Children don’t always act delicately when confronted with a new situation or something they’re unfamiliar with. You can remedy this reaction by preparing them ahead of time and teaching them things they may not have been knowledgeable about, such as the different disabilities people may have.

By guiding your child to a more empathetic mindset, you’re preparing them for the differences and diversities the world has to offer. Fighting against ableist beliefs early creates a kinder generation.

When you don’t have the words to say, discussing sensitive topics, such as ableism, can be difficult. However, you will need to speak to your family about disabilities to learn and grow an empathetic mindset. You can start these discussions in several ways, even when you don’t have all the answers.

1. Have Honest Discussions

Sit your children down and talk to them about disabilities. You can relate the experience of someone you know by using them as an example so kids can better understand. If you don’t have someone in your close circle with a disability, emphasize they don’t inherently make a person different — disabled people have plenty of things in common with everyone else.

You should talk to your children about why it is essential to understand and love people’s differences. Discuss how the world makes it easier for non-disabled people to get around and move forward, while things might be a little more difficult for those with disabilities. Make it clear that disability is neither a bad nor a good thing, just a difference to celebrate and appreciate. By establishing these boundaries, your children will understand that ableist statements are unwelcome.

2. Support Inclusive Places

When you support a restaurant or business that includes options for people with disabilities, both visible and invisible, you’re sending a message to your family that you care about everyone. Your family might ask why you chose to purchase from a particular company, and you can answer that it’s because they care for everyone, regardless of disability status.

For example, when choosing a place to go on vacation, you should opt for a location that supports people with disabilities. Doing so gives your money to a worthwhile business that serves all people, and you have the opportunity to demonstrate to your children how to take action for equality.

3. Turn Experiences Into Opportunities

You should never stifle the curious mind of a child. Your kid is bound to ask a question at an inappropriate time, such as pointing out someone with a visible disability in a store. How you respond to this situation can indirectly teach your child how they should view disabilities. Instead of saying something like, “That’s not nice,” you can explain what you know about the disability.

If you don’t know the answer or want to encourage more discussion, tell your child that you both can ask the person about their disability and hear it from them. If your child approaches someone and asks nicely to hear more about their wheelchair, they may talk about it. If the person says no, you have to remind your child to respect their boundaries and find the answers they seek through another source.

4. Pick Your Language Carefully

Any parent knows that children will pick up everything you say. You should use your words in a way that you wouldn’t mind your kids repeating. When speaking about any topic that requires care, you should choose your words carefully and actively use the proper terminology for what you’re describing. At some point, your kids will likely repeat the words you use, and hopefully, they’ll utilize their knowledge to educate their peers, too.

5. Use Educational Tools

Your children likely consume some form of media every day, whether through books or television. Using it for good and showing your children something educational will expose them to being more empathetic toward others and encourage learning more about people’s differences.

For example, Julia, a character with autism, was added to “Sesame Street’s” cast in 2015. With the addition of this character, the show has opened up an avenue for dialogue about autism and can teach kids directly and indirectly about the disorder.

Similarly, books can teach your children about multiple disabilities and allow you to communicate effectively with your child about a topic you may not have known much about before. Resources exist to help you better teach kids about the world and other people they may encounter.

Teach Your Children to Love Others

Education is key to cutting down ableism before it begins. If a child doesn’t understand something regarding disabilities, do your best to answer their questions and look for supplemental information and advice elsewhere. By teaching your children about the prevalence of ableism and how they can combat it, they’ll be better prepared to enter the world with kindness.

*collaborative post

Source link

The post 5 Ways To Talk To Your Family About Ableism appeared first on Heal your health yourself.

While you may be familiar with disabilities and social justice activism, you might not know a lot about ableism and how to educate about it. Ableism is defined as discrimination and social prejudice against those with disabilities, based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. This prejudice can be geared at those with both mental and physical disabilities. There are so many reasons you may want to teach your children about ableism — whether you, someone in your family or even your child themselves has a disability, educating your family about the best ways to notice and combat ableism whenever you see it.

While ableism can take many different forms, there are also plenty of ways to educate your children about it so they can be prepared to include others and fight for their own inclusion in a variety of spaces. While every school, workplace, daycare, extended family and circle of friends is different, you can build onto the skills you practice at home with your kids and ultimately create a better environment for them. Combating ableism is just one part of creating a world of equality for all, and you and your children have the opportunity to be a part of that.

1. Create An Inclusive Household

Inclusivity starts at home, and that includes teaching your kids about inclusivity through your own actions and behaviors in your household. Actions as simple as rejecting in-crowd ideas, inviting different people with various life experiences can expose your children to all different people, opportunities and ideas, and this can lay the foundation for anti-ableist ideology as your kids learn and grow in the world.

2. Fight For Accommodations Together

One of the most important parts of combating ableism is combating the systems that keep ableism in place on larger scales. Whether your child has a disability or they have a friend or loved one with a disability, getting involved to help get the necessary accommodations together can be a great learning tool for them. Whether it’s helping get extended time on tests in school for someone with a learning disability or helping make mobility more accessible through tools like ramps and mobility aids, working towards accommodation is a part of working towards equality.

3. Focus On Similarities, Not Differences

This can be an important part of learning about anybody who is different from you and your family, and it applies especially when it comes to disability awareness. Focusing on the ways in which people are similar rather than different can not only combat ableism, but it can encourage friendships and socialization between people of all backgrounds.

4. Explain Using Facts

Kids may have specific curiosities about disabilities, and while it can be tempting not to talk about them, being forthcoming about information can help kids become more educated about the needs of others, and can eventually lead to more effective allyship. This being said, explaining information using facts can be powerful, as it can help kids educate themselves and become more knowledgeable about those around them.

5. Allow For Questions

Similar to the previous point, your kids will likely have a few questions — not just about disability, but about ableism. Especially if you have kids with disabilities themselves or you have a loved one with disabilities, it can be hard to process the idea that someone might judge others for something they can’t control. While this can sometimes be hard, try to answer their questions as best as you can, using age-appropriate language. Ultimately, this can help your kids become better-informed.

6. Use Familiar Examples

Just like many things, disability is a spectrum, which means that some disabilities require a lot of care and attention while others are less visible — often being called “invisible disabilities” or “invisible illnesses” due to this fact. When talking about disability and ableism, it can be helpful to start with examples that are already familiar with your family

7. Encourage Empathy

One of the best ways to help kids understand disability and combat ableism is to encourage empathy, even from a very young age. Often, the gap in empathy is what creates issues like ableism in the first place — you can even use that as a part of your discussion with them about ableism when they’re ready. Empathy is all about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes in order to understand how they feel, and when your kids learn to do that for others, it can become a consistent practice throughout their lives.

Teaching Your Kids About Ableism

Teaching kids about any kind of discrimination or inequality is bound to be difficult. However, whether a loved one in your circle has a disability or they do themselves, making sure they’re informed and educated can be a tool they use throughout their lives. This way, they can become better advocates for themselves, their loved ones and even those they don’t know. Through empathy, inclusion and education, your kids can fight ableism anywhere.

*collaborative post

Source link

The post 7 Ways To Teach Your Kids About Ableism appeared first on Heal your health yourself.