Ikeban My Cultural Identity In The Classroom

Humans are social creatures. We identify ourselves through our community, loved ones, and those who genuinely appreciate our presence. Our identity defines our personality traits, highlight social roles. Those with disabilities are often confused about their identity because they are misunderstood and stigmatized. Through the use of literature, one can empathize better with other people especially those who are misunderstood by society. Disabled people are more likely to be neglected and subjected to prejudice or discrimination. In “Delusion of Grandeur”, Terry Ann Thaxton, talks about the struggle between Adam and his mother because of his disability. Adam struggles to cope with his environment and finds himself isolated and misunderstood. Families ultimately suffer but through their experience, they can learn some amazing lessons.

In her essay, “On Being a Cripple”, Nancy Mairs, an essayist with multiple sclerosis, writes about her experiences with her disease. She wants her audience of able-bodied people to stop pitying towards disabled people and instead show acceptance. Mairs achieves her purpose by presenting herself as similar and relatable to her able-bodied audience with many anecdotes and a blunt tone. This discussion of her condition removes the discomfort about disabilities felt by her audience and allows for them to accept disabled people. While Maris’s primary audience is an able-bodied person who supports disabled people, other readers, like someone with her condition, may be drawn towards this essay as well. Unlike an able-bodied person, a disabled person

Unspeakable Conversations by Harriet McBryde Johnson is an article about her experience visiting Princeton University to exchange views and challenge Peter Singer, a professor who strongly believes that all disabled people, like herself, are “better off” not been born at all. The article provides an insight into Johnson’s life as a disabled person. She takes the readers on a journey that explores both sides of her own and Singer’s contrasting beliefs. She protests the prevalent stigma and prejudice of disabled people and gives voice to this marginalized community. Johnson challenges stereotypes of disability, uses her a personal experience to better understand the world and help others, and attempts to directly address oppression by arguing against Professor Singer’s theory and assemble a group of diverse and like-minded people for social change.

Through the course of history, people with disabilities have often been viewed through the context of their limitations. The Disability Rights Movement, beginning in the 1960’s, strived to change society’s thinking to considering people with disabilities through their abilities instead. Positive messages of person’s abilities have begun to permeate our media, including changing ideas of how we view disability in general. Through the use of captivating personal anecdotes and scientific information to back them up, the 2015 This American Life podcast “Batman” seeks to prove that disability is a social construct, because one’s abilities are directly influenced by those around them.

I was apprehensive about this exercise. I did not want to trivialize what it means to be living with a disability. I wondered; which disability am I comfortable doing? Do I have the resources? Am I capable? Nevertheless, this appeared to be a simple task and I have plenty of experience working with people with disability. I thought,

There are over 7 billion people in the world, each one is unique. In one classroom alone, you could see this diversity, people with differences both physical and culturally. It is up to everyone to understand and accept these differences. Cultural differences and misunderstandings about disabilities can lead to many personal challenges. In both texts, “ Finding Her Way” and “ Kylie’s Project” demonstrate this as well as how Angela and Kylie cope with their situations, each text then goes on to explain and demonstrate different ways in which people cope with these types of challenges.

What comes into one’s mind when they are asked to consider physical disabilities? Pity and embarrassment, or hope and encouragement? Perhaps a mix between the two contrasting emotions? The average, able-bodied person must have a different perspective than a handicapped person, on the quality of life of a physically disabled person. Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson are three authors who shared their experiences as physically handicapped adults. Although the three authors wrote different pieces, all three essays demonstrate the frustrations, struggles, contemplations, and triumphs from a disabled person’s point of view and are aimed at a reader with no physical disability.

Sadness, openness, concern, desperation, happiness, admiration—these are the feelings I experienced while reading the stories of different families and their perspectives as parents of children with disabilities. Each reading offered a different aspects through the eyes of mothers, fathers, and, most importantly, the person with the disability. Through the experiences of each individual, I was able to gather more insight into the feelings of my own family members and friends that have dealt with the same inner struggles, and in turn, realize my own short comings with understanding and the importance of person first language.

For my final reflective response of the term I have chosen to focus on the writing of G. Thomas Couser. The article written by Couser is titled, “Disability, Life Narrative, and Representation”. Couser focuses on the narrative of disability within a social cultural context. He focuses upon the ability of the disability community to re-write their story from their own point of view. I will focus on the importance of the disability community to own their stories, and share them.

I choose to write my journal reflection on the presentation about Disability Identity Development Model. In as much as I learned and enjoyed all of the other presentations, this one made an impact. From the videos to the conversation, each piece made me more aware of how unaware I am about people with disabilities. I was surprised by the impact of the presentation and realized how little attention I pay to my surroundings when it comes to what assistance are out there for people with disability. I was not aware of the struggle people had to go through in order to have the ADA law pass in 1990. Today I see disability signs in parking lots of places I go and now I understand the struggle that people when through to get those assigned parking.

This week readings hit me personally because when I was younger I had a learning disability. I wouldn’t speak when I was younger and as a result the administration department at school placed me in special services like resource room, and IEP and counseling. Over time, I grew out of my disability through these resources and I learn to become social and make friends. It was very difficult when I was younger to make friends or having to deal with people making fun of me because I did not speak. And yet, just I overcame these struggles. I did not let my disability define me. Lime my story, there are many. Danielle and Santara stories touch me because they also did not let their disable define who they are.

In this week’s selected reading from Human exceptionality: School, community, and family, Hardman, Drew, & Egan (2005) first discuss Inclusion and Multidisciplinary Collaboration in the Early Childhood and then Elementary School Years and Secondary Education and Transition Planning. This material addresses the perspectives of inclusion with appropriate intervention practices and which people will share the role of supporting learners throughout their life. Discussion of such ideas ranges from early childhood to the school years and beyond. Assistance for the disabled begins with discovery and continues to play a role in the lives of individuals with the disability and their companions. The multidisciplinary relationships created are not exclusive to the academic timetable of k-12. Individual plans include the transition into adult living with the least restrictive and most independent living options appropriate.

My most memorable experience working at Camp Children’s Association for Maximum Potential was the week I spent as a one-on-one counselor for S. S was a young woman who had experienced a spinal cord injury at a young age and spent her life paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator. Before this week, I imagined that being ventilator-dependent and quadriplegic would be sad and depressing. I thought that living with a “severe” disability was less fulfilling than living as an able-bodied person. My week with S completely changed my view on disability.

Growing up I did not have many experiences with diversity because I was a sheltered child. In elementary school, I use to think that people with disabilities were different because they were not in the classroom. I would see them at lunch at school and be nervous to go near them, or I would turn my head. As I got older, and went off to college I had the chance to experience being around individuals with disabilities through an exceptional children’s class that I took at York Technical College. While taking this class, I had the opportunity to go to a classroom to observe and interact with the children. I learned from this that they are not any different from me, and some are even doing better than people who do not have a disability. I loved

Through this course study, including course readings and classroom discussions, has allowed me to view disability with a whole new scope and perspectives. It may sound