As Joey gets older, he is starting to face the stereotypes and myths that increase discrimination against him. People often judge others by how they speak- and speech is one of Joey's most prominent challenges. Other kids aren't going to care that he reads three grades levels above his class or is the top math student. Heck, most adults don't care. They see a child speaking oddly, saying things that are unexpected or apparently without context, and the myths emerge like gorgons to block opportunities and relationships. And why? Because he talks "funny"?
ASAN, the Dan Merino Foundation, and Kent Creative have gotten together and created a wonderful public service spot that everyone ought to see. For a version with captions, visit this link (thanks to kev and codeman38).
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3 comments:
one of the hardest things as a parent is when our children ask us why they are different...deion started to realise that he couldn't do things and got upset, and when he was about nine he suddenly got very embarassed about having to wear pads...i think all we can do is equip them with confidence that it is being unique that is the gift...
I guess that I am very lucky - my son doesn't care if people stare at him (and they do - he is loud & his pronounciation is very poor). My other children don't get embarrassed when with him, either - which makes me very proud of them.
I have explained to my children that when people stare at them, they are obviously interesting. Only boring "normal" folk get ignored!
People are very quick to judge and jump to the wrong conclusions. A little bit of the right awareness can go along way.
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