TLDR: This post contains the following content:
Reaffirming Advocate-Alliance’s commitment to justice (BLM, TNRC, Queer Rights).
Discussing why it’s crucial for children, especially neurodivergent children, to learn about equity, difference, and systemic injustice.
Simple, age-appropriate ways to talk to children about race, Indigenous rights, and gender identity.
Showing how the principles of equity you apply to your child’s disability resources are the same principles you support globally.
If you’re reading this, you’re likely a parent, a caregiver, or an ally fiercely navigating the systems of the world to ensure a child—perhaps a neurodivergent child, a child with a disability, or a child who just needs more—gets what they deserve.
At Advocate-Alliance, I live and breathe the fight for equity. I understand the bureaucratic battles for an IEP, the emotional labour of securing accessible resources, and the exhaustion of having to prove your child’s inherent worth to an indifferent system. This work is deeply personal for us, and it is precisely this personal, fierce commitment to equity that compels us to speak about systemic justice on a global scale.
This isn’t a side issue. This is the issue. Our commitment to justice—for our children and for all marginalized peoples—is not a political trend; it is the unwavering, non-negotiable core of my mission. And for those of us raising kids who already experience the world as a place of constant accommodation negotiation, understanding and teaching global justice is one of the most powerful protective factors we can give them.
Justice is Intersectional
Let’s be real: Advocate-Alliance stands in solidarity with the movements demanding systemic change because true advocacy recognizes that all struggles for dignity are interconnected. I see no difference between fighting a school board for a fair behavioural plan and fighting a system that devalues Black lives, erases Indigenous sovereignty, or denies the humanity of women or the Queer community – AND because many of you here, as well as myself, may additionally fall into these marginalized categories, as well as the child or person you are caring for.
I explicitly reaffirm my commitment to:
Black Lives Matter: I recognize the foundational, deadly impact of anti-Black systemic racism in policing, education, healthcare, and beyond. This struggle is essential, as disability disproportionately affects and is criminalized within the Black community.
Indigenous Rights and Sovereignty: I stand for Truth and Reconciliation, the honouring of treaties, and the rights of all Indigenous peoples, including those who are Two-Spirit. Systemic erasure and historical trauma are ongoing forms of violence that demand our active support for sovereignty and justice.
Feminism & Queer Rights: I affirm that gender identity and sexual orientation are essential aspects of human diversity. I fight against discriminatory laws and societal prejudice, recognizing that many neurodivergent and disabled individuals are also part of the queer community.
The systems that are failing your child in the classroom—the rigid rules, the lack of individualized support, the tendency to pathologize difference—are built on the same foundations that uphold racial injustice, colonialism, misogyny, and heteronormativity. You cannot be an expert in equity for one marginalized group without supporting the equity of ALL.
Why We Must Talk About Systemic Injustice: A Neurodivergent Lens
Many parents wonder if they should even broach these heavy topics with their kids. They say, “I just want them to be kids,” or “I want them to be colour-blind.”
The expert, real-talk answer is: They are NOT colour-blind, and silence is NOT a neutral position.
Children, by their very nature, are astute observers of difference and fairness. For neurodivergent children—many of whom possess a profound, sometimes rigid, need for logic, justice, and order—witnessing unfairness that goes unacknowledged can be deeply confusing, anxiety-inducing, and even traumatizing.
Equity as a Protective Factor
Teaching your child about systemic injustice is not a burden; it’s a necessary tool for survival and empathy.
Validating Their Sense of Fairness: A child with a strong sense of justice (common among many autistic individuals) who sees a homeless person, or reads about a historical atrocity, can become overwhelmed by the irrationality of the world. By introducing the concept of systemic injustice—that problems are built into the rules and not just accidental—you give them a logical framework to process the chaos.
Understanding Their Own Marginalization: Neurodivergent and disabled children often learn early on that the world isn’t built for them. They are routinely asked to mask, conform, or perform. By learning about racism or transphobia, they can recognize the shared language of oppression: “You must change to fit our flawed system.” This helps them name the injustice being done to them—it’s not their fault, it’s a failure of the system—and connect their personal struggle to a global fight for human dignity.
Building Inclusive Empathy: When a child learns that not everyone is treated equally, they move past simple kindness (“Be nice”) into proactive equity (“We must actively change the rules so everyone can thrive”). This nuanced empathy is the heart of true allyship.
Simple, Age-Appropriate Tools for Courageous Conversations
The goal is not to deliver a university lecture on critical race theory. The goal is to nurture a child’s innate capacity for fairness by giving them clear, honest language.
Talking About Race and Anti-Racism
Acknowledge and Celebrate Difference: Don’t be “colour-blind.” When you see a difference, notice it simply: “That person has dark brown skin, just like Uncle James. People’s skin colours are beautiful and come from different amounts of a thing called melanin.”
Use the Language of Unfair Rules: Frame racism as “unfair rules and beliefs that have been in place for a long time that benefit one group of people (usually white people) and hurt others (like Black people).”
The Power of Heroes: Discuss historical figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks, not just as people who were “nice,” but as people who noticed the unfair rules and demanded they be changed.
Talking About Indigenous Rights and Truth
Simple Truth-Telling: Start with where you live. “We live on the traditional land of the [Name of Nation]. They were the first caretakers of this land.”
Acknowledge Hard History: When appropriate, use simple, accurate language about colonization: “A long time ago, people came and took this land and made unfair rules that hurt the Indigenous people who were already here. We are still working to make things fair and return what was taken.”
Focus on Sovereignty: Talk about modern Indigenous nations having their own governments and cultures, and that respect means listening to their leaders and supporting their right to make decisions for their communities.
Talking About Gender Identity
Names and Pronouns are Respect: This is the easiest, most powerful lesson. “When a person tells you who they are, we believe them. Some people are boys, some are girls, some are both, and some are neither. We use the name and pronouns (like ‘she’ or ‘they’) someone tells us to use because that is how we show respect for their inner self.”
Bodies vs. Identity: Explain that a person’s gender is what they know in their heart, and it is separate from their body parts. This is a foundational step in affirming trans and non-binary people. If they can understand that their sibling identifies as a fan of a certain sports team, they can understand gender identity.
The Shared Heart of Advocacy: Global and Personal Equity
This is the bridge that connects your daily fight to the global movement:
When you fight for your child to have a sensory break in a bustling hallway, you are demanding equity. You are stating: “My child needs different conditions to achieve the same success as their peers. The system must adapt to their humanity, not the other way around.”
When you support the movement for Black Lives, you are demanding equity. You are stating: “Black individuals need different conditions (like defunded, reimagined policing and equitable access to resources) to achieve the same safety and success as their white peers. The system must adapt to their humanity, not the other way around.”
The principle is identical: Human worth is unconditional, and equity requires systemic change to meet the individual where they are.
This is the fierce, intersectional love that defines Advocate-Alliance. I know that the better we train our children to spot injustice in the classroom, the better equipped they will be to spot it on the streets, in the laws, and in the quiet cruelties of the world. The love you have for your child must be the foundation for your love for humanity. Go forth, have the courageous conversations, and make the world an equitable place—for our kids, and for everyone.
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