Working Proposal - Parents as Adaptablity/Disability Coaches

Most of the obstacles faced by disabled people, especially children, have very little to do with the disability itself. We all interact with many people in our daily lives. Most of those people have very little to no experience interacting with people with disabilities. Those are small encounters that most of us do not think about - the bus driver or person seated next to you on the morning commute, the receptionists and secretaries at the bank or doctor's office, random passerby's saying hello on the sidewalk or bus stop. For a disabled person, each of those encounters is a potential emotional minefield if they are not prepared. At any time a disabled person could be subject to some degrading or insulting action or comment, whether international or not. Additionally, disabled people are often labelled by their disability first, whereas a non-disabled person is more likely to be labelled by his personality and/or skills. This is the reality for disabled people. To succeed in navigating those obstacles, it is essential that the disabled person have a solid foundation of self-esteem and self-confidence. They must see themselves as people with a disability rather than as a disabled person. They must feel confident in their ability to be assertive and stand up for themselves in the face of adversity. The positive shaping of a disabled person in this manner must start very early in life, with the parents. They must treat their children as people first, worthy of love and attention. Accommodations and adaptations should be a secondary focus instead of the main reason for interacting with the child. They should feel like they are valued persons, not people who need to be 'fixed' first and foremost. Proper coaching will produce a person who not only has strong self esteem, confidence and assertiveness, but is also a productive and contributing member of his or her family, community and society.