"If my son had a meltdown, he was called “aggressive” If his same age white peer did the same thing, he is having “sensory issues.” I asked them why they made that distinction, and I said to them that you need to be very careful with language usage because it can be very damaging and it can have a negative impact on my son and how others see him. I did not want them to lose sight of the disability because of the behavior, something that I believe happens a lot to children of color. I also argued for cultural competency training for staff who exhibit biases against my child and other children of color."

- African American mom of 7 year old son