What's your gut reaction when you see someone with a physical disability?

How do you feel when you see someone with severe burns, or a person in a wheelchair, or someone with a missing limb?

I ask this question for two reasons.

I heard a phone-in on a TV programme about a CBeebies TV presenter who has the lower part of her right arm missing and she doesn't wear a prosthetic. The phone-in raised the question, "does CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell's arm scare children? Should she actually be seen on TV? Is she the BBC's way of including minorities? Or should this be the norm?"

I believe ignorant adult responses and prejudices regarding people with disabilities scare children and not necessarily the disability itself. What Cerrie has done is raised awareness about disabilities which I think is a good thing. Some people who called the TV programme said that Cerrie should not be seen on TV because she might give children nightmares. I feel what Cerrie does is give children with disabilities hope. Cerrie's appearance on TV is a good idea. She reinforces the fact that just because she's disabled it doesn't stop her from living her life, presenting on TV and being seen as a human being instead of an unfortunate disabled girl with a missing hand.

The second reason why I raise this question - and this is where my bias comes into play - is because the first person I knew who had a severe physical disability was my cousin Ashley who I met when I was 8 and I took to him straight away. No one in my family explained Ashley's condition and I didn't ask. Ashley lived abroad and I met him on my first holiday to Jamaica and after I met him, I visited him every single day during my six week holiday. I enjoyed Ashley's company because he was bright, incredibly talkative, funny and he always looked happy to see me.

Also, another close family member, my 24 year old nephew has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair just like Leon Donegan who's story appears below.

I think the stories regarding Cerrie Burnell and Leon Donegan (pictured) who is an Advertising Student at Coventry University should be heard loud and clear.

See the following link: Leon Donegan's story called I'm Just Like Everybody Else.



Leon Donegan