Talking Points:
“This person, though empathetic and supportive, made it
clear to Penny that she could not have the same dreams and aspirations for Joe
that she had for her seven nondisabled children.”
As Lisa Delpit Describes in “Other Peoples Children,” there
is a similar unwillingness to listen to the concerns of parents of and students
with disabilities, assuming that they can conform to the status quo, which is,
in certain cases, not even a possibility.
This mentality sets students with disabilities apart from other students
and creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of achievement. If expectations are lowered and academic rigor
is not presented as a viable option, then children identified as disabled and
placed in special programs cannot hope to achieve what their able peers have
the chance to. This is the same effect as
granting privileged educational rewards to the students without disability
while denying them to students with disabilities. If the problem is ignored and swept under the
rug by providing low hanging fruit curricula, then no progress is made and
students with disabilities will continue to fall behind.
“From an ableist perspective, the devaluation of disability
results in societal attitudes that uncritically assert that it is better for a
child to walk than roll, speak than sign, read print than read Braille, spell
independently than use a spell-check, and hang out with nondisabled kids as
opposed to other disabled kids, etc.”
Because students with disabilities are a minority, they are
not seen or interacted with as much as students without disabilities, and thus
it is easy for students, teachers, administrators, and other members of the
community to overlook the strengths and capabilities such students do
have. Like other forms of privilege, where
the dominant culture is set as the norm, it makes achievements that much more
difficult for those who lack the same privilege. If we want to provide an equitable system of
education to all students, it needs to happen in a setting where all students
are afforded the same opportunities.
This means rewriting what is perceived as the norm and designing infrastructure,
curricula, and teaching methods that can be applied to all students. Providing resources that lift up students
with various disabilities means that not only do they have a chance at success,
but those resources are also available to all students who might benefit from
the variety of educational techniques and technology.
“There is much that educators, parents, and advocates can do
toward ending ableism in education. As is the case with racism and sexism,
progress toward equity is dependent first and foremost on the acknowledgment
that ableism exists in schools.”
This echoes observations noted by Armstrong & Wildman in
“Colorblindness is the New Racism,” and Alan Johnson in “Privilege, Power, and
Difference”; ignoring the problem only means it will persist. Disabilities can make those who are able feel
uncomfortable, and our instinct when faced with such things is to avoid or hide
them. In education, this means pushing students
with disabilities through ‘softball’ programs to avoid actually dealing with
their needs, leaving them ill-prepared to navigate the world on their own. Setting up students with disabilities for
failure means only the most dedicated and exceptional will succeed, and that is
not a challenge that we place on students without disabilities. Physical disabilities do not impede the
development of the mind, and even students with cognitive disabilities can
adapt with proper technique and specifically tailored aids.
Argument Statement:
Students with disabilities represent another level of privileges
that are currently used to separate students physically, depending on the available
facilities, and in achievement where both expectations and education quality do
not rise to the standards received by students without disability. If we hope to achieve an equitable public
education system, these discrepancies need to be resolved.
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