The Personal Side of Biases, Prejudice, and Oppression

While I was in college studying to be a special education teacher, I had the opportunity to work with a young boy with cerebral palsy over the summer.  It was a wonderful experience.  This experience made me aware of some of the biases that people hold against people with special needs.  Mason and I worked on social skills, letter sounds, math skills, and other academic skills.  One day, I took Mason to Chuck E. Cheese for a reward for learning some new letter sounds consistantly and for good behavior.  He was so excited!  After he ate his pizza, he was full of energy.  He wanted to play a skeball game.  While he was playing, a few of the balls went on another lane.  A parent of another child, yelled at Mason and called him stupid.  I was furious.  Mason did not really notice that she was yelling at him, but was very sad when she called him stupid.  I told Mason loudly in front of the lady that not everyone is nice and that he was very smart.  I also told the manager about the lady's behavior.  Mason got 500 extra tickets and was thrilled.  However, this experience still makes me angry.  One would think that an adult would not speak to or about a child in that way.  This showed me that children are not born biased, but learn by example. 
This experience was eye opening.  It made me want to advocate for the children that I worked with.  Children may not have equal abilities, but should be treated fairly and respected.

That summer, I also took Mason to the pool quite frequently.  While most of the parents were very nice to Mason, some parents did try to avoid us or glanced at us with pity in their eyes.  This is a look that I have noticed even with my own son.  When he wears his leg braces in public, some people stare.  I do not mind if children ask questions.  I feel that if I answer their questions that they can receive unbiased answers and help promote acceptance.  However, some adults act like they have no concept of differences.  They stare or even avoid contact with Owen.  In these instances, I often have Owen say "hi" to them...he is always so smiley!  I feel that this shows them that he is a sweet little boy and is nothing to be "afraid" of.   HOW COULD SOMEONE JUDGE AND NOT LOVE THIS ADORABLE FACE???