Group Post - Confronting Ableism

"An ableist perspective asserts that it is preferable for a child to read print rather than Braille, walk rather than use a wheelchair..."

- Focus on the disability rather than accepting the disability and accommodating it. This prejudice may cause their learning to be stifled.

- Blind woman & cerebral palsy examples

- Parents fighting for equal accommodations under the law (blind & iron lung/polio example). Changing b/c of IDEA and other legislation, but is it fair for families?

- Recognizing importance of diagnosis (declining vision/impairment or seems steady?)

- When modifying instruction, such as teaching life skills, make sure it's an area that they need (student not needing instruction with cooking, parents already taught)

- Don't focus instruction on preferences, so what will give the child with a disability the most opportunity to succeed. 

- Minimize the effect of the disability.


Discussion Questions

How comfortable are you in terms of working with and educating students who have disabilities? 

Do you feel that all students who have disabilities can be placed in general education classes with their peers? 

How might you modify your lesson plans for students with disabilities? 

Do you think that with the increase in technology that you will be better able to assist students with disabilities, i.e., with the increasing prevalence of technology such as Smartboards,  will it be easier for you as a teacher to allow more students with disabilities inside of your classroom (LREs).








Note: Kalee and Elizabeth may have their own posts as well.

Confronting Ableism - Individual Response

In the article "Confronting Ableism" by Thomas Hehir, much discussion is given as to how equal access for students with disabilities should function within education. Should deaf students be instructed solely through visual means? Should those with dyslexia not be given extra time to take tests? Clearly, these situations seem a little bit paradoxically, and luckily, with IDEA and other such legislation, the American Education system has made some progress in this regard by allowing students with disabilities to have appropriate accommodations. However, the author points out some problems, particularly one with family. If a student has a disability, they may not be able to receive appropriate services in their regional area, and to get appropriate services, they must be sent to a residential school, thereby disrupting normal family functioning. This doesn't seem quite fair, and to do something about it, perhaps something in legislation should change.

But more important these things, is how we not only confront, but approach out perspectives for children/students with disabilities. If a student is blind, we should accept this as a fact, not try to fix it. If a student has residual vision, then we should utilize that as best as possible to teach them to read. However, if their vision is diagnosed as getting progressively worse, then we should teach this student Braille as soon as possible so they can cope. In essence, don't try to make students with disabilities function the exact same as normally developing peers, sometimes it's more important to accommodate.