All of us want to treat others in welcoming and inclusive ways, but if we have little experience interacting with people who have disabilities, we may not know how to do that effectively.  You may even have had the experience of trying to connect respectfully with someone who has a disability, and realized that you had done so poorly, but did not know why or how to fix it.

 

Christina Serra is an actor, artist and educator in Ontario, Canada, and is the mother of three children, the oldest of whom, Bruno, has cerebral palsy, which makes him unable to speak and requires him to use a wheelchair.  She offers us her experience and helps guide us toward interacting more effectively with those with disabilities.