Getting educated on disability discrimination by @theluckyfew_mama

Hello I'm Alishia from theluckyfew_mama on Instagram, and I've started a new campaign to combat disability discrimination. I want to share as many different children/ adults with a range of different disabilities as I can to get people talking about disability more. My hope is that people pass this information on to their children so we have a generation of more inclusive humans.

It only seems right to kick off my new project of raising awareness for a range of disabilities with the reason I advocate so fiercely.

This week I've seen a news article about a presenter from cbebbies getting complaint's from parents saying her disability scared their children. My question is why on earth do so many people still think disability is something to be scared of? Why do parents think it is acceptable to pass this attitude on to children?

I beg of you please sit your children down and speak to them about disability, show them it comes in many different forms, show them disability isn't something that needs to be feared. Show them different doesn't mean it's abnormal. Teach them how to be inclusive so that we don't have to be worried about people leaving our kids out. Stop using derogatory terms like retard, spaz and mong as an insult or in the name of comedy. When you say them you mock our children who we love dearly.

It's 2021 and still disability discrimination is rife yet people always seem shocked when we speak about it almost like it's a Taboo. I assure you it's real I've seen it with my own eyes. From the medical professionals diagnostic over shadowing putting everything down to her having down syndrome instead of doing their jobs properly, no one knowing who to adapt things for a child who is partially sighted, people asking 'what's wrong with them', strangers in the street thinking it is necessary to say 'my auntie had one of them' like Faye is another species' and bus drivers refusing your entry on the bus because she just looked like a baby ignoring the fact she was on a feeding pump and I told them she can't sit up so how can I fold her pushchair.

Then we have the biggest kick in the gut from this last year all the people saying that those who have to shield should stay in doors so you can all get back to normal. People who have to shield are still people who deserve a quality of life. I am going to be sharing some very amazing little people on my grid/ newsfeed in the coming weeks so all I ask is that you read their stories and educate yourself and your children on the many faces of disability.