#InternationalWheelchairDay
Vložit
- čas přidán 29. 02. 2024
- It’s International Wheelchair Day & following one of my latest shorts a parent asked the great question ‘My son sometimes sees people with visible disabilities & asks me what the issue is…Is there ever a sensible way to approach someone and ask about why they are in a wheelchair?’
The short answer is No, but here’s some more insight. Firstly, It’s not the job of random strangers from any marginalized group to educate you or your child about their minority. It’s your job to educate yourself & your child about the beautiful diversity we see in the world & how we can be more accepting & inclusive of everyone.
If your child asks why someone uses a wheelchair, simply tell them it helps that person get around. The answer does not need to be medicalised, Disability is simply a part of human diversity, it is NOT an ‘issue’! I understand that inevitably some children may continue to ask ‘why’. So you can explain there are many reasons why disabled people may need different kinds of assistive devices & you can research it further together by finding TV shows or books with disabled characters or following disabled educators like me online. The more your kid is exposed to disability the less they will point it out or ask questions.
As a disabled person it can be exhausting educating strangers about disability let alone when the questions are personal or intrusive. This is worse when it interrupts us just trying to go about our day. How would you feel if someone stopped you when you’re running late to ask you personal questions? If your child insists on approaching a disabled person, make sure it is just for a short compliment like ‘Wow I really love your wheels’ or ‘That light up stick is SO cool’ just like they might get excited seeing someone with cool hair or a funky shirt.
None of the children in my life have ever asked me why I need a wheelchair or other mobility aids, they just accept it because that’s what they know. My young cousins always make sure my stick isn’t too far away from me if we’ve been playing on the floor & my friends' kids love to ride on my lap, so really the best thing to teach your kids is that Wheelchairs are cool!
True to that! I have had people look at me like “ why are you using a wheelchair?” At church, and I tell them I have EDS. People need to learn how to mind their own business. PERIOD!
I don't mind answering kids' genuinely curious questions if they ask them unprompted but it really is the parents' responsibility to educate their kids.
I agree but also disagree. I never mind when someone has come and asked me but I do see your point as well ❤
You may not mind but a lot of people do. I don’t usually mind when kids have questions but I also am not great with kids and shouldn’t have to be the one explaining that in general. They’re not my kid or my responsibility, I shouldn’t have to be the one teaching them.
Baby-Girl you hit that nail on the head with style and gusto, thank you!!! Btw, you look amazing in that green dress!😊😊😊❤❤❤
My mother said almost word for word, what you just said; to when I was a child decades ago, you know back when book were all you had if you want to know some. Kinda scary how similar it is given its extremely unlikely you ever would have met... The world is a fun place sometime lol😅
I love this.
Personally i find it nicer if a child asks me so i can tell them what i want to tell them instead of people explaining things i'm not because they think all wheelchair users are that same way
Nice❤
❤
That's all good an well..but I've spoken to several disabled people who rather than stare n point would prefer u to ask them outright ..my nephew saw a lady with one leg ..I did explain her situation to him ..I also approached the lady and asked cud he ask too ..she was lovely and explained how she lost her leg ...we can't explain ur disability ..we are not professionals ..n children are curious....so ur basically saying it's our fault if our children are asking u about ur disibility ??? Ok good to know most arnt to be approached !!
She's not telling you to explain someone's disability in exact medical terms. What She's saying is very reasonable and understandable, just tell your kids NOT to "point and stare" because that's very rude and it makes disabled ppl feel bad. Instead, tell your kids when they see someone in a wheelchair or other mobility device, that the person is "disabled" and has a "medical condition" so they need to use the devices to get around. Nobody expects you to be psychic and explain in detail what the condition is or how the disabled person got that way. Just teach your kids to be respectful, and not to be judgemental of ppl that are "different".
@@MikiTheKat...InaHatsometimes its what kids do unfortunately n not all parents know what to do or say ..I found her quite rude ..how dare we approach her ?? ..glad I didn't go to her with my nephew if that's the abuse he would have got ..
@@twinks2.wow how dare she ask you not to bother every disabled person with personal questions they may or may not want to answer. How entitled of us for daring to want to be left alone in public right? How dare I want to just go to a grocery store in my wheelchair without having to put up with some entitled parent expecting me to educate their kid when they could just google an answer if they want to be lazy
@@saltydinonuggies1841so what ur saying is that everyone's individual disability doesn't matter now as ur grouping them on Google..every single disability is diff ..wheel chairs are for diif reason ..and there are multiple hidden disabilities....I think asking an not staring is better that putting a huge group of diff disabled peope into one category on Google..wow n u think I have n issue lol ...I didn't just turn every disabled person out there into a Google statistic..my son has 2 disabilities n u couldn't Google them lmao I will carry on asking if I want to know ..if they don't want to answer that's fine ..in the uk people are far more approachable
Cool
You're wrong babies can ask me all day long what's wrong with me it takes a village to raise a child not Mom and just Dad it takes a village it takes more than just Mom and Dad I don't mind educating children at all it is not just the parents job wats wrong with you 😢