Why Did I Choose A Concentration in Disability Studies?
"To be able to mend that rift between “special” and “normal”, that is my ultimate goal. I want to be able to communicate for both sides and teach them how to communicate with one another to the best of my ability. To stand up for their justly deserved rights as human beings in modern society. America is one of the only nations in the world that offers free Special Education. Why can’t the rest of the world? If I am going to become a true advocate for these children I need to understand this outlook to the fullest extent of my ability" (Application to Special Education/Elementary Education Dual-Endorsement Program, 2011).
My experience with Special Education began in 2007. It is all thanks to a small group of boys; no more than ten of them all together. The before and after school enrichment program I assisted shared a portable with these unruly elementary students. Each of them was bright and intelligent, however, due to anger and behavioral management issues, those qualities did not always show. Instead, they were separated from their peers and became labeled the “bad kids” of the school.
I didn’t understand this group of boys at first. Four of them happened to attend my program as well, but my slight fear of them made interaction difficult. At first, though I knew that they had developmental problems because they were part of the Special Education program, I didn’t think that their problems were all that serious. Prior to this experience I had only ever known individuals who were wheel-chair bound or those with Down’s syndrome, like my cousin, to ever need that sort of program. Obviously, I was wrong. Special Education is a program dedicated to helping any individual with a physical or developmental handicap that disallows them from getting the full benefit of a “standard” classroom environment. The ten boys that served as my neighbors during the school day taught me that appearances weren’t all that important, what was important was the individual underneath.
After my initial misconception I began to take classes offered through my work. The topics included Anger and Behavioral Management, Conflict Resolution, and Attention Getting Activities. I started out by simply utilizing these lessons when I interacted with the boys, this time more sure of myself and confident in my abilities. I began to learn about their passions, their like and dislikes, and about the families that brought them in to the world. What I gained from this experience was the acknowledgement of my judgmental ways. I learned that they had a tremendous amount of positive potential, but lacked the communication skills to be able to show it as strongly as their “normal” peers. My way of viewing people based on their appearance was over—I viewed a child with cerebral palsy the same way I viewed the top actors of Hollywood or the poorest people in Uganda. They were all the same people, just with a different way of communicating.
I didn’t understand this group of boys at first. Four of them happened to attend my program as well, but my slight fear of them made interaction difficult. At first, though I knew that they had developmental problems because they were part of the Special Education program, I didn’t think that their problems were all that serious. Prior to this experience I had only ever known individuals who were wheel-chair bound or those with Down’s syndrome, like my cousin, to ever need that sort of program. Obviously, I was wrong. Special Education is a program dedicated to helping any individual with a physical or developmental handicap that disallows them from getting the full benefit of a “standard” classroom environment. The ten boys that served as my neighbors during the school day taught me that appearances weren’t all that important, what was important was the individual underneath.
After my initial misconception I began to take classes offered through my work. The topics included Anger and Behavioral Management, Conflict Resolution, and Attention Getting Activities. I started out by simply utilizing these lessons when I interacted with the boys, this time more sure of myself and confident in my abilities. I began to learn about their passions, their like and dislikes, and about the families that brought them in to the world. What I gained from this experience was the acknowledgement of my judgmental ways. I learned that they had a tremendous amount of positive potential, but lacked the communication skills to be able to show it as strongly as their “normal” peers. My way of viewing people based on their appearance was over—I viewed a child with cerebral palsy the same way I viewed the top actors of Hollywood or the poorest people in Uganda. They were all the same people, just with a different way of communicating.