Teaching a Pre-K About People w/ Disabilities

[theantiquetiger]

I was at Wal-Mart the other day with my 2 1/2 year old. We were in the electronics department looking at cell phones. My daughter is in front of me in the basket, and I hear her yell, "Daddy, look at him, he is funny!!!" I had her tuned out, so she had to repeat it a couple times before I realized she was talking to me (you parents know what I am talking about).

I look up and see her point down the isle. I turn my head and she she is pointing at a guy who works there who has M.S. (or M.D., or one of those muscular diseases).

I was stumped. I simply tell her, "Yeah, I see him, he has a bo-bo!" All she understands is bo-bo's or sick. I didn't want to use the word "sick", I thought it would just complicate the subject even more.

I turn back to the clerk, with a smile on my face and a light chuckle (kind of like half in shock and half in relief). I think she took my smile and chuckle the wrong way, thinking I was laughing at the guy. She didn't say anything, but she had a look on her face.

What would you have done? (not with the clerk, but with your 2 year old)

[saildog]

What would you have done? (not with the clerk, but with your 2 year old)

Exactly what you did: explain it in terms that you know your 2 year old will understand and realize that how the Clerk perceived this situation is not a concern. (Besides, to see this as anything other than what it was would be wratch-baggery on her part.)

[HardyGirl]

As a former pre-school/ toddler teacher, I've had this experience more than once when I've taken my class on a field trip and they've seen someone in a wheelchair, or who is blind or something. I explained to them that some people get hurt, or they are sick, or they came out of their mommy's tummy with something wrong and they can't help it. I even had a puppet someone gave me that was missing his eyes. Instead of fixing him, he was "Billy the blind goat". It helped them understand that a disability isn't something that is bad or wrong, and it's not something to be afraid of. I have a similar problem w/ some of the kids who come here (like Noe'), b/c my mom is an amputee in a wheelchair, and I have to explain to them about her situation.

[Mikey]

You did good.

Young kids can't grasp concepts like this so it's not even worth trying to explain it to them more then what you said... It would only confuse them.

It also is embarrassing and patronizing to the disabled person trying to act as PC as possible in front of them ... They don't want to be your example in a lesson to your child.

Again, you did good.

[sauce]

Agreed.
Be honest but keep it simple.

[toys2cool]

it's hard,but I think you handled it just fine