What topics should I address when talking disability acceptance?

There are five topics that are important for people to address in disability awareness and that are often misunderstood or not taught elsewhere:

• Ableism: discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities. Ableism defines people by their disabilities and classifies disabled people as inferior to nondisabled people.
• Access and inclusion: true accessibility means creating spaces and opportunities where everyone, regardless of ability, can participate fully within all areas of life. Achieving this requires us to shift our mindsets to ensure that no one is left out of the picture. Inclusion is about recognizing the rightful place of people with disabilities in all aspects of society and adapting our practices so they feel they truly belong. We should constantly ask ourselves who is being included and who is not.
• Assistive technology: any tools that assist a person with a disability gain access to opportunities.
• Disability history, rights, and justice: the history of exclusion , the disability rights movement, current legal rights, and the Disability Justice movement, which centers the voices of multiply-marginalized people with disabilities.
• Respectful Language: respectful Language is language that is respectful, presumes competence, affirms value, and supports dignity. Respectful language also honors each individual’s identity preferences.

Learn more in our article Nurturing Disability Acceptance in Your Child’s School.