Shaquem Reflection

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).

Sanson (2005, p. 3) believes that when it comes to accommodating students with disabilities, scientists, practitioners, and politicians are necessary to the process as a whole and communication between these individuals is essentia.

Everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Those with disabilities are no different they just have a different set then everyone else. I chose this project topic because in 5th and 6th grade I was part of a program called Peer Pals. Once a week during recess I volunteered in a special needs classroom. This work opened my eyes to the world of special needs and Peer Pals is one of the things I miss about elementary school. I realized that I needed to continue helping the special needs community. No solutions presented themselves and then one day the solution stared me in the face from it’s home in the Reston Community Center Program Guide. “Volunteer at the Adapted Aquatics Class,” I had found a solution to my problem.

In the educational world, there are countless programs, curricula, strategies, manipulates, and resources for teachers to pull from in order to aide in the teaching of concepts and learning of students. Whatever method(s) a school or district has deemed best practice, or adopted as their curriculum, tend to be the instructional practices or resources utilized the most by those teachers. Additionally, teachers will also have preference to teaching styles, resources, and materials they use for their students. While autonomy in any classroom is important to students’ academic growth, one must also be careful to select and implement instructional with great intention and purpose. Consideration to students needs is equally important as the mandate of teaching standards and demonstrating proficiency amongst students. Even when teaching non-disabled students, it can be time consuming and overwhelming to plan lessons so just how much more is involved when planning for students with significant disabilities (SD)? Better yet, what are appropriate instructional strategies to use for students with SD? Regardless of the instructional setting, these are considerations that must be given when teaching students with SD in order to maximize their learning opportunities to learn

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

In ninth grade, my mother suggested that I volunteer with peers at my high school who are special needs. She thought it would be good for me to meet other people my age who have their unique struggles in school, much like myself. I protested originally, but little did I know I would love volunteering with my peers, regardless of their disability. During this time, I signed up to volunteer with a local organization called Buddy Ball. At Buddy Ball, I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities ages five through twenty-one baseball. When I volunteered with my peers, I mainly saw high schoolers with severe autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbances, whereas with Buddy Ball most of the participants had severe autism, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, epilepsy, or a multiple of disabilities. Both of these experiences allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of special

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

I was apprehensive about this exercise. I did not want to trivialize what it means to be living with a disability. I wondered; which disability am I comfortable doing? Do I have the resources? Am I capable? Nevertheless, this appeared to be a simple task and I have plenty of experience working with people with disability. I thought,

The Special Olympics are helping millions around the globe figure out what they’re capable of. Thomas Carlyle once said, “Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.” The athletes that wish to participate in this program are wanting to become more successful and assured. All their life, it has been hard for them to overlook their disabilities. Now, they are able to see past what others would

Some of the knowledge that I gained from this course includes: terminology and ways to refer to individual with disabilities, significant historical events, and the difference between social model of disabilities and medical model. I also learned some common myths and misconception about people with disabilities. In society we were taught that people with disabilities are not full equal to none disable people and they have nothing to offer to society but that was not accurate at all. Throughout human history, people with disabilities experienced discrimination through out the world and they are being viewed inadequate. Understanding the people with disabilities and hearing their voice, made me to reflect a lot through this course and to recheck what I learned from society. Now I can see things differently and I am more conscious about feelings toward them. My approach toward people with disabilities would be more positive and more meaningful. Before this course when I interact someone with disability, my first view was always direct to their disabilities rather than the person but in this class I learned that person should be first then their disabilities, which creates more meaningful interaction both of us. The things that shocked me the most was that their abusers are those are either family members or caregiver, and the most violence

This was my first time volunteering with individuals who has disabilities through physical activity. The experience as a whole has shown me that nothing can stop you from succeeding in life. Even though the individuals has disabilities, it did not stop them from enjoying basketball and engaging in physical activity. This experience has helped me come out of my comfort zone. Usually, it takes me some time to get comfortable around others, but I had to be enthusiastic immediately. If I was not as enthusiastic, then the individuals would not have been willing to participate as much as they did. Social workers have to be very supportive and enthusiastic when they are working with their clients in order to move towards completing goals and having success in life. Now, I am not afraid of showing positive emotions immediately to others, which means I will not have a problem with talking to my clients when I first meet them. It is important to make the clients feel as comfortable as

This course taught me a lot of great things about communication disorders. It made me realized that I’ve always wanted to help people who has a communication disorder and to have the opportunity to work with them. There can be times when they would end up feeling lonely and left out. I hate seeing other being left out and I want to at least be there for them and to care for them as well. It makes me feel good about myself whenever I make others happy. I also want to help them learn how to appreciate their self because most people with a communication disorder tend to feel negative about themselves. Whenever I see people with a communication disorder, I often feel bad and want to help them. Even though I’ve seen many caregivers/teachers who had a hard time taking care of people with a communication disorder, I would still be willing to help them and to not give up on them. Another thing is that, this class made me realized that even if people with a communication disorder are different from us, we should still treat them the same no matter what. If we were to treat them differently, they will become more upset which is not a good thing. Besides, I want to prove to them that having a communication disorder does not mean your life is a mess because there are always treatments which can help them. Also, we must be able to understand how they feel and to not judge them in a way which will offend

Throughout the duration of our course together we have studied philosophers, and scholars of disability studies. The course content has been thought provoking, and challenging at times to grasp and understand. However while I believe I have given my best effort forward

Prior to taking this class, I was one of those people who taught I had enough knowledge and was well informed when it came to people with disabilities due to my prolong work and personal experience with them. After reading chapters 6 and 7, I’ve come to realized that there is so much more about them that I was unaware of. For instance, I was unaware of the federal and State Policy for them. Reading those chapters has giving me knowledge on those topics which will greatly assist me as a future social worker. For this out of class assignment, I’ve decided to focus on Disability Policy and Community Living p (198), The Self-Determination Movement p (363) and Benefits of Child Support

When people have a disability it is life changing for them. They cannot just flip a switch and turn it off; most times it is a permanent ordeal. Participating in this experience opened my eyes even more to specifically what disabled people go through on a daily basis.