Personal Reflection: My View On Disabilities

Many of the problems with disabilities still persist in today’s society and people see it as a type of crutch on the individual dealing with the disability and on their children who are forced to learn at a slower rate to accommodate the other child. Also, children with disabilities sometimes have a problem when being integrated into the classroom or even being shown the real world. These students have a harder time functioning with others who they are unfamiliar with because they do not feel any comfort or security with a stranger. Thus, the concept of ability/disability turns out to be pivotal for the modern education system and society at large because it influences consistently the development of students and position of individuals with disabilities and excessive

As for my personal encounter of individual with a disability; the grew up around a cousin who was with brain damage, as a kid I would go over to aunt’s home and sit with him and read books; I would massage his hands and feet because he would have seizures and I would see my aunt doing it so I just picked up on what the adults were doing and try to help out. Even though he could not talk I felt he could hear what I was saying because one time I was reading a book called “Henrietta Hippo” and I would act the scenes and whenever I made the sound of the hippo he would look at me and make a funny sound like he was trying to repeat what I was doing.

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).

I never put too much thought into the reaction I give if someone tells me their child has a disability therefore, never noticed if they showed distaste to any apology or sympathy I offered. I’m sure that I am not the only one who has not meant any harm by these things, but the article helps see the situation from the opposing parent’s point of view which offers enlightenment on how to handle future encounters to ensure everyone is comfortable and the language isn’t ignominious. I intend to utilize the wisdom I’ve learned from Ms. Snow’s article in my own classroom one day. Along with her words I now feel inclined to do further research on how to better create lessons, organize my classroom, and provide the proper tools as well as become a support system for any student with any kind of disability both learning and

I believe that people’s perception does play a role in the success of students with disabilities. It is human nature to stare, fear or ridicule people who appear or act different from what we consider to be normal. For students with physical handicaps or limitations, their self-image is very important to them. They get upset and sometimes depress because they can’t do certain things as other children can because

Despite many crucial developments surrounding acceptance of others there is still a long and arduous path ahead of our society. People with disabilities, whatever a given disability may be and mean for the individual, are frequently stigmatized. They are not always offered equal opportunities, nor are they always offered the proper support to fortify their capabilities so that the individual may be the best they can be. Because of this there are many people who never go or return to college, are unemployed, or are isolated from the community.

The amount of information that I have acquired throughout AHRS Disability course has only caused my awareness of disability-related issues to increase, I am more knowledgeable on how disability has a negative stigma on an individual from society. Disability to me means that one part of your body function does not respond correctly. I started to notice that many people are not hurting in fact they are living their life perfectly just differently. For an example people see a paraplegic trying to get in his/her car, they feel sorry for them and try to help them, not realizing that they did not need help when he got in the car back at home.

So for those of you who are afraid to be involved with special needs because you are afraid or worried that it might be awkward, that doesn’t mean you should run from the situation. I suggest you do some research and look up some helpful tips that can help you be at ease when confronting someone with special needs. Every person with special needs is a gift and should be treated like so. Gene Rudd, president of the Christian Medical and Dental associations mentions “If we look at the statistics or surveys that come from families that have raised a Downs

This leads to having individuals believe that it’s mandatory for them to be more considerate towards those people who are disabled. Even though this may seem like the correct way to act, we may be offending the handicapped people because our perspective is different than as we view non-impaired people. Also, when we aid the disabled people, are we nice people or do we feel bad for the individual’s disability, this is the information that every individual must learn? Thus, the lessons learned from Amanda Kraus are that society has dominated the separation of non-disabled and disabled people by the way we’ve designed the environment. Ultimately, next time you are going to act to help a handicapped individual think about why your act of kindness grew for an instance or whether you’re that type of

Over the year’s perceptions and attitudes towards people with disabilities have varied from community to community. Approximately 50 million Americans with disabilities today lead independent, confident, and happy lives. There have been many advancements in healthcare and thus, most disabled individuals live within their community rather than an institution. For many centuries people with disabilities have been battling harmful stereotypes, ridiculous assumptions, and fear that they do not fit in.

When I was asked to reflect on my experiences in EDSE 316 and the fieldwork, I had to think long and hard on how I would sum up four months of classes and fieldwork into four pages. I have learned so much about the various disabilities and how it has change the world of special education. I think a better term would be the “endless possibilities of education”. It wasn’t too long ago when children with disabilities would be stuck in a room in the back of school only to be seen in the beginning and end of the school day. They were the ones who rode the other buses and no one really talked about. This class has allowed me to speak of my own family and how special education impacted my life. I have a brother whose whole life was spent in the special education class, and my own sons with speech and learning disabilities who are now receiving special education services. It also allowed me to reflect on my own participation in the special education program in my early elementary years when I was struggling with my own speech disability. This class gave me the chance to see the timeline of special education, from its earliest beginnings to what it is now.

Through this course study, including course readings and classroom discussions, has allowed me to view disability with a whole new scope and perspectives. It may sound

In reviewing the required videos and reading on low incidence, there were a large range of how it affected individuals are processed by individuals without disabilities, these videos demonstrates what it is like to try to be normal with a disability. The first video called, Autistic Basketball Player,” presented an enlighten outcome, that people should not assume that individual with disability are not able to contribute to a job or sport. Jason Mcelwain’s a young man with Autism that id given to chase an individual with a disability self-worth is just as valuable as the rest of the team when it come to sport. The second video called, “Breaking Barriers of Autism: The power of Kindness and friendship present how individuals with disabilities are able to leap bounties id one person will acknowledge them. In his lecture he was able to present insight on how lonely it is on another side of the disability spectrum.

The activities, without fail, made me frustrated. I wanted to lash out at the world, and I always wondered why students with learning disabilities had emotional problems. I came to realize that people with learning disabilities live with their disabilities for the rest of their lives. That these sensitivity activities were only temporary for us, but it was reality for those dealing with the disabilities. This is what changed me the most, realizing this simple truth.

Every person deserves an education. It is what shapes us, allows us to grow. As future and current educators or parents, understanding the perspective of persons with disabilities in the classroom is important. Being confident in your own abilities and not being afraid to use the resources available to you.