Annotated Bibliography: Educating The Exceptional Learner

SPE-226 Educating the Exceptional Learner
August 30, 2014

Perceptions and attitudes towards students with disabilities have changed tremendously in recent years. Organizations and laws have also made education and everyday living a more positive experience for students with disabilities and their families. This paper will discuss this further as well as the challenges faced by educators, as well as my own predictions that students with disabilities will be faced with in their future. Personal experiences will also be shared regarding experiences in an environment with individuals with special needs. From the beginning of time, children with disabilities were perceived as an unnecessary burden to society. They were viewed as “deformed
This was a way for the German government to purify the human race and to put individuals “out of their misery” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2011). Eventually, the genocide evolved into less harsh matters such as sterilization and planned social isolation, using facilities such as institutions, hospitals, asylums, or even prisons. Families tried to stay together, but removing a disabled child from his or her home and ultimately from society, was seen as protecting the individual from further spread of their genetic code, social deviance, and allowed them to be with others with similar conditions. Luckily in the late 1940’s groups such as the United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) and National Association for Retarded Children (NARC) began to form. These groups fought for the rights and
I often went to activities with my cousin and her school friends on weekends. I was always interested in how life challenged her and each of her friends differently. Some could not walk properly, others could not hold a pen properly to write their name, and at first I didn’t understand, but I grew to learn and accept their challenges. I helped my cousin do things she had trouble with, like getting dressed, and she actually helped me learn to play the piano. Something I never knew she could be capable of doing. Each child has a gift. Everyone is special. We have to get to know each other to find out what that special gift is and help each other grow. I used to get upset when people would stare at her, and she would make a funny comment to them, “Do I have dirt on my face?”. She took it all in stride. I was in awe of her strength, she was fearless, and she still is at 45! Based on the type of person I am, I don’t think my response to being in the presence of a handicapped person would be any different. I am very caring and kindhearted and have always wanted to teach….everyone. So, having a student with special needs in my classroom would be an amazing experience for me. I love to have children strive for learning and want to be in my classroom everyday, learning new things and experiencing new challenges that make them better citizens