5 Ways To Empower Children With Disabilities

Children with disabilities come in all shapes, genders, and sizes. Sadly, they are one of the most excluded groups in the community, and they tend to face daily discrimination. Whether they have a hearing or language impairment, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, or other kinds of disorders, children with disabilities are in a constant battle of proving themselves in a society that could sometimes be quite discouraging.

With all these in mind, empowering such children is more of urgency rather than a simple need. Kids with disabilities need to be always reminded that they, too, can do so much and shouldn’t let their disabilities hinder them from being appreciated in the community they’re in.

Empowering Special Needs Children

Being a parent or sibling of a child with a disability may be different, but you don’t have to make the kid feel so. As a caregiver, it’s your responsibility to look after, support, and empower them in a way they won’t feel like a burden to the family. Just like other kids, they could accomplish great things, too, when you believe in them. 

Empowering children with special needs shouldn’t come off as a responsibility on your end. The last thing they’d need is to feel like an obligation or a burden. What you could do is support and nurture them in the best way you know. One great way to make them feel they’re not alone is to have them participate in disability workshop support groups where they could be with others just like them. Such a simple step could already make a huge difference without you knowing it.

Additionally, here are five more ways to empower children with disabilities:

1. Let Them Make Their Own Decisions

Letting them decide what they want to do with their lives is a good way to empower kids with disabilities. It makes them feel they have full control of their lives, and that’s a good thing. Now more than ever, they need assurance that they can participate in any decision-making that involves their future and welfare.

Doing this would also teach them to be responsible and independent. Even for a child with a mobility disability, the need to feel independent is never not evident. Likewise, they also need to understand that in every action they make, there’d be consequences. And while you can’t do anything to prevent these from happening, you could, however, teach your child to prepare for what may happen and how they can face it with willpower.

2. Find Out Their Learning Styles

Every special child is made different. How others learn and understand things wouldn’t always apply to your child with disability. So it’s important to assess their learning styles and capabilities to better incorporate a learning program suitable for them. Observe and monitor how the child performs in action to better determine their best learning style. Ask for their thoughts and inputs to make them feel they’re on this journey with you.

If you think homeschooling your special needs child is the best option for now, do so without hesitation. You’ll know it in your heart when it comes to assessing which decision is best for your child. Of course, you can always consider seeking professional advice from their doctors and therapist as well. 

3. Celebrate The Little Things

Milestones are completely different if you have a child with disability. The littlest of things could already mean the biggest accomplishments for them. Encourage them to do better all the time by celebrating the little things they do and accomplish. 

You’ll never know how appreciation can go a long way in empowering a kid with special needs. It would make them feel stronger, as if they could do anything. This is the kind of positive emotion you need to foster in their minds and spirits.

4. Include Them In Everything

They may have disabilities, but they could still be part of every decision-making the family has to make. Ask for their opinion when you can. Let them know you consider them as an integral part of the family. Keep them in the loop of what’s going on, especially if it concerns their condition and development.

5. Believe In Them

A confident child will always be a product of loved ones believing in what they can do. A special child could do amazing things if people around them would be supportive and encouraging enough. They may struggle in some areas, but it doesn’t mean they can no longer excel in other things. Help them discover their strengths and develop their talents. Make them believe in themselves simply by believing in what they could do.

Takeaways

Children with special needs are still children. They need a healthy and stimulating environment so they could reach their full potential. Empowering them should come naturally, especially if you gauge it from a point of view of someone who loves them unconditionally. More than anyone, you should be the first person to make them feel empowered, nurtured, confident, and amazing.