Avenues - Common Question Kids Ask

Q & A: Answers to the Most Common Questions Kids Ask People with Disabilities (these questions and answers deal with mobility disabilities)

We asked our Easter Seals Camp Wawbeek ambassadors what questions very young children most commonly ask them, and how they would reply. Ashley, 16; Megan, 13; Brad, 18; and Ed, 29 all have cerebral palsy and all use wheelchairs.

Why are you in a wheelchair?

Ashley: My muscles don’t work as well as other people’s do.
Megan: Because my legs don’t work.
Brad: My legs don’t work like they should.
Ed: I’m in a wheelchair because God made me special. I can’t walk or stand on my own. I need support. My legs do not work like others who can run, jump, hop, and skip.

Does it hurt?

Ashley: No.
Megan: No.
Brad: Yes, sometimes certain parts of my body hurt, but not very often.
Ed: No, having a disability doesn’t hurt! My leg muscles tighten up from time to time.

Can you walk? 

Ashley: Yes, with a grown up’s help or with my walker.
Megan: Yes. It’s but it’s hard for me.
Brad: No, I can’t walk.
Ed: Yes, I can walk. I walk with a special walker that gives me the support. I need to walk to keep my legs loose. I can only walk short distances. When the weather is bad - deep snow or heavy rain, my friends help me get around campus.

Do you sleep in your wheelchair?

Ashley: No, my mom or dad pick me up and put me in bed.
Megan: No. I sleep in my bed just like you and I get tucked in by my parents too.
Brad: No, my parents and friends help me into bed.
Ed: Yes, I fall asleep in my chair from time to time for a few hours when I’m really tired from watching TV or doing homework.

How do you get dressed?

Ashley: I need help from a grown up to get dressed.
Megan: I get help, but I pick out my own outfit and make myself pretty.
Brad: My parents help me.
Ed: I can get dressed as far as putting on shirts, shorts, and pants. I need help putting on my socks, braces, and shoes.

How do you take a bath?

Ashley: I have a bench that I sit on in the shower in our bathroom.
Megan: I get undressed, get in the tub and take a bath. :-)
Brad: I have a special chair my parents put me in to take a shower or bath.
Ed: I take a shower by using a special shower chair with rollers on it so that way I can just roll in to the shower with little help.

How do you go up and down stairs?

Ashley: I have a special chair that sits on a rail and it takes me up and down the stairs by pushing a button. I also use ramps to get into other places.
Brad: I either take the elevator if there’s one or my parents take me out of my chair and carry me up or down the stairs. Then they carry my chair up.
Ed: I walk upstairs hanging onto railings. One person goes in front of me and one behind. They are there for support.

Do you go to school?

Ashley: Yes, I have to take a special bus that has a lift in the side of it so I can get my wheelchair in the bus. I go to regular classes.
Megan: Yes I go and learn just like everybody else. My favorite subject in school is reading.
Brad: Yes, I go to school just like you, but I have someone there that helps me with what I need.
Ed: Yes, I do go to school. I attend the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, majoring in Radio/TV/Film. Even though you have a disability, you can still follow your dreams and do whatever you want to do.

Do you play sports?

Ashley: Some sports are made especially for people in wheelchairs, so yes I can play sports.
Megan: Yes I do. I love playing basketball.
Brad: Yes, I can play some sports with some special equipment. My favorite sport is bowling. They have a special ramp that I can use. All they have to do is put the bowling ball on the ramp & then I can push it down the ramp and it rolls down the alley toward the pins. They also have adapted pool tables where I can wheel my chair right under the table and use shorter pool cues.
Ed: Yes, I do play sports. I compete in Special Olympics. I participate in sports like basketball, bowling, and track and field. In track and field I compete in the 100 meter and 200 meter wheelchair racing.

Can you dance?

Ashley: Yes, I just move my wheelchair back and forth on the dance floor.
Ed: Yes, I can dance. I just put my hands on my wheels and move my chair from left to right. I also do circles and pop wheelies.

What do you do with your friends?

Ashley: I go shopping, to movies and talk to them on the phone a lot.  I also have friends spend the night and go camping with us.
Megan: We play. We talk. We go places like the movies. We hang out.
Brad: I go shopping, I go to the movies, I talk with them on the phone and many other things.
Ed: I go to movies, go out to eat, and go to sporting events with my friends. I also just hang out and have a good time.

Do you have a question not answered here? Submit it, and we’ll add it to the page. Email us.. Please put ‘Avenues Question’ in the subject line.

Note to parents and educators: You might also find Myths and Realities Surrounding People with Disabilities helpful in answering questions from your children or the children in your group.