As I have previously written about, children with disabilities will encounter many challenges throughout their lives. For the past few months, I have shared some of my most personal experiences that life has thrown my way. Today, I wanted to take on the role of advocate by voicing my opinion on what more I think could be done in schools for young children with disabilities who have been placed in special education. I have decided to change the format of my post for this week and write my responses using question and answer style. I truly hope that my voice is heard and that the post serves to educate others.
Question #1: How difficult was it for me to get materials around school?
Answer: Well, the response to this is quite short, but also very funny; I laugh now as I think about it. Cerebral palsy made it particularly hard for me to deal with lining up certain things, especially numbers; I could not for the life of me line up the numbers on a combination lock. My first encounter with this was during my sixth grade year; having a locker was a nightmare and I don’t miss it! I distinctly remember having to carry all of my books around to every single class for the first half of the year; my arms were always so tired at the end of the school day. My 7th grade year was a different story, although equally comical. My disability has also made it hard for me to stack things in proper sequence. For example, I tend to stack big items on top of small items, instead of the usual small items on top of big; this created a mess for me daily; I was always either getting hit in the face or on my toes, depending on which way my books fell when I opened my locker. I became very close with the school janitors as well, because my locker seemed to always be jammed! The sequence stacking issue has gotten better over time, but I still catch myself and have to correct it; you have to learn to have patience and take one day at a time!
Question #2: What could schools do to support students more from a technological stance?
Answer: The amount of technology that is available to students nowadays is unbelievable. My childhood was during the late nineties and early 2000s, and the digital age was just beginning to really take its place in the world. In my opinion, the use of tablets and smartphones in the education field has caused more harm to students than good. The kind of support that kids need, especially ones who require a little more help need more than what technology can provide.
Questions 3 & 4: What could schools do to support students more emotionally and socially? Did you have any special education services?
Answer: I would like to continue my response from question two; as I’ve said, I understand that we are in the midst of an ever changing technological age, but to some extent I feel as though children do not learn as well without more one on one attention provided; that is the main thing I feel that educators and those alike should focus on . One on one time is key to present and future success. Society is quick to label kids who are different and I think we all as people should work on helping those who truly need the help to see that they are smart and that they are able to accomplish so much more than what they perceive. I feel as though teachers should strive to challenge their students more. I consider myself to have grown up in a different era so to speak; I had great teachers in middle school and high school who believed in my potential and constantly worked with me on my math skills. By my senior year, I had been enrolled in regular classes for four years and took three separate math courses, an AP Psych course, and my third year of Spanish during that last year of high school; no one could have guessed that I had been placed in special education in the first grade. I had caught up with the rest of my class; it was quite liberating! The biggest misconception in the world is that kids with disabilities don’t have the ability to learn and that they are just dumb; that couldn’t be further from the truth. In all reality, those kids are some of the brightest and most talented souls. The world just needs to learn to see that; kids need a chance to believe in themselves. As evidenced throughout my life, it is amazing how far a person can go once they truly realize their potential. I have grown so much from the little, shy five year old. My hope is that my voice is heard so that others like me can live in a world that is more positive for them; encouragement, the spirit of determination, and a good work ethic isn’t something technology can give you; it only comes from the people who are around you.
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