Over the years, I've watched a lot of children's television (some of it educational and some not so much). Many of these shows have the admirable goal of helping children learn about the diverse people who make up our world. Unfortunately, I've noticed (in my informal, unscientific survey of what my kids enjoy watching) that when it comes to disabilities, the most popular way to address the topic is to introduce a character in a wheelchair. Shows from Raggs to Dragon Tales to Calliou to Clifford to (of course) Sesame Street either have featured or regularly feature a character in a wheelchair.You may be thinking, "But what's wrong with featuring wheelchairs?" According to disability statistics from the University of California San Francisco, "Very few children (88,000, or 0.1 percent of the population under 18 years of age) use wheelchairs." And according to a study of the underlying health conditions of children using crutches and wheelchairs 43 percent have cerebral palsy, 12 percent have spina bifida, and 8 percent have muscular dystrophy. So, of those .1 percent using wheelchairs, an even small percentage are going to be the type seen on TV shows: kids whose legs don't work but are otherwise typical developmentally.
In their real lives, children are much more likely to encounter other children with autism, cerebral palsy (with or without a wheelchair), Down Syndrome, ADHD or even dyslexia than neurotypical children with non-functioning legs. Our family is friendly with several kids in wheelchairs, but we have yet to engage in a friendly game of wheelchair basketball or to look on in surprise when, after fun and laughter at the pool, a child climbs out of the water and gets into (gasp! I would never have guessed it!) a wheelchair. When my kids first spent time with them, I spent less time talking (to my daughter at least) about the wheelchair than answering questions about what it means why Suzy doesn't talk and what it means jerks her hands like that or why Bobby doesn't laugh when everyone else does. (Actually, my son was almost entirely interested in the wheelchair itself and not much at all in its occupant.)
Both of my kids have been able to accept and understand basic physical limitations quickly; but because we spend our days in a mix of autistic and neurotypical children, the ways people think, behave and communicate differently are topics we work on every day. I spend a lot of time having conversations with my kids about the different ways that people's brains work and the different ways people interact with each other and the world. And I find myself wishing, when we sit down together and turn on the TV, that the shows we watch could reflect true diversity: not just someone who acts and thinks and experiences the world exactly the way everyone else on the show does, but with wheels.
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