here are some books that parents can read with their child to find out more about disability together.
  • Being Different is Okay: My Disability is Part of Who I Am by Laurie Hoirup
  • It’s Okay to Ask: A Book About Disabilities by Abigail Isaac
  • My Name is Riz. I have Motor Neurone Disease by Asri Sunawan, Hidayah Amin

Educating children about disabilities is crucial for nurturing empathy, comprehension, and respect. The conversations that you have with your children can help them understand that persons with or without disabilities are very much similar, for example, in the potential to achieve the dreams in their lives. By employing the four suggestions mentioned earlier, parents can create meaningful conversations with children that can encourage them to appreciate uniqueness, honour independence, and contribute to building a more inclusive global community.