Changing school (physical disability)

[DeWe]

I just tried to post this before, so sorry if it comes up twice.
Dd2 is changing school this Spetember. She has an unusual disability (missing hand)
The main problem she has at the moment is people asking... and asking and staring... and staring and asking... you get the picture.
Anyway the school reckon they can cure this by sending round three older children already at the school with different disabilities (one blind, one deaf, and one with mobility problems) to talk to the year classes dd2 will go into.
Now dd2 would probably love to do this in later years, but I'm a little bit uncomfortable about it. It feels a little like a show (perhaps a "look how inclusive we are"?)
I wondered whether I'm being a bit silly feeling this way and whether it's actaually a great chance for these children to be able to talk to the other classes. They have done this before.
Would you be pleased or not if it was your child asked to do this?

[farming4]

TBH I would be a little if ds was asked to do something like this - just had long discussions with reception teacher and HT as school ds will be attending in Sept. teacher was all for me standing up in the transition meeting in front of all the other parents and explaining ds's problems so they would be aware before their precious dcs started but Ht said no way! in his experience it caused more problems in that it highlighted ds was different and so pre-disposed him to being treated differently iyswim. All that was said in the end that there was a non-verbal child in the class and that the entire class would be learning Makaton as a matter of course - no names mentioned and no big deal made of it.

You don't say how old your dd is - imho she will probably be a 9 day wonder then she will just be plain dd, one of the girls in the class.

[josie2312]

no dewe i wouldnt be happy about this at all, they wouldnt pull a child up front just because they have different colored hair to everyone one else, im in exactly the same situation as you my DD has missing hand and part forearm too and when she went into nursery i was terrified of what the other children would say or do, we asked if they could leave DD to answer others questions herself and to intervene only if she got into difficulty or if she was being bombarded with different questions....she told one child that when i was in mummys tummy i got hungry and ate it....another that a crocodile came out the plug hole and ate it....but most of the time she just says oh i left it at home today...she too has to go to a different school to where she is now and intend to tell the reception teacher the same thing to leave her to deal with it herself its amazing how children will ask a question and at the end say oh ok shall we play, i can understand their reasoning in showing children with different disabilities but as you mentioned id would feel a little uncomfortable and yes it would be like a side show as farming4 says she will just be plain Dd after a few day hth, xx