My Goals For Students With Disabilities

It is my sincere hope that every student should look forward to coming into the classroom ready for new adventures and a whole new world of information every day. Education continually brings us new adventures just waiting for us to experience its wonder and possibilities. I believe that students, when presented with a wide variety of interesting lessons, can become interested and motivated in a way that they never have before.

Having discovered my calling to work with nontraditional students, I took a position with St. Charles Youth and Family Services as a Teacher of Experiential Education. This position allowed me to interact with urban students from MPS who were expelled, court ordered or Special Education students who were deemed best suited to self-contained program. I loved the challenge every day. Every student was so different, but they all wanted and craved the same thing… acceptance and unconditional love. I wanted more.

What do you know about students with diverse characteristics and learning needs, in particular, students with disabilities and other exceptionalities?

I see students as the next generations’ heroes in so many fields. In my vision, I have to inspire students and prepare them with confidence, knowledge, experience and skills. Which means I encourage, communicate, guide, teach, and assess students in order to enrich their infrastructures.

As an educator, it is my job to find new ways for my students to learn that coincides with their particular learning style and takes advantage of their strengths. In all practical terms, this will mean finding new ways for each of my students to learn in their own particular way. As a whole, my students will need more reason to learn with authentic experiences, hands-on

The research in this paper is to discuss strategies used to teach students with severe disabilities in mathematics. “According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, (AAIDD) Intellectual disability is characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. The diagnoses of the disability should come before the age of 18 (Westling, Fox, & Carter, 2015).” Mathematics is a core subject area that can pose a challenge for a large amount of students in America, and especially those with severe disabilities. “According to a study, only a quarter of students with disabilities that

I believe that with motivation and guidance, children of all backgrounds can harbor success in the educational world and receive the skills they need to have a successful and prosperous life. It is a teacher’s duty to encourage lifelong learning, consider individual learning styles and aptitudes, and self-reflect on how to improve. My experiences as an engineer, a person of color, a pre-service teacher, and a STEM advocate have culminated together to form my educational values and philosophy.

Data taken from the 1997-2008 National Health Interview Surveys of US showed that 1 out of every 6 children had developmental disabilities (Boyle et al, 2011). These disabilities were tabulated as including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other forms of developmental delay. According to the survey, these disabilities increased and now require more health and education interventions. Children aged 3-17 years old participated in the survey. Parent-respondents reported their children's diagnoses as including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, seizures, stuttering or stammering, hearing loss, blindness, learning disorders and other forms of developmental delay. These disabilities were much more prevalent in boys than in girls. They were lowest among Hispanic children as compared with non-Hispanic white and black children. Low income and public health insurance were associated with the prevalence. The rate of these disabilities increased from 12.84% to 15.94% in the last 13 years. Autism, ADHD and other developmental delays increased in all socio-demographic sub-groups, except for autism among non-Hispanic black children. The survey called for additional research on the influence of changing risk factors and changes in the acceptance and the benefits of early services (Boyle et al).

This “hidden curriculum” of teaching is on-going and essential to the learning process. We are always modeling, teaching, guiding, fostering, probing, and inspiring learning! Additionally, educators assume the responsibility for empowering students to become deeper thinkers and stakeholders in their own learning. We acknowledge that curriculum is much more than factual regurgitation of knowledge, yielding only lower level thinking skills. The complex job market will be filled by employers looking for individuals who can provide both an analytical interpretation of information and the demonstrate the ability to be results driven.

Are all children created equal? Are they all the same? Do they all need the same things? Can they all excel at the same pace? These and many more questions come up when we discuss the topic of inclusion. Inclusion is the term many educational professionals use to explain the integration of students with special needs into regular education classes. The terms mainstreaming, deinstitutionized, normalization, as well as the least restrictive environment all have been used to in the past to refer to inclusion. Is inclusion what is best for all students with disabilities? What steps need to be taken in order to achieve this goal?

In order for education to develop within schools, we need to provide students with skills and knowledge to be successful in life and to enter the 21st Century workforce

In my 24 years of experience employed with the Department of Education I have found that working with children watching as they grow is inspiring as much as it is rewarding. Teaching helps one to sharpen their skills on all levels for the curriculum is forever changing. Being an educator has its challenging moments but its something I want to accomplish. To be successful at educating others I must continue to grow, increase and improve within.

Note* other States and Territories within the Commonwealth have separate legalisations and Acts which have been passed in by their representing government.

Everyone's version of success is different. For example, my goals consist of going to college, getting a degree and finding a steady job to support myself and later, a family. I have a strong interest in studying Occupational Therapy. At a young age, I found myself drawn to helping others with disabilities. Along with that, I have a strong interest in how the human brain works and what makes a person act a certain way, therefore, I am very passionate about being an Occupational Therapist. It is my dream to be able to help others improve their everyday life skills. I am ready to work hard to reach my end goal of becoming an Occupational Therapist. I want to be able to assist those in accomplishing their goals, no matter their disabilities. In addition, I'm looking forward to studying the human body and how it works along with the psychology component. I am intrigued with all aspects of the field but have a strong passion for working with young children with disabilities. A

Throughout the numerous experiences I have had during my time at Benedictine University, I have learned different lessons and values that will prove important to my teaching career. The different courses, teachers, and schools that I had the opportunity to work with have helped me grow as an educator and provided me with the tools needed in order to be successful.