Understanding Our Differences' mission is to educate communities to value and accept people of all abilities through school-based, interactive disability awareness programs.
About Us
In 1978, a group of parents of children with disabilities in Newton, Massachusetts founded Understanding Our Differences (UOD) as a nonprofit organization to increase information, understanding, and acceptance of people with disabilities and individual differences.
The Understanding Our Differences disability awareness curriculum has grown rapidly in recent years and has been disseminated to more than 200 schools and youth organizations nationwide. More than 27,000 elementary school students and some 8,000 adult, high school and college students have participated as trained, volunteer instructors.
The nationally recognized, award-winning program uses a hands-on, participatory curriculum to foster respect, tolerance, and compassion in elementary schools and communities at large.
The program is usually taught by trained, volunteer instructors and is designed to seamlessly fit into a typical 3rd to 5th grade curriculum.
The UOD approach is grounded in the belief that children are naturally curious about differences, and that accurate information can be the difference between acceptance and discrimination.
A Board of Directors and teams of educators, health professionals, representatives of disability organizations, people with disabilities, and parents of children with disabilities work to continually review the program materials to ensure medical accuracy, state of the art technology, and a clear anti-bullying message that promotes inclusion.
How Understanding Our Differences benefits children
- Children learn to be more inclusive and friendly
- Children become more accepting and allies of those with disabilities
- Children with disabilities and their siblings are less likely to be bullied, teased or isolated
- Children meet and learn from individuals with disabilities
- Children become more comfortable around people with all kinds of disabilities