Sister & Children’s Author Aims to End Discrimination

Sister & Children’s Author Aims to End Discrimination

Growing up, Angela Ruzicka, author of the Wendy on Wheels book series, knew that her sister had different abilities than she did. She knew it and she accepted her sister Amanda, who has spina bifida, with love and respect. As an adult, Ruzicka witnessed her sister, and some of her sister’s friends, struggle to find a job and worry about going to college. She realized just how discriminating the world can be and decided to do something about it.

“When I was in grade school and my sister was in grade school, I felt I was more understanding of other people and their abilities than other kids were,” explains Ruzicka, “A lot of people have never met anyone in a wheelchair or with autism, and will make fun of them.  As a child, I went to many family groups and I was exposed to a lot of people with different abilities. I get frustrated when people ask ‘What’s wrong with your sister?’ How can you answer that? What’s wrong with anybody? She was just born with spina bifida. I decided that if we can create a fun positive character for young people, then maybe when they are older, it will be easier for them to accept those who have different abilities.”

Wendy on Wheels was born with this idea in mind. In the last year, Ruzicka has published three Wendy on Wheels books with a fourth in the making. The Wendy on Wheels series teaches children that everyone has different abilities and each of us should be valued and respected for those abilities. Children who read the books will join Wendy as she goes to the beach, visits the zoo on a class trip, and saves the day through volunteering. In the latest book, due out this winter, Wendy takes a stand against bullies. This is an important topic in light of the severe cases of bullying we’ve seen in recent news.

Ruzicka credits her parents and her sister for her strong sense of compassion, as well as her ability to see other people for what they can do and offer. They raised her and Amanda with inclusion as a part of everyday life. She says that her parents took great care of Amanda and always made sure that she was included in every family activity. Their parents would call ahead and make accommodations for outings and vacations, telling the girls that it never hurts to ask for something you need.

Because Amanda was always included, Ruzicka is greatly affected when people with different abilities are left out of activities or denied jobs due to a lack of understanding. She encourages parents to teach their children about the variety of differences people can have and that everyone should be accepted despite their differences. Ruzicka advises parents to talk openly and positively with their children and to avoid using the words “can’t” and “don’t.”

“When people ask me why Wendy has a wheelchair,” explains Ruzicka, “I say that we aren’t talking about why Wendy can’t walk but about all of the fun and adventures she has. The wheelchair is the ‘so what’ part. Don’t say ‘disability’, say ’different ability’.”

Wendy on Wheels can help make this conversation easier for children to understand. Ruzicka frequently visits schools and camps to talk about ability awareness and Wendy with children. For more information about having Ruzicka visit your child’s school, go to www.wendyonwheels.com or email her at [email protected].

“Ability awareness is important for our society as a whole,” says Ruzicka, “We really need to be more aware and take into consideration how people of all abilities live. We need to be considerate of other people and make sure they enjoy their lives and can do everything they want to do. There’s a lot of discrimination against people with different abilities and there are still a lot of inaccessible places out there. It is my hope that Wendy on Wheels will help to raise awareness in the public as a whole.”

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This post originally appeared on our September/October 2011 Magazine