A future of inclusion for disabled children

Richard_Scope

Sophie talks about her son who has cerebral palsy and why more needs to be done to improve disability inclusion in schools.

"Children and young people are our future. The way we raise our children shapes the world they’ll grow up in.

"Our world is made up of people with all sorts of characteristics and personalities. We need to raise awareness of these differences so that all children feel equal, included, and loved."

My son's experience

"My son knows he has cerebral palsy, but it isn’t clear to what extent he understands his condition. As he gets older, he’s becoming more aware that he’s different from other children in some ways. He’s a beautiful, intelligent, loving little boy, and is developing friendships at school.

"But sometimes other children don’t understand his behaviour, or the impact cerebral palsy has on his movement. This can make him feel frustrated by the difficulties that his condition presents."

Sophie with her son

“Others may not understand children like my son; that can present challenges. At times, this lack of awareness makes the gap between my child and other children of his age more noticeable. It can also lead to discrimination, misunderstandings, and exclusion.

"For example, other children (and adults!) don’t always have a good understanding of how cerebral palsy can affect someone’s behaviour, such as sometimes being impulsive or facing communication barriers. People often think it’s purely a physical disability. For this reason, children like my son can be misunderstood, and that in turn brings challenges with developing and maintaining relationships."

The full article is on remembercharity.org.uk

Richard_Scope

Inclusion needs to be improved across the board.

Lucy_Scope

Great article. Teaching about disability needs to be a mandatory part of PSHE.

SaraC_Scope

This is a great article. A Mum advocating for her son. It's important this is done at an early age for all disabilities. It's sad to see the same conversations within society, are still going on. My Mum fought for me 40 years ago. There has been change, but it's slow progress.

Sara