The power of the mind and human spirit can transcend physical limitations, I have a speaking disability (stuttering) and once a target of jokes of my fellows, I achieved the most respected place in our society i.e. Professorship at a University.
Canada has made significant progress in helping students with disabilities to reach their fullest potential, but still much more remains to be done at the pre-college and post-secondary education levels and beyond those into competitive employment. Only a person with a disability knows what the fear is like and I know how to conquer the fear of speaking disability with confidence and courage.
I started my career as a researcher, because in research we do not have to face many peoples, so less talking but my career aspirations forced me to face up to my disability. How many children accept that they too have "an incurable speech defect," and will perhaps accept compromises in their life that might deny them the chance to be what they could, and should have been? During my postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University, I took speech therapy for my stuttering at Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal. My speech pathologist Mr. Garth Foote always asked me to talk with new comers in our speech therapy group session and told them that I was a Professor at a University, just to encourage the young boys and girls who stutter. During discussions with those boys and girls, I realized that I can make a difference in somebody’s life. I can saw the rays of hope and encouragement in the eyes of young people’s; they can also achieve the highest education and respectful position with this disability, if I can.
The origin of my intense interest in education, an interest which has now evolv...
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I would be an excellent educationist only because of my passion, but because I hope to see the rays of achievements in the shinning eyes of all my students of inclusive education after the successful completion of their work. Not only do I want to transfer my wealth of information to students through academic skills, but I also want to participate in teaching them life lessons such as: self-confidence, autonomy, acceptance of rules and regulations, consideration of others, true love and friendship, the value of community, as well as the importance of sportsmanship and fair play. I deeply aspire to play a fundamental role in ensuring that all students from all cultures and learning abilities have the opportunity to be guided in a positive learning environment. I am committed to the physical, emotional, and intellectual development of my students.
The Moving Beyond Pity & Inspiration: Disability as a social Justice Issue by Eli Clare took place on April 16, 2014. Thinking about disability before this lecture I feel like I had a general idea of the things Eli spoke about. I attended a school were more than half of the students had a disability. The terms and stereotypes he mentioned I ha heard since sixth grade.
“Some things may never get better, but your ability to deal with that problem will improve.” This was said by, Wayne Kirk. In the book, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, the main character Melody was born with cerebral palsy. She has an active and bright mind but you are not able to see that because she can’t use her words to speak. Having a child with special needs is extremely challenging. You don’t get the chance to watch them grow up like the other kids, you watch them struggle and fight to be heard. Even though children with special needs don’t always struggle or fight. They are still trying hard to be like the children they are always around, like their classmates or even siblings.
Approximately twenty years ago there weren’t many improvements made to assist disabled people in the workforce. Ableism was recognized but not much was done. But that has changed significantly. People are much more aware of it and are trying to fix the mistakes of the past to create a better future. One major effect ableism has is that Canadians with disabilities are very likely to live in poverty. 56% of disabled people are unemployed (Council of Canadians with Disabilities , n.d.). Another effect of Ableism is that disabled Canadians are more susceptible to violence and abuse, and are even turning to suicide (Council of Canadians with Disabilities , n.d.). This topic effects cross culture communication because people with disabilities feel that they have only others (with similar disabilities) so turn to for guiding, comfort, and strength. They experience all the negativity towards them for something that they cannot control. One way we can change this is to get involved with the community is to volunteer our time and skills to the organizations who employ disabled people, or institutions that are dedicated to taking care of
Just like in basketball their are people who play that our not disabled and those who are at the end of the day they are both on the same playing field just like students who are not disbaled and those who are should be at college campuses.Rachel Adams wrote a piece called ‘’Bringing down the barriers Seen and unseen’’,which was published on November 6,2011 in the chronicle of education.In this article Adams argues that disabled students are not treated fairly on college campuses despite their being a Disabilties act.*which prevents professors in schools from discriminating against college students.Adams wants all students to be treated fairly and not looked as different.She begins to build a strong effective argument by using her own personal
Higbee, J. L., Katz, R. L., & Schultz, J. L. (2010). Disability in higher education: Redefining
Disability is like a bruise on an apple; sometimes it is evident, sometimes it is hidden. Consider Claire Hovey; she has arthritis – a hidden disability affecting one’s joints. Claire used to think of “pain as a hurdle” (Hovey, 2015); thus when diagnosed, she expected to tackle pain “with grace and poise” (Hovey, 2015) managing it silently (Hovey, 2015). However, self-doubt and fictional comparison brought negative psychological effects (Hovey, 2015) and she soon realized that neither were beneficial for her daily rehabilitation (Hovey, 2015). In contrast, Robert Ward lives with learning disabilities and a speech impediment – also hidden. For him, there was no diagnostic point; instead the learning curve came as he realized
‘“Now it’s my turn to make it better for generations that come after, which is why I’ve become, involved in disabilities issues”’ (Open University, 2016a).
Historically, we have been taught that people with disabilities are different and do not belong among us, because they are incompetent, cannot contribute to society or that they are dangerous. We’re still living with the legacy of people with disabilities being segregated, made invisible, and devalued. The messages about people with disabilities need to be changed. There needs to be more integration of people with disabilities into our culture to balance out the message. Because of our history of abandonment and initialization, fear and stigma impact our choices more than they would if acceptance, community integration, and resources were a bigger part of our history.
In the video presentation of How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop, Richard Lavoie is able to simulate several of the difficulties that a student with a learning disability has to face at school. Some of the difficulties experienced by the students are intrinsic to the disability itself, but many other difficulties are directly related with the emotions that the student experiences when attending a class, and as a result of his or her interactions with teachers and classmates. Both the United States law and the education system, have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the learning experience of every student with disability. Students with disabilities need to be guided to a path to education that is both feasible and accessible for them; with achievable goals, and by being provided what they need in order to succeed, and to be able to overcome any obstacles.
People that are seen as having a disability are often passed through the majority of their classes or are not properly taught. In other words, teachers and professors may expect less from them. This does not benefit the student nor does it show that the teacher is interested in trying to help students with such disorders. In what possible way does it make sense to send someone out into the world without teaching them to the best of their capabilities? The lack of effort in the teacher’s work ethic comes off quite arrogant and selfish. It is the responsibility of a teacher to prepare the student for the real world and give them every piece of knowledge they can
The main obstacle faced by students with disabilities in the attempt to achieve educational equality is the continuing debate over the In...
According to the World Health Organisation (2011), there are more than 1 billion people with disabilities in the world, with this number rising. Many of these people will be excluded from the regular situations we, ‘the ordinary’, experience in everyday life. One of these experiences is our right to education. Article 42 of the Irish Constitution states that the state shall provide for free primary education until the age of 18, but is this the right to the right education? Why should being born with a disability, something which is completely out of your control, automatically limit your chances of success and cut you off from the rest of society due to being deemed ‘weaker’ by people who have probably never met you? With approximately 15% of the world’s population having disabilities, how come society is unable to fully accept people with disabilities? In order to break this notion, we must begin with inclusion.
In middle school I was diagnosed with a disability with the way I expressed myself through writing. Ever since, I have gained multiple values and learned several lessons about self confidence. I was taught to push past my limits, in order to be successful in reaching my goals along with my dreams. Today I am a senior in high school who was once thought to struggle, but was able to succeed beyond expectations. To some, a disability may seem like a setback from achieving goals, but to me I used it as a challenge for myself. I accepted myself for who I was and looked at my disability as a unique trait of mine. I was able to provide a message to others that anything you set your mind to is possible with dedication and hard work. It might take
Education is a very important aspect of our lives. It is our education that makes us who we are and determines what we become. Therefore, education is not something to be taken lightly. As a teacher, my goal will be to provide the best possible education for my students. Every student is unique. I must see students for who they are individually and respect their ideas and opinions. Each student has a different learning style. I must take this into consideration because I want to provide a constructive learning opportunity for every student. I believe that every student has the potential to learn.
Whether born from ignorance, fear, misunderstanding, or hate, society’s attitudes limit people from experiencing and appreciating the full potential a person with a disability can achieve. This treatment is unfair, unnecessary, and against the law (Purdie). Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in the country today. Essential changes are needed in society’s basic outlook in order for people with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to succeed in life. To begin with, full inclusion in the education system for people with disabilities should be the first of many steps that are needed to correct the social injustices that people with disabilities currently face.