When it comes to parenting, there aren’t very many parents with disabilities in play groups, after school groups, or even recreational groups for our children. However, there are parents with a range of disabilities in society. Sometimes people are too caught up in our limitations to realize that people with disabilities can be successful parents too. The issues faced by parents with disabilities aren’t really known by mainstream society. We are still seen as people who are incapable of parenting because of our limitations. This misconception doesn’t stop people with disabilities from dreaming and planning to become parents.
Social media posts exist that tell parents to teach their children to be accepting of the kids with disabilities in their surroundings. The first ingredient is for the fear of disability to be erased in adults. People with disabilities are still seen as people who are constantly ill or can’t take care of themselves at all. There is the misconception that it is too cumbersome to afford us the accommodations to meet our basic needs. People believe we live a miserable existence and there is little positivity that surrounds us. This may sound uncomfortable or difficult because some people don’t know where to start. The solution to overcoming this myth is to find out more information from reliable sources on disability. This should be the starting point to unveiling the unknown of what it is to really live with a disability. Unfortunately, society allows different forms of media to shape people’s frame of reference without having real life experiences to draw upon.
The reality is that people with disabilities are productive members of society who deserve the chance to not be judged solely on appearance. Parents with disabilities are still left in the shadows or criticized for their choice to become a parent in the first place. There are resources, support and pieces of assistive technology available that make the job of parenting with a disability a possibility for those interested in exploring that avenue and a reality to those that are already parents. On the flipside, we are still parents to children who love us, who only see us as their parents and see our disability as secondary if even at all. It is rarely an issue to kids that we have any sort of limitation. Adding to the conversation of what parenting with a disability is really like is one way to add a layer to a topic that is rarely discussed. It is time that it be brought out of the shadows.
The way people with disabilities have been treated and portrayed by society has significantly changed for the better. There are more true-to-life stories being told. These accounts unmask what other people are so afraid to talk about. That doesn’t mean further change of people’s mindset surrounding our community couldn’t be accomplished. Acceptance of parents with disabilities is one of the components that could be used as a starting point to get the dialog of what living with a disability is really like.
This may seem like a tall order to fill, even in the 21st century. There are still societal and attitudinal barriers that are faced by the disability community regularly. These only seem to be amplified by mentioning the words parenting with a disability in the same sentence. There are so many related topics that are seen as taboo when you add the fact that some people with disabilities decide to have a family. There are still important issues like healthcare, relationships and over all well being that are ignored for people with disabilities because we don’t need those kinds of services. The reality of the matter is that we need more accessible information to be available so that we can have an increased quality of life. This information will help us make informed choices on the options of healthcare. That is when we will be able to make informed decisions about those subjects. The people who are most cherished in our lives need us to be healthy so we can participate in everyday activities.
It is important to raise awareness of parents with disabilities to the next level. People need to have the opportunity to learn more about what parents with disabilities must overcome even when making the decision of whether to go down the road of parenting in the first place. Sometimes people feel like parents that have a disability will become a burden to their children. Everyone’s child wants to take care of their parents as they age. Parents with disabilities are no different.
The conversations we have with our children and others around us are important in shaping the views people have surrounding a concept. The ideas shared on the subject with their children will help form the belief systems they will carry through their lives. If we can turn the tide to a more positive feeling surrounding disability, that would be a step in the right direction. Then there will be change and as a result mainstream society will see parents and people with disabilities in a more positive light.
Hopefully through the next series of content posted on the blog, questions will be answered and things that some people are afraid to ask will be answered.