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The following tips for teaching other about disability were taken from Five Myths of Talking About Race with Your Childby Jaime-Jin Lewis. It is interesting that what we learn from one attempt to sensitize our children to the cruelties of the world can also apply to other groups that experience exclusion from society. We don't have to be children to appreciate what we can learn from the following information:

1. The best way to learn about a group of people is to get to know them. People with disabilities have unique perspectives to share. Learning directly from them is a good way to help others gain experience interacting with people with diverse abilities.
2. Most people have questions and curiosities about disability. Allowing others to look and to ask questions helps them to accept people with disabilities.
3. Discuss how the new technologies that have recently been developed can help those with disabilities in their everyday lives.
4. Help celebrate the culture and heritage of those with disabilities, which will promote understanding to others of the multifaceted dimensions of each person and will be a source of pride to the disabled person.
5. Celebrate the uniqueness of each person and teach others to appreciate diversity in all forms so they can accept the various degrees of what is "normal."
6. Teach others to differentiate the various types of disabilities and to not lump all disabled people into one category as if forgetting that everyone is unique.
7. Model good attitudes and language to others when speaking about someone who is disabled. This will help create an inclusive environment where people can feel free to be who they really are.

Recent studies have estimated that the lifetime cost to care for an individual with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is $3.2 million.  

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (www.cdc.org).