Remember: It's Better to Include than Ignore

I wrote back in February about how, "When it Comes to Disabilities, Our Nation Needs to Remember the Importance of Inclusivity AND Accessibility--Plus Keep them Affordable!" That piece was more about governmental entities needing to take better steps to help those who have a disability feel included in the world via accessibility- things can be absurdly expensive even with insurance, after all. That said, people down to the individual level need to remember it is better to include those who are, "Different," as opposed to simply ignoring/forgetting them. A friend of mine posted the above meme and it really struck me because of how true it is.

Just because a child is in a wheelchair, stimming, or has any kind of disability that doesn't mean you need to, "Not stare," and ignore them. I always prefer children to ask why my son, Clarkson, sometimes claps, makes certain sounds, and uses a talker as opposed to ignoring us. Clarkson communicates differently but he still loves playing with other kiddos via jumping with them on a trampoline, climbing on things at various play-zones, and so forth. I don't want parents to tell their children to not stare at Clarkson, I welcome them having questions and wanting to learn about Clarkson so they know the best way to interact with him and be his friend.

Inclusivity isn't just something our government or community needs to do. We as individuals are responsible for making sure those who are, "Different," can feel included whether they are children or adults, with a visible or, "Invisible," disability. It is okay to acknowledge my child is different. Ignoring how he has Autism won't help anyone. Acknowledging he is different via your guidance as a parent can help foster acceptance. That helps everyone, from my kiddo to yours. Knowledge is power, and we all have the power to understand and embrace our differences.