On Special Needs:

Getting through the Hehir article was difficult. Beyond the [rampant] typos, I had to stop every few minutes, because I was either able to relate directly to the subjects in the article, or I was that taken aback by a school system’s disability in providing for students with disabilities. Also, let’s talk about that term: disability. The point I was trying (and failing) to articulate during last class is that this label immediately puts the student on a lower level than other students. It makes them inferior and lacking. While I don’t think it’s perfect, I think a more appropriate title is “special needs.” I may be horribly wrong here, and if that’s the case, I welcome the input to correct this, but I think “special needs” refers only to the means needed to reach similar success as non-special needs students. I admit that I detect a whole philosophical debate looming here, so I’ll move on.
Being an aide, I was particularly drawn to the comments regarding aides essentially doing the work for the student. One of my proudest moments in the [behavioral and emotional] classroom, I asked a student, “Why would I ever want to remove the opportunity for you to be responsible for yourself?” In a world of excuses, I think it is important to not only engage a student in a lesson, but empower them to do it independently. Where the article discusses aides performing unnecessary and unwanted tasks for the students, I was able to recall the complaints from my co-workers regarding inefficient colleagues. I consider myself lucky to be in this position, because I know that I will need to utilize one in my desired career. It’s vital that the teacher be able to use an aide appropriately. As the article suggests, I am “not (or at least should not be) a chaperone, an administrative spy, a surrogate parent, or a personal servant.” I am a conduit from teacher to student, observing, clarifying, and doing everything I can to prepare a student to be on their own.
Working in a classroom where the student’s needs heavily impact their behaviors, there are days when there is more management than teaching being done. I don’t consider this ableism, mainly because we are not purposefully taking time away from a standard-fulfilling lesson to pay attention to a “disability.” While we do not devote specific periods of time to teaching the kids how to deal with aggression and stress, there is a program being put in place to help them with those items.
In regards to vision-impaired students, I absolutely agree with the article’s stance on the importance of being able to read braille. There was a guest on NPR a few weeks ago who was talking about how there was such a large percentage of the blind community who were considered “illiterate” because of their inability to read braille. There are many options for being able to interpret the written word audibly, but the ability to decode is lost when the work is done for you. If effort isn’t being applied, that part of the brain that goes to work to process written symbols into a rich language goes to mush.
I have to admit, being involved in special education is tough. Hehir laid it out really well, though by reminding us that students with disabilities aren’t unable to learn or succeed. Rather, they are able to comprehend the world we live in differently than others. Whether a blind student relies on their sense of touch to comprehend text, or a student with ADHD is unable to control their emotions during a lesson, it is our job as educators to see that their needs are met, not only as students, but as human beings. We are not there to coddle or pity, we are there to educate. If a student is to stand on their own two feet, it is our job to ensure that the ground they stand on is steady, strong, and stable.