Like most people with disabilities, I was born with disabilities. When I was younger it was a lot more noticeable than it is now. So, I did face backlash when it came down to my disabilities.
As I'm sure many of you weren't able to do, I wasn't able to read or solve addition problems right out of kindergarten. This was a major turn-off for schools when my parents tried looking for private schools to enroll me in. A lot of them didn't want to take a six-year-old who wasn't able to read or do addition yet, especially if that six-year-old had disabilities because they figured that I would never be able to read or do said math problems. The ones that did accept me wanted to put me in their special ed program which only provided a little support for students like me.
My parents had decided that their best option was to give up on the private school idea and enroll me in public school instead. But since I also had summer vacation, they figured that it would be best to prep me a bit before trying to enroll me in a private school nearby. They figured that if I seemed to be at least a little ahead of my peers then I would have a shot of staying in the regular education classes. So during that summer, they worked tirelessly to teach me how to read and solve math problems. By the time the school year already started, I was way ahead of my peers. I was at the point where I could answer all of the teacher's questions before she even started the listen. Due to my parent's tireless efforts during that summer, my parents taught me everything I needed to know for both math and English for the next two years. They were determined to keep me ahead of everyone so they would spend about an hour each day with me, preparing me for more advanced levels of math and English than my peers were. By middle school, I was able to figure out my mom's master's degree college-level math homework.
People need to understand that people with disabilities are just as smart as everyone else and may require a little extra help to reach their full potential. Watch the video below for more information on disabilities.
Thanks for sharing this Angeline! Where do you see Hehir connecting with your personal expereinces?
ReplyDeletePenny faces problems when it comes to schooling for Joe because the schooling system doesn't believe that Joe can live up to his peers without disabilities similar to what the schooling system thought of me and the problems that my parents had to face while looking to enroll me into a private school.
DeleteI appreciate your reflection on this piece! Thank you for inspiring me!
ReplyDeleteHi Angeline! I think that sharing your personal experiences with our class is so exceptionally inspiring!
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