The eighth floor

[E*F*4L]

i saw this today,

Parents have complained that a children's TV presenter with one hand is prompting awkward questions from young children. So how should you explain this kind of disability to a child?

No-one comes up with wrong-footing questions quite like a young child. And young, curious minds don't hesitate to point out differences in people they see around them.

So when the BBC's children's channel CBeebies employed presenter Cerrie Burnell, who was born with only one hand, her appearance on television screens prompted a debate among parents about what they say to their children.

Online message boards on CBeebies and the BBC's disability magazine Ouch! were brimming with support for the employment of a person with a disability, and the way this educated children about diversity.

But a minority of parents expressed concern that Ms Burnell's appearance was "scaring" children. One father said he feared it would give his daughter nightmares and a mother said her two-year-old girl could not watch because she thought the presenter had been hurt.

Ms Burnell, 29, says she doesn't take this personally but these kind of comments highlight the prejudice that disabled people face.

more here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7906507.stm

what the hell is the matter with people in this country !

it's the daily mail reading parents that are the problem,

"One father said he feared it would give his daughter nightmares" well has she had nightmares because of it ?

&

"a mother said her two-year-old girl could not watch because she thought the presenter had been hurt" & the mothers response to her child's question was what ?

[Bumble_85]

Shit happens.

[Nik B.]

Annnnnnnnnnd people ask why I've lost all faith in humanity.

To all the parents who "Voiced their (baseless and quite honestly, flimsy) concerns", Get yourself a great big rock, and go hide under it. Because you're obviously so detatched from reality that it's what you need just to continue living in you're Perfect la de daa world.

Or you can do what I did, lose faith in humanity and only listen to and trust certain people. Life sucks a lot but ahh well, shit happens...

[Hammer]

As is pointed out in the article, the problem is with the parents, not anyone else. Children are naturally inquisitive, and all it takes is a simple explanation as to why she's missing a hand and everyone moves on.

[Guest]

When I was a kid Terry Nutkins presented The Really Wild Show with a few fingers missing! I don't remember any furore surrounding that and I'm sure there were kids then asking the same questions. All it does really is highlight how overprotective parents are these days, wrapping their kids up in cotton wool, effectively denying them the full experience of having a proper childhood which, yes, includes discovering that some people have disabilities and that they shouldn't be ignored but understood and respected.

[MissCorsham]

I understand why people are a bit unsure at first, but if they explain it to their child there wont be a problem, they need to learn about disabilities one day.

[DC]

pathetic. those stupid parents think they've got it bad? what about parents who come home to their children from the military with limbs missing? it's important for kids to learn that people like cerrie burnell shouldn't be looked upon different to anyone else because of their disability.

[DarkAngelMJH]

This is pathetic! I would have thought that it would have been a perfect opportunity

to explain about disabilities. If the BBC had not considered her for the role at all they would have been called allsorts. Even then the daily fail would have been jumping on them for it.

If she is a good presenter and the children have had it explained to them I personally don't see the problem other than narrow minded people.

[kitty]

This is ridiculous! Jeremy Beadle, one of the biggest family entertainment personalities of the 90s had a visible disability, and there was none of this furore then.

I think it is good that children are prompted to consider diability from a young age- it will lead to greater acceptance in later life, rather than the "fear of the unknown" which can exist at the moment. Shall we just have the Aryan nation on children's TV to ensure that young children are in a bubble away from reality?

[Lucinda]

I think most children are going to encounter someone sooner or later who is missing a limb. I know several people myself who are. As some parents have commented below that article, it is better that they first encounter the situation on the TV where they can ask questions without potentially embarrassing the disabled person. It also points out that more and more disabled people are going to mainstream schools. I think the onus does rest on the parents to explain that some people are born differently. There was a boy in my primary school who only had 2 fingers on each hand and a boy in my secondary school who was missing one arm below the elbow. The people are right who say that children learn their prejudices so it is up to the parents to ensure that they grow up with a healthy attitude to all kinds of difference.

[Grace]

It scares me that people like this exist. (The parents, not Cerrie.) I'd be interested to see whether they would come out and say this without the anonymity of the internet.