Parents want their children to respect people, including those who have disabilities. That kind of neighborliness often starts with open, caring and honest talk. The more parents can help children talk about their feelings and concerns, the more likely it is that their children will grow up to be caring and compassionate.

Respect for Others

Find opportunities to show your child that you respect all people, including people who have disabilities.

• Remember that children can tell by your comments and your nonverbal reactions how you feel about the people you see who look different, are dressed differently or who have a disability.
  
• Point out things that make it easier for people who have disabilities to manage: ramps for wheelchairs, Braille signs on elevators, computers for people who have trouble talking.
  
• When you are talking about someone with a disability, be sure to talk about that person's abilities as well.
  

Helping and Being Helped

We all have ways to help one another, no matter what we can or cannot do.

• For mealtime conversation, have the children and adults in your family talk about something they did to help someone recently and what someone did to help them.
  
• If you see someone with a disability who might need help, it's a good idea to ask first. You may want to talk about times when you or your child appreciated someone's help and other times when you wanted to do something yourself.
  

Misunderstandings and Questions

Because young children are just beginning to learn about the world and about cause and effect, they can have many misunderstandings and questions about disabilities.

• As children work on their own concerns about "good and bad," they may think that a disability happens as a punishment for doing something "bad".
  
• Some children think that disabilities are contagious and may think they can "catch" them the way we catch colds.
  
• Answer questions openly. If you don't know the answer, you can say "I don't know, but maybe we can find out." You could ask the person who has a disability. Most people like to know you're interested in them.