1. What do you know about students with diverse characteristics and learning needs, in particular, students with disabilities and other exceptionalities?
Over the course of this semester, I have come to the realization that above all, students with disabilities need to be treated with the respect and dignity that one would give any other child. This is why it is important to talk to and about people that have disabilities with “people first” language (Evans, Civil Rights Final Day, 9.17.16). This stems from the idea that a perceived disability is just one of a person’s many attributes. Students with disabilities are people that have individual abilities, interests, and needs. By using “people first” language, one emphasizes the importance of the individual over their diagnosed disability. According to The Arc, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities, “the language in a society used to refer to persons with disabilities shapes its beliefs and ideas about them” (The Arc, 2016). Using “people first” language not only ensures the person in question knows that they are valued, but it also helps set a precedent for the perception of people with disabilities in one’s environment. It also gives the student the opportunity to define his/herself, instead of being identified solely with their disability (The Arc, 2016).
Second, the notion that children with disabilities are incapable of learning things other than practical life skills is dehumanizing. Children with
People first language permits us to have mutual respect between all individuals no matter the disability. Everyone wants to be known and respected for their strengths, capabilities, and achievements so why do others objectify and degrade those who so happen to have a disability? Just because people have disabilities does not mean that they are not people too. With the use of this language, people with disabilities will have a sense of inclusion everywhere they
Disability is not inability is a common phrase many people understand today. In this regard, many have accepted that the people with disabilities have capacity to undertake some duties just like the other people, which can be seen in the increasing number of people with disabilities in institutions of higher learning as well as many working places. There are different forms of disabilities, some visible and others invisible. Although people with disabilities are incorporated in the general working environments as well as institutions of higher learning among other places, many are still facing many challenges while interacting and living out their daily lives. Some organizations accept people with disabilities since it is a legal requirement not that they are willing to do so. In this regard, public policy has established some measures that can protect individuals with disabilities. Still, this exposes people with disabilities to barriers, stigmatization, and prejudice among other forms of challenges. As such, it is possible to see many people with disabilities (e.g. visible: wheelchair bond or with cane and invisible: mental health or learning disabilities) are being socially and culturally affected by the general population’s perspective on them. This paper discusses stigmas, barriers, prejudices, and discrimination as the major difficulties that people with disabilities face in college and in the workplace along with policies and procedures are not being properly
This text discussed how “students with disabilities often face numerous challenges as they progress through their school years. In addition to disability-related challenges, they may encounter additional difficulties such as bullying in school and lack of social acceptance by their peers” (Darrow, 2014). I believe that there are people like Sean Stephenson who is a public figure known for being born with a disease that leaves him at three-feet tall, having fragile bones and has to be in a wheel chair. This gentlemen is an American Therapist, self-help author and a motivational speaker who despite everything has such a positive presence and outlook on life. The education that children with disabilities receive is concerned with meeting their emotional needs such as feelings, beliefs, values, and attitudes (Darrow, 2014). When these kids are able to experience these emotions, they are then able to fully engage in many of life’s experiences. This piece of writing by Darrow along with Cuddy’s book “Presence” lead me to connect this article to how everyone equally deserves to find ways to be present in their life as well as be their best in their most challenging moments. These texts altogether change the way I have mostly thought of human interactions.
I believe my interactions with other diverse has affected my experiences with people with disability over this semester. I’ve learned a valuable perspective on what it means to live with a disability. As I reflected on the transcription and notes, someone with disabilities has accumulated a rich life experience that people without disabilities rarely get to experience. I learned about how environmental factors can affect those living with disabilities, and the consequences of lack of early intervention to the individual can be devastated.
A learning disabled student not only suffers from being below average in academics, but in many cases these students suffer with mental illnesses. Students with learning disabilities have lower self-determination in academics and struggle in post-secondary education (Jameson, 2007). Higher levels of anxiety and test taking anxiety can additionally be found in students with learning disabilities (Nelson, Lindstrom, Foels, 2015). Studies also show that students with learning disabilities have a higher rate of depression (Ashraf, Najam, 2015). Why are learning disabled individuals struggling with self-worth? The extreme social pressures everyone faces daily has a negative affect students with learning disabilities. Students with learning disabilities are self conscious of their impairment. Schools should not only focus on giving extra academic assistances to students with learning disabilities, but also give resources to help fight mental illness in these students. Students who have learning disabilities should not suffer from low self-determination, anxiety, and depression. There will be discussion on why these students suffer at a higher rate from mental illness, and discuss a solution to this issue.
Do you know anyone who suffers from a learning disability? There are several disabilities out there, so chances are you must know someone who battles with the day-to-day hassles. But, are learning disabilities really a hassle? More often than not, this can be considered a misconception. Learning disabilities (LD) affect the way a person “of at least average intelligence receives, stores, and processes information” (NCLD 2001). This neurological disorder prevents children especially from being able to perform well academically. Therefore more time and special programs are fostered to them. Once one is educated about what the disability means, the causes of LD, what programs are available to
Several years after Congress took steps to guarantee equal access for the disabled at the voting polls, studies showed that in the United States “during the 2012 election cycle, 1 in 5 voters with disabilities said they were kept from casting their ballot on their own and more than half said they encountered hurdles” (Heasley). Disabilities can be defined as an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, intellectual, mental, sensory, developmental, or a combination of impairments that causes restrictions on an individual’s ability to participate in society. With an ongoing problem in society as great as this, many began to question how such an impactful issue can be resolved. How does one’s disability affect their political participation within society? How do one’s disabilities even interfere with their ability to cast their vote in elections? How can one take steps to further improve one’s political participation whether they have physical, mental, or psychosocial disabilities?
There are a number of rules and procedures that must be followed when dealing with students in special education who receive instruction through their individualized education plan (IEP). These students in special education are protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which is legislation that presides over the special education process for students until they reach the legal age of twenty-one. These laws that ensure that special education students receive a quality, free education but they can complicate the discipline process for school administrators.
Prior to the course, Perspectives on disability, my understanding of disability was a fundamental, concept of disability, in which I knew it existed, and also have seen and interacted with people considered to have a disability. I never took a deep look at all the social and political factors that exist within the spectrum of disability. This course has allowed me to examine all aspects of disability, which has changed my view and approach of what a disability is and how it is viewed. "Historically, disability has been viewed fundamentally as a persoal tragedy, which has resulted in diasbled people being seen as objects of pity or in need of charity. They have been subject to descriminatory policies and practices in which the predominant images of passivity and helplesness reinforced their inferior status"(Barton 4). Uncovering the framework of disability, by studying the historical, soicial political and educational standpoint, I see the intricacies in which gives me a greater understanding and awareness of the topic.
Language shapes our society’s communication and thoughts in more ways than one. It is constantly evolving, which is why it is important to be mindful of what is said anywhere one may be. Words that may not typically offend one person may be hurtful to someone else. Many of the people that are most forgotten about are those with disabilities, minor or severe. Since person first language has been defined, it has given a voice and boosted the self-esteem to many of those that society often forgets. Through time we have come to understand that “Person-First Language” is important for the equality and acceptance of people with disabilities.
Schools in today’s society are rapidly changing and growing striving to implement the best practices in their schools. Nonetheless, before a school can implement a program in their school, they need reliable evidence that the new program will work. A new program that schools are aiming to implement is inclusion in the classroom because of the benefits inclusion could bring. The implementation of inclusion is strongly connected by people’s attitudes whether they are positive or negative. However, while inclusion is being widely implemented, there is comparatively little data on its effectiveness. It may be that inclusion benefits some areas such as reading and social skills, more than it does others.
There is an increasing prevalence of disability in modern school populations. Only a small percentage of this group, however, attends post-secondary institutions to further their education, and an even smaller amount attends these for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education or careers. Recently, an article entitled “Postsecondary STEM Education for Students with Disabilities: Lessons Learned from a Decade of NSF Funding” was published, detailing a project spanning four years that was focused on increasing the participation of students with disabilities in STEM careers and education. This paper will analyze the purpose, research methods used, and the results of the project.
Action research is used in observation of various experiments to determine a specific plan of action or approach that can possibly result in the highest achievement for children. Today we face the issue of how to effectively teach students with learning disabilities and meet the lesson plan objectives. I will explore three potential issues that currently exist in the educational system and how an action research plan would prove beneficial.
My focus for this standard was in the collaboration and trainings in the Special Education Department in Middlebrook School as well as in the district. I worked with the other Special Education Instructional Leaders (SPED ILs) to create similar SPED binders and google drives to create consistency of practice from building to building. We also meet monthly with the Director and Assistant Director of Special Education as a team. We worked to create a district wide transition calendar for all students moving from school to school next year. We scheduled staffings for each team of teachers working with the students and coordinating PPTs to ensure a seamless transition of service and best practice for each student with special needs. We worked
Over the course of structuring the education system to include students with disabilities, there has being an ongoing research topic of inclusion. Inclusion, in this area, means the full inclusion of students with special needs in the general education classroom . The research and the debates about the issue of whether or not there should be full inclusion of Special Education students in all general education classrooms in all public schools throughout the United States rages on. The number of students with special needs that are included in regular education classrooms in public schools has swollen, and the educational philosophy and movement have grown and have been adopted and practice, as well. The questions remains, Is this new teaching style very effective and beneficial to the academic success of students with special needs as well as other students? How does the inclusion of special needs students in regular class setting effect the teaching strategies of regular education teachers and their regular education students?