As a special education major, nothing makes me sadder than to hear that someone is afraid to speak to someone with a learning disorder or disability. Too many times I have seen people approach a situation involving someone with an intellectual or developmental disability in a timid way. Too many times, I have seen people treat autistic people or people with down syndrome like they aren’t people. PSA: THEY ARE! They are not stupid, they are not scary.

I am just here to tell you all that there is nothing to be afraid of. People with disabilities deal with enough as it is, there are sometimes unable to hold an entire conversation, or go to the bathroom on their own, as you can imagine, that can be very frustrating. Then, to have people talk to them and look at them like they are some sort of extraterrestrial, probably doesn’t make their lives any easier. I can almost guarantee you that you can learn a hell of a lot more from them than they can ever learn from you. To be perfectly honest, just a smile or a simple kind gesture can go a long way to people with disabilities (and pretty much everyone else in the world).

When I tell people that I am a special education major, I mainly get told something along the lines of “wow, it takes someone really incredible to do a job like that.” No. The students are the incredible ones, honestly. When I hear that, it almost feels like the students are being robbed of their importance. Really, I’m telling you guys, the biggest and kindest hearts I have ever connected with are those with learning disorders or disabilities. All these people want to do is fit in, they already know they are different than everyone else and the very LEAST thing we can do is treat them with kindness and compassion.

So, with this article, I encourage people to research intellectual and developmental disabilities and disorders just to understand them, so you can stop being afraid.