Learning Disability Philosophy

The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.

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.

We must not label children due to their disability. It is important we look at their individual need first without focusing on their impairment. We should be realistic about their expectations and modify the curriculum to suit, give them extra support or their own SEN, depending on needs but also encouraging independence as much as possible.

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).

Looking back in the past, there have been many features, and true definitions of the word disability. In the 1970s a group called the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation defined disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity cased by social organizations. U.S disability activists made efforts during the 1970s to form different alliances with the disability community, that protested for the inclusion of disability discrimination under the Rehabilitation act. Thereafter there was a medial model at looking at disability, that views disability as an individual shortfall. In

At the beginning of the semester, I wrote what I thought was the definition of disability. Disability is “a socially constructed idea that being different makes you unable to be useful or valued in society” I wrote. This answer, while not wrong, only scratched the surface of how I define disability now. As a disclaimer, I do not believe I now have a full or encompassing definition of disability, but I do believe I have a better one.

Disability in a socio-cultural context can be defined as "a barrier to participation of people with impairments or chronic illnesses arising from an interaction of the impairment or illness with discriminatory attitudes, cultures, policies or institutional practices" (Booth, 2000). The traditional view of disability often focuses on the individual, highlighting incapacities or failings, a defect, or impairment. This focus creates obstacles to participation on equal terms since an individual who seems to lack certain capacities may not be able to attain autonomy.

Many teachers automatically assume that their disabled students are less capable that other students in their class. This has lead to the disabled students being placed in lower classes than there actual ability which has failed them to reach their fullest potential. (Ehow.co.uk)

Introducing her topic, Mullins demonstrates her argument with a word-for-word definition of “disabled,” from a 1980’s thesaurus, which she believes perfectly represents how a vast number of people from today’s society view those with disability. To further support the idea, she pulls a far more recent definition

According to the Americans With Disabilities Act, an individual with a disability is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment (Anon. 1999). When evaluating disability there are numerous perspectives on it; medical, social, and person centered perspective. Each perspective has its individual ways of addressing the concept of disability.

Merriam-Webster defines disability as, “the condition of being disabled; limitation in the ability to pursue an occupation because of a physical or mental impairment; a program providing financial support to one affected by disability; lack of legal qualification to do something; a disqualification, restriction, or disadvantage” (1), but what does being disabled or at a disadvantage really mean? In the definition, variations of the word qualify are used more than once, meaning that from the viewpoint of society, people with disabilities do not meet whatever the required standards of life are in this world and in their state, they are not capable of doing so. Who are we to stereotype and stigmatize those of us who are incapacitated, according to the world, of doing, thinking, attaining, and achieving certain things, whether they be privileges, monies, lifestyles, or any other thing that a “normal” member of society would naturally be able to come across?

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.

Being a special educator, there are different roles and responsibilities separate from a general education teacher. As a special ed teacher, you need to be able to be more flexible and open-minded when it comes to teaching. These students, whether in a self-contained classroom or an ICT class, will have such differing needs than their counterparts. While they may still have some same needs, most of them will be different and individual. Even though we may have several students with the same disability in our class, that doesn’t mean that we can treat them the same; each student has differing abilities that we must figure out individually. This is one huge problem that I see prevailing in schools today. Teachers tend to think that if a child has autism, they have the same issues and needs as another child with autism but this is not the case. One child might need headphones for noise-canceling features while the other child might be ok with sound but need more social interactions skills. The ability to discern what a child needs based on their own performance is a crucial aspect to supporting every student equally. As a special educator, we need to not only look at their deficits but their capabilities as well. To define someone by what they can’t do is such a negative point of view. If we go into the classroom trying to find what is wrong with a child, we may never notice what exceptional skills they may have. For example, in class when Mark Sarabian came to talk about the

Firstly, it is interesting the concept of a learning disability individuals think of immediately which is a dysfunction of the human brain not quite working correctly. Learning disabilities unfortunately come in all shapes and sizes; they do not end with human beings but can extend into an organization as well. Organizational learning disabilities are flaws such as lack of communication or a bridge in the gap which some type of operational system is not quite working properly. In addition, the thought of a Fortune 500 company having a learning disability is hard to grasp because of the success that they measure at. To be more specific Walmart is known to be the large corporation the world. According to the Fortune 500 organization, Walmart was ranked number one for the largest and highest net worth out of all corporations. But even the largest and the most “successful” companies have its flaws. After all, how do organizations learn if mistakes do not occur? It is obvious when walking into a Walmart store, regardless of the location, there seems to be a few concerning issues that involve both the employees and the customers. Walmart leadership seem be lacking communication as they choose not to hear the screaming cries of their very own employees. Because of Walmart’s efforts to save money by paying low salaries and under staffing their super stores it has led to poor employee satisfaction, not to mention the unfavorable ratings are trickling down to its customers. This paper

“For purposes of nondiscrimination laws (e.g. the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 188 of the Workforce Investment Act), a person with a disability is generally defined as someone who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more "major life activities," (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an