Kelly, this is such an important idea! And it is one that I hope both parents and educators grok.

Indeed, the stigma of disability is—to me—more of a mirage than a fact. It's something that we humans have created, cooked up, imagined.

And, there are lots of other illustrations of the problem. Some of my researcher colleagues, for example, treat eligibility for special education as a marker of failure. In the array of variables, that some developmental psychologists study, even a question as simple as "Is the child now or has she ever been eligible for special education services" is a negative outcome. Ugh.

My late colleague, Jim Kauffman, commented on this idea repeatedly. He and Garry Hornby, explained how the idea gets wrapped into positions favoring inclusion ("Inclusive Vision Versus Special Education Reality," doi.org/10.3390/educsci…).

Thanks for posting it!