Get on board, British

Aren't the British always supposed to be one step ahead of us? Fashion, social movements, etc.?

Apparently, they aren't as open-minded as we are about one topic: disabilities. According to a Today show/ MSNBC article, BBC viewers are complaining about a children's show host since she has an incomplete right arm. Parents claim that their children will have nightmares from watching the host.

In the article, disability advocates claim that something like this would never happen here in the United States. They say people with disabilities go to public schools, and they are accepted in the mainstream.

I think for the most part this is true because I was upset when I heard that people were trying to get the host fired. Just because she has one incomplete arm, that doesn't mean she isn't fit for her job. She could be the most charismatic and loving person ever, and in my opinion, I would rather have a charismatic and loving person with one incomplete arm hosting a children's show rather than a mean and nasty person with the most perfect appearance.

Plus, I think it would be good for children to have the host, Cerrie Burnell, as a role model. For children with disabilites, it shows that people with disabilities can do anything they want. For other children, it might inspire conversations with their parents about disabilities and in the end, make them more comfortable with people with disabilities.

"I'd never comment on anyone's parenting or the time for them to have a discussion with their child about disabilities," Burnell said in the article. "It's a totally personal thing and people have to do it when they feel comfortable to do it. But I would just hope that, I guess, me being on CBeebies would present an opportunity for them to do that in the comfort of their own home."

I agree Ms. Burnell. The British need to have discussions with their children about disabilties and help them become more comfortable with people who are "different." In this respect, the British need to follow our lead.

**For more information on this story, you can also watch a Today show video.