The Power of Conversation and Picture Books
By Emily Pappa, Director of Flagship Program
For my son’s 4th birthday he got a treehouse playset. He is obsessed with treehouses, so this was a highlight for him. Along with the treehouse he received wooden furniture and gnomes to live inside. One of the pieces of furniture is a chair, but it has rounded sides which make it resemble a wheelchair. When he sat down to play, he quickly assigned one of the gnomes as an ambulatory wheelchair user, a gnome that could walk but used a wheelchair to get around more easily. He started playing with this gnome in the treehouse, but then quickly got upset. The treehouse had three stories, but there were only stairs and ladders to get to the upper levels. My son was sad that his gnome would not be able to get upstairs, because there were no ramps. To my surprise (and delight!), he was upset about the lack of accessibility in his toy!
White fingers on the left side of the photo hold onto a brown and tan wooden carved basic wheelchair.
As I’ve watched him continue to play with his new toy, I have been reflecting on where this all could have come from. Despite the work I do with The Nora Project and my teaching background, there are no formal lessons about accessibility being taught in our home. So where did he get this from? I have to attribute it to two things- picture books and natural conversations about diversity. The books we own and the choices we make at our public library always include diverse characters. My children see people with disabilities, of different cultures, religions, gender identities, and skin colors as main characters in these stories. One book my boys request often is All the Way to the Top, the story of Jennifer Keelan and the Capitol Craw by Annette Bay Pimentel. Through this book we have talked about the importance of ramps, curb cuts, and making accessible spaces for all. Despite these conversations, I was unsure how much was really being absorbed by my children. As parents, it is so hard to know what our kids are really taking away from all that we do and say until they have moments like my son did with this new toy. That’s when we get to see the magic of what they have learned.
My son reminded me of some really important things through his play with his beloved treehouse. He reminded me that children are never too young to learn about something, even the basics of an Ability Inclusive Mindset. In fact, the earlier we start talking to our children about all parts of diversity, the more natural it will be as they grow older. The more natural it will be for them to look at something, like a treehouse toy, and want everyone to be able to participate in the fun. If we start early, an Ability Inclusive Mindset will be something they will inherently have as they grow.
He also reminded me about the power of picture books. The act of integrating diverse characters and stories into your daily reading routine can hold so much power. Making sure that people of all backgrounds and identities are represented in your home will help make it something your children expect to see when they are out in the world.
It’s through picture books and casual, but intentional conversations that my son learned the importance of accessibility. And it is why our treehouse now has ramp options, so all of our toys can access all levels.
A green plastic multi level toy tree house sits in the the middle of the photo with two little boys holding plastic characters as one character uses a brown ramp to enter the tree house.
Want to diversify your home library? Check out our Kindness Library for some great books to add to your home.
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