New Resource: Talking to Your Child About Disability

Have you ever been with your child when you have met a person with a visible disability? Perhaps your child has asked questions that have made you feel uncomfortable or like you had to “shhh” them. Or, maybe you have been reading a story with your child or watching a show and have met a disabled character and not known how to engage in conversation about their disability. For so many of us, disability awareness education was not a part of our upbringing or school experience. Because of that, introducing a toy or book that is representative of ability diversity or meeting a new person with a disability might feel intimidating, especially if your child has questions that you’re not sure how to answer. To help you navigate these conversations and opportunities, The Nora Project has designed the resource Talking to Your Child About Disability to make you feel more confident and comfortable guiding your child’s play and answering their questions about disability.

The conversation and education about disability starts at home. This resource provides key information about disability with which you can familiarize yourself before you have a conversation with your child. Disability is neither tragic, nor shameful, nor a topic that should be avoided. On the contrary, disability is an aspect of human diversity that needs more representation in schools, books, media, and society in general. We encourage you to talk about disability openly, to notice and acknowledge it respectfully and without intrusive questions, and to educate yourself and your children about disability. It is important that you feel comfortable and knowledgeable yourself before engaging in learning opportunities with your child. Download our free printable to have near you as a reminder of some of this key information while you interact with your child.

After you’ve educated yourself, you’ll be ready to engage in discussion about disability and difference with your child. While organic opportunities may arise to have these discussions, it is also important to bring these learning opportunities to your child. One way to introduce disability to kids is through children’s literature, which can serve as a gateway to rich conversation about a myriad of topics. This resource provides suggestions for books that feature disabled characters or have been written by disabled authors. In this resource, you will also find important suggestions on how to model conversation and appropriate questions for your child. 

As you play with toys and read books that include ability diversity, your kids might ask things in an unfiltered manner that can cause us to bristle in response. We encourage you to take these questions in stride, responding calmly and modeling for your child more appropriate phrasing and language. Stifling curiosity can contribute to the negative stigma surrounding disability, so do your best to answer your child’s questions without making them feel shame. You will find a section in this resource that offers commonly asked questions and ways to tactfully and intentionally respond and continue the conversation. 

One in five people on the planet identify as having a disability. Disability is not shameful or taboo, and it deserves a place in our homes, schools, and media. To begin or continue this learning process at home, check out our Talking to Children About Disability Resource as well as other resources on our Use our Resources page and never hesitate to reach out to the TNP team if you ever have any questions along the way!