Accepting Differences: Educating the School Community about a Child’s Disability
Program Description
Parents/Caregivers often become experts on their child’s disability. Through their own
learning process, they see the value of educating the school community and teaching their
child’s classmates about the affect of the disability at school. Sharing a child’s disability
with teachers, classmates and the school community is an opportunity to discuss why a child
may look or behave differently from other children in the school; point out the many ways in
which the child is like classmates and offer tips for interacting with the child. Such
discussions in and outside the classroom can be helpful to teachers and other members of the
school community in understanding the child with the disability’s challenges as well as
gaining insight into their strengths. Such awareness can be valuable to administrators and
teachers in facilitating positive relationships between the disabled child and classmates.
Most parents who educate the school community about their child’s disability find
improvement in the way their child is perceived and treated. In particular, parents and
professionals find that if classmates understand a child’s disability, they may become allies in
helping the child. The children may also be less likely to view accommodations or individual
support as unfair advantages. Talking openly about a classmate’s disability can also dispel
misperceptions and misunderstanding. Such awareness can be positive for all involved and
even deter bullying of the disabled child. In addition to informing current classmates, doing
such presentations helps to prepare the disabled child to become a “self-advocate.”
The presenter, a parent of a 15 year old son with high functioning autism will share both her
personal and professional work in educating the school community about her child’s autism.
Attention will be given to ways of discussing the disability with the child first and then
educating school administrators, teachers, staff and fellow classmates. A model for
educating classmates on differences will be presented. A number of approaches to assist
classmates as well as school professionals in understanding the child with a disability will be
examined. The goal of each model is to assist the child to be successful, to become a selfadvocate and to be accepted as an important member of the school community.
Program Objectives
Upon completion of this presentation, participants will be able to:
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Explain the benefits of talking to peers, teachers and school personnel about a child’s
disability;
Outline a program for presenting a child’s disability to teachers and peers;
Demonstrate the effectiveness of this program;
Discuss the value of talking with a child about his/her disability;
Describe issues to consider and steps to take when talking with a child about his/her
disability;
Understand the importance of teaching self-advocacy skills to children with disabilities.
Target Audience
Human Service Professionals, School personnel, parents or caregivers and anyone interested
in this topic.
Credit
1.5 to 3.0 credits
Faculty
Sherry Mergner, MSW, LCSW is a Clinical Assistant Professor and the AHEC Liaison at
UNC-CH, School of Social Work, where she coordinates continuing education programs for
mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability professionals. She is also
clinical social work faculty for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders
(LEND) grant at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, where she recruits
social workers for this specialized training in Developmental Disabilities. Sherry also
provides clinical services to families at the CIDD. Her passion is working with individuals
who have social cognitive challenges. Sherry completed Michelle Garcia Winner’s
Advanced Clinical Training in San Jose, California in March, 2016. From 2010-13, Sherry
served as the Project Coordinator for an Autism Masters Training Grant through UNC-CH,
School of Medicine, Department of Allied Health Services. The purpose of this training
grant was to educate occupational therapy, speech, and language pathology master-level
students on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Sherry received her MSW from Florida State
University in 1987 and has worked in a variety of clinical and educational settings for the
past 30 years. She is the proud mother of Noah, 17 years old with High Functioning Autism
and Nathan, 15 years old who is typically developing. Sherry has served as a Mother’s
Mentor for UNC-CH, TEACCH and was on the board of the Orange/Chatham Chapter of the
Autism Society of NC from 2005-2007. She is very active in her community and within her
children’s school promoting autism awareness and education.
Contact Information
Sherry C. Mergner, MSW, LCSW
Clinical Assistant Professor/AHEC Liaison
UNC-CH, School of Social Work
Social Work LEND Faculty
Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities
919-962-6463 (office)
smergner@email.unc.edu