Essay on Lifelong Learning: People with Disabilities

By taking steps to understand a child with a disability, understanding their needs and building on their strengths, and providing a supportive environment can a child maximize their learning potential.

The former US President Bill Clinton said, “New information and communications technologies can improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, but only if such technologies are designed from the beginning, so that everyone can use them.” Discussing disabilities in general will take longer than one day. I am going to talk about physical disabilities .As the Longman dictionary defines physical disability is a limitation of a person 's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity and stamina. The issue of disability is not just a matter that concerns disabled people. It has been the problem for ages in the American history and if it is not controlled it can cause big fight. When someone is disabled, it does not mean that he or she cannot be educated. According to the Washington Post, education is the breath of life, without it man cannot survive. Education is free in America, which means everyone can obtain an equal education. One would ask if colleges have gone too far to accommodate students with disabilities. Colleges have not gone far enough to support the disabled.

A majority of people do not think about the transitioning from high school to real world for students with a disability. This article was a great read for people who need a better understanding of the transitioning especially students with high standards that are included in the general education setting for the entire day. The article explained the Triangulated Gap Analysis Tool (TGAP), which is designed to assist educators, students, and IEP teams to identify and create annual goals that address the gap in skills, including nonacademic skills, needed to prepare students for postsecondary education, training, employment, and independent living.

While students with disabilities can technically stay in public education until they’re 21 years old, without a program in place to take them beyond the regular high school curriculum, this can mean years of drudgery and boredom. LifeLink PSU is one program that aims to offer SCASD students between the ages of 18 and 21 with special needs the opportunity to interact with students their own age. They learn life skills that will help them grow, mature, and eventually transition into living independently. “Our program offers a very comprehensive transition planning process,” said Pat Moore, SCASD’s former Director of Special Education, who retired in June, “and provides academic support for students struggling with reading and with math.” LifeLink PSU was originally designed by the Wild Dream Team, a group of high school students with mental challenges whose goal was to help students change from being “special students” to “productive citizens.” Brought to SCASD 14 years ago in partnership with Penn State University, the program allows students to participate in college activities with students their own age at PSU. “It’s been remarkably successful and mutually beneficial for us and for the university,” said

“Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in or contribute to society. Improving education results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.” (Department of Education, nd.).

provide the appropriate transition service to all students with disabilities; applying numerous and challenging programs and strategies. “Students learn to manage their time and money, network with professionals, and prioritize work and school assignments”. Besides, the executive director state that these training motivate and prepare students to insert into society, learning a trade and receiving a salary for their efforts; understanding the meaning of the work, developing social skills, adopting appropriate behaviors, and adequate work’s habits (Virtual Job Shadow, 2016).

“The sorts of challenges which persist for people with disabilities, their Carers and their families are those that make the navigating day-to-day life difficult. Like access to services, buildings, technology, education and training, telecommunications and any other ordinary everyday activities or issues that most able persons would take for granted. Other issues which are faced include the limited access to services, a lack of service options, issues regarding funding and resourcing, and jurisdictional challenges between state and federal government servicing and responsibility.” (dss.gov.au)

Prior to this class, I did not know that students with disabilities receive transition services, nor did I know that this service existed. Transition services relate to the education and the training that the student with disabilities will need in order to accomplish their post-secondary goals. These goals are the students’ long term goals for living, working, and learning as an adult. By the age of fourteen, a student with disabilities must have their IEP updated with measureable goals and transition services. The transition service section of an IEP must also take into account the student's courses, learning characteristics, and strengths. Moreover, the students’ goals should not just focus on academic factors.In my opinion transition services

Lifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. The first characteristic of lifelong learning is that it encompasses both formal and non-formal/informal types of education and training. Formal learning includes the hierarchically structured school system that runs from primary school through the university and organized school-like programs created in business for technical and professional training. Whereas informal learning describes a lifelong process whereby individuals acquire attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience and the educational influences and resources in his or her environment, from family and neighbors, from work and play,

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with disabilities should be placed in a “least restrictive environment.” One of the main ideas of this act was to improve the learning experiences of students with disabilities by giving them learning opportunities outside of a special education classroom. The number of students with disabilities being placed in their general education classrooms is increasing more and more each year. The U.S Department of Education’s 27th annual report to Congress on the implementation of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2005) indicates that the number of students with disabilities in general education classrooms has risen to almost 50 percent. This is about a 17 percent increase from the 1997 U.S

Living with disabilities on a daily basis can be more difficult then some realize. Many people who are born with developmental disabilities start their education and therapy at a very young age and there are also those people who have been diagnosed with a disability sometime during their lifetime. But what is there for them to do once they have graduated from high school or are told they are too old to continue in a regular school or they are simply told they aren’t accepted in the “normal” community? In all reality there really

The importance of school completion in the transition of students with disabilities to postsecondary life has received considerable attention (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996). However, it appears that students with disabilities do not fare well in their lives beyond high school in terms of employment or postsecondary education (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996). Most students who drop out of school because of a disability often find it hard to find a job then does their peers getting a high school diploma.

Schooling for the disabled requires a special environment—one that only a few teachers have the gift to care for. Instead of looking out for the child’s

This study intends to explore on the services offered to students with disabilities, and the outcomes of these services to their education and career goals. It will examine if the obstacles faced by special needs children have to do with how effective the policies are in addressing the needs of such children. This study is important to children with disabilities because it can help them discover the education opportunities available for them, the institutions they can rely on for economic support, and the treatment they should expect from the society.

Every person deserves an education. It is what shapes us, allows us to grow. As future and current educators or parents, understanding the perspective of persons with disabilities in the classroom is important. Being confident in your own abilities and not being afraid to use the resources available to you.