Years ago Ford offered a kit to disable air bags if the customer had the proper documentation but we never installed one. Per the NH Auto Dealers Association, the dealer who disabled the airbags was legally in the clear as long as the original owner who had the bags disabled owned the vehicle but could be liable for injuries suffered by subsequent owners who didn't know the bags were non functional because the Ford kit also disabled the airbag light. If you have to put a kid in the front behind an airbag make sure he's wearing the seat belt and push the seat all the way back. And try not to hit anything.
I brought in an airbag out of a used steering column I bought for my daughter's car and detonated it during lunch as a demo. I placed it with the bag facing up, sitting on the mounting bolts in the middle of the shop floor and set it off. The rebound from the bag going off sent it 10 feet into the air. I think I convinced my crew that if the manual said disable the airbag before doing a repair they should do it. Just disconnecting the battery isn't good enough, you need to turn on the lights or activate the stop lights to burn off the charge in the capacitor or the bag can still blow.