Special Needs In Society

Many places now have adapted well for those with disabilities and have for example opened up corridors and made slops for those using physical aids such as sticks, frames and wheelchairs enabling those with disabilities able to join in with social events with others.

Reading this book greatly affected the way I will interact with children with disabilities and their families. My current field placement is teaching art at a Middle School. Each class consists of students from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, as well as students with special needs including giftedness. My cooperating teacher has taught me a great deal about differentiating lessons. Torey Hayden has showed me that it is not enough to differentiate lessons or plan adaptations for our students with exceptionalities. We truly have to look at them as a complete human being, and acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of every student in our classroom. Because of this book, I have not been afraid to speak with Mark* who has downs syndrome, or Alicia who has a cognitive impairment and hearing problems. I have tried to get to know my students with exceptionalities as well as all of my students as individuals, and understand their backgrounds. In the future I will continue to treat each student as a unique person and get to know them and their families before passing judgment.

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.

Special accommodations include special ed, elevators, wheelchair ramps, handrails, motorized doors, etc. One time the whole teachers at Seabourn helped a kid who had bad

Although special needs people in the 1960’s were considered useless, Eunice Kennedy Shriver took a stand for them. She created the special olympics, and camp shriver. She used the Joseph P Kennedy Jr. Foundation as well to bend her will on the country of America. The legacy she left behind is still felt today; with the special olympics having an attendance of over 3 million people. Along with that, we have seen the rights and view of special needs people increase ten-fold, compared to what they were in the 1960's. They are as much a part of modern society as anyone else is.

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

Six years ago, my life was changed forever. It was the summer leading into the sixth grade, and my mom asked me if I would like to help at a summer camp for special needs people. Honestly, I knew that I would be working at this camp no matter what my answer might have been. As I anticipated the first day of the week long event, I grew anxious; I was frightened by the unknown. Even though I've lived with someone with disabilities my whole life, my ten year old mind had no clue what the campers themselves be like. Despite my fears, this short five day week was one I would never forget.

A general definition of social justice is hard to arrive at and even harder to implement. In essence, social justice is concerned with equal justice, not just in the courts, but in all aspects of society. This “concept demands that people have equal rights and opportunities; everyone, from the poorest person on the margins of society to the wealthiest deserves an even playing field” (http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-social-justice.htm). Sturman (1997) notes that theorising about social justice is reflected in recent debates about equity and equality, adding ‘the concept of “social justice” ... is not clearly defined (in fact, the term is often used as a synonym for “equal” opportunities or “equity”)’ (p.1). Thus, the notion of equity often replaces politically motivated conceptions of equality, and social justice reframed in this way is deemed as necessary for democratic life (Theophanous, 1994). This element of social justice involves recognition that there will always be some people in society who will need a lot of support and assistance, no matter how much education, training, encouragement or coercion is provided. There are people who have severe difficulties in understanding or communicating or organising their daily lives. This includes many people with a mental illness, other disabilities, literacy problems and other learning difficulties

My passion for the rights and advancement of people with disabilities started after my son Jacob (name used with his permission) was born with special needs. I accepted this new life path and absorbed myself in knowledge. Management at his early intervention program recognized my drive, commitment, love and leadership skills and sent me to attend trainings, workshops and conferences on their behalf, in return, I created and presented in-service trainings for parents and staff. As a single parent, I embraced this method of acquiring knowledge, skills and resources in a journey I am still forging.

Working with those with special needs has given me a greater appreciation of the barriers they face on a daily basis and has allowed me to improve my patience and observation

Starting my freshman year I joined Project Unify and began volunteering at the Special Olympics, working with intellectually disabled students to promote love and friendship through sports while also connecting them to the community. As a part of Project Unify, I was able to assist in encouraging inclusion and acceptance of students with intellectual disabilities in my school and the local area. I became an advocate for students with intellectual disabilities, reaching out to my peers to illustrate that they are not different than us and that the only divide that exists between us and them is one we create. We had campaigns throughout the school such as “Spread the Word to End the Word” to stop the hurtful use of the r-word. I took part in

The issue of belonging in society for humans with disabilities has been a complication for as long as our human nature has known because of the titles such as "special." People would suggest by now our knowledge on treatment of humans with special needs and the resilience it takes to care for them would make life easier for their families and loved ones. This happens to be the opposite. Across America the word "special" is being misused and sarcastically to speak of ones with disabilities in a rude manor. Although is it a word meant for building up and encouragement, in cases today it is a word built on isolation and dehumanization. In our modern society, the word "special" comes with a negative connotation because of the dehumanizing and bigotry

By advocating for students with special needs, providing them with right tools and resources and encouraging them to put forth their ideas we can make sure, that students with support needs are at par with other students. This will create a podium for continuous learning and bridge the gap between the able and the disable. We should understand that every student is unique and comes with their own set of strengths and weaknesses and it is the exchange of ideas that we facilitate in a school or a community to harness positive culture. I can help ensure this by maintaining a positive attitude towards differently abled

My high school had a special program just for students with disabilities. A big passion of mine in high school was being the leader of the Service Over Self club which worked primarily with the kids in our school with disabilities. It encouraged all the students to befriend someone with a disability and incorporate them into our daily activities. The teachers in my school were wonderful about making sure that the special needs students felt warm and welcome in any area of the school they went to. Dedicating so much time to working with the special needs students really opened my eyes to all the blessings I have in my life. Even though I had a very rough time with my back problems, it is extremely minute to the struggles these children go through

I have had multiple opportunities to work with individuals with disabilities. My mom worked as a one-on-one aide for a student with autism for almost ten years. I was able to act as a mentor to her at school, but also help her outside of school with situations in every day life. Additionally, my mom worked with a student with down syndrome a few years ago and I was able to visit the school to see her as well as work with the student. Then, I had the chance to work one-on-one with a student who has ADHD for one hour each day during my senior year of high school. I helped the student with assignments, social situations, and organization. Our goal for the year was to improve his test scores because he had an unbelievably difficult time staying