Artwork by Eileen Schofield at the Art Enables studio in Washington DC
The Nora Project & Individual and Family Connection teamed up for Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month to share one of our favorite books, A Kids Book About Disability!
Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month? #DDawareness2021 seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still face in connecting to the communities in which they live.
Grownups often wait too long to talk about the most important topics with their kids. Turns out, the ones who aren’t ready for it are us. We wanted to help you start the conversation with your children by reading together! Catch our video here!
A Kids Book About Disability is a great way to start the conversation about disability, ableism, and inclusivity. We value being honest with the stories we share and the words we use. Kids will respect it and be all the better for it.
We also value using the actual words about the actual things we are talking about. These conversations are too important to risk kids not understanding because of vague metaphors and childlike similes.
You might be worried about what words to use in these conversations with your kids, and that’s where resources like this, organizations like the Nora Project, or family therapy sessions come in! At IFC we value talking with children using the actual words about ‘the thing’ (whatever it might be), giving you the tools to talk about the thing too.
Take Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month as your opportunity to start a conversation with your family about this important topic. If we don’t talk about these things with our kids, THAT sends a message in itself, a message we don’t want to send.