CHild development Basics
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QUESTION: Reflect on your attitudes and feelings about people with disabilities. What has helped to shape your feelings about people with disabilities (e.g., personal experiences, movies, media, stereotypes). What do you hope to learn from this course?
ANSWER: When asked to share my attitudes and feelings about people with disabilities my initial thought is that I believe all human beings are capable and should be given the opportunity to strive and succeed. I guess you can say I have a belief similar to Maslow in that I think all humans are capable of achieving wonderful things and if given enough support should have the opportunity to experience positive self-confidence. A disability to me is simple a curve ball thrown in life. Now with that said, I don’t mean to say it is easy for a person with a disability- or that it is something to be taken lightly- but I mean that there are positive ways of embracing these disabilities and there are affective ways to help improve the lives of those who are faced daily with disabilities and exceptionalities. I am firm believer individuality and I believe disabilities embrace this belief. People should be able to learn in the best way they can and opportunities should be offered in order to support individuals in overcoming learning challenges. I am happy to see more and more programs that help facilitate and improve the environment for persons with disabilities, however I am in agreement with many that much more can and will be done. In my life I have been around many different people whom had disabilities or exceptionalities including those which fall under behavioral, cognitive, emotional and physical disabilities. My mother included. Now my mother didn’t have what people would coin a “normal” disability infect her disability is rather rare and not a lot of light is shed on the percentage of people who have to live with this disability. My mother has always struggled with an emotional disorder and it has had a lot of effect on me. It has helped me to see that it is indeed a struggle to live with these disorders and disabilities but it has also helped me to see that these disabilities are not an indication of which someone is, or what they are capable of doing. I saw my mother do far more than what many believed she never could do- same goes for many others in my life who I watched live with disabilities. It is truly incredible for me to see what these people are capable of doing and it gives me great joy to know that persons with disabilities are just as successful as those without. Other than my own life’s experiences I haven’t seen too much more into disabled living and persons with exceptionalities. I hope to gain a large insight into the lives of person with disabilities as well as gain more knowledge on the resources available and the different programs in place in order to help accommodate these people. This class is going to help me see things in a new perspective and have far more knowledge on what a teacher or caregivers role can be in the lives of those with disabilities as well as better prepare me for what I can do when I do encounter a student with exceptionalities. I look forward to all that I will learn! |
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