Tips for schools and parents

I want schools to have programs to let children with disabilities interact with other children. Through this interaction, those children will gain more awareness and be more accepting. When I was in middle school, for example, sometimes it was hard for me to interact with other kids because I was not in the same class as them; I was in a special education class. Sometimes I went into the other class but not always. There are always things schools can do to make children more aware.

When I look at my nieces and nephew, sometimes I wonder what they think about me as their aunt?  Sometimes I wonder what kids in general think about when they see someone with a disability. If they know someone who has a disability, they tend to say hi when they walk by. On the other hand, when kids stare at me, I know that they don't know why I’m in a wheelchair.

I believe that all kids around the world should be taught at a young age about people living with disabilities. When kids stare at me, it feels rude and uncomfortable, and it happens all the time. Sometimes it’s not just kids that stare; adults sometimes stare too.

I want people to see me as a person first; just as more people are becoming aware of racism, more people need to become aware of ableism (discrimination against people with disabilities). Appearances on the outside do not define people; people are who they are on the inside.