issues
You ’ ve seen it before . A mother standing in a grocery store while her child has a meltdown on the floor . Onlookers stare , their faces easy to read : discipline your child .
Parents deserve understanding
For parents of children with disability , supporting their child through the daily challenges associated with disability is made more difficult by ignorance and judgement from their community .
For Debbie Baker , the supermarket scene is all too familiar .
“ There were times I felt I had to discipline my kids when we were out in public because I was being scrutinised , criticised or attacked by those around me . Some of those people knew me , and some didn ’ t ,” Debbie said .
Debbie ’ s three children have intellectual disabilities , and are now aged 20 , 21 and 23 . When her children were first diagnosed in the late 1990s , ‘ invisible disabilities ’ were still largely misunderstood and under-diagnosed .
“ In my generation , hardly anyone was being diagnosed with anything . So , when all three of my children were diagnosed , people just couldn ’ t process it ,” said Debbie .
“ Very few of our friends and family believed that there was anything going on with the children , they just felt that their diagnosis was an excuse . It was an excuse for us to not discipline them , to let them run wild .”
Close to 20 years after Debbie ’ s children were diagnosed , parents of children with disability are still facing the same challenges from public perception .
When eight-year-old Xavier was diagnosed with autism and Asperger ’ s Syndrome in 2016 , his mother Rosanna Bell faced similar experiences .
“ The older generation tended to say , ‘ you ’ ve given him too much sugar ,’ or blamed his diet . I had a couple of people ask me if I drank alcohol when I was pregnant . It was really offensive stuff that is really hurtful when your child has just been diagnosed with disability ,” Rosanna said .
Over time , Rosanna developed a thick skin and attributes illinformed comments to a lack of understanding of people with disability and their families .
“ Now I just think ‘ oh what a ridiculous thing to say ’ or ‘ how stupid ’, it doesn ’ t affect me the way it did in the beginning . I don ’ t go home and cry when people say things anymore , I now realise it ’ s just their lack of understanding .”
Rosanna believes society would benefit from greater
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