The ‘Social Model’ states that all children have individual needs but also has strengths, skills and preferences. It provides inclusive environments as a starting point for all children. It looks at the environment as a whole and attitudes towards disability and considers that it might be the ‘problem’ that needs fixing rather than the child. By using this approach, the children who would have been educated separately in a different school would now be educated in mainstream schools. The ‘Medical Model’ sees disability as a burden. They are more concerned whether the child can adapt the environment instead of seeing…
One passion we as educators all share is the love for our students. Those of us who chose the path of working with special education students especially know that genuine place we have in our hearts for teaching students disabilities with learning disabilities. Over the last few decades, more awareness about these disabilities has florist throughout our nation. Many advocates of their time have fought to educate these students in order to help them overcome their struggle. Over time we see the long protect the rights of the students and provide them with the restrictive environment settings in order to provide an equal but adequate education. Despite the fact services are an essential part of protecting a student with special needs rights; it cannot be at the cost of their education either. If the student is able to complete the work at the same annual yearly progress as the general education population, proper services whether it be assistive technology or a personal aide, must be provided to the student. The services not only help students’ with special needs successfully graduate school but it provides them a promising future. Graduating with the tools and knowledge needed to survive on their own, students are now becoming functioning members of our society. As the candidate for my interview, I chose Dr.Gerard Crisinino, special education director of Jersey City Pubic School. He has instilled within him that compassion for working with these children and dedicated the last 30 years of his life to providing services for those students in need. Therefore, he was the perfect advocate to answer the following interview questions.…
Providing an environment of hope and caring is essential and needed by all children “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” Psalms 127:3 (New King James Version). Our children our blessings from God, and He commands us to provide our children with love, spirituality, caring, and to nurture regardless of their abilities. Children with special needs require proactive parents, parents who continually strive to provide opportunities for their children. As professionals we must reach all parents and caregivers and provide them opportunities for education for not just their children, for the parents and caregivers as well. During this process it is imperative to have open lines of communication of teachers and professionals “The bond between parents and professionals (e.g., teachers, speech therapists, physical therapists) can be critical to the child’s development” (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2015, p. 75). Education, communication, and collaboration is essential, and through this collaboration our children and our children’s children can live successful productive…
Serving students with special needs has become a priority for educators since the identification of achievement gaps.…
What does everyone need at some point in one’s life? Answer: Help and support. What is the hardest thing for people struggling with a variety of issues to ask for? Answer: Help and support. As a social worker, it is our job to help individuals and one’s families cope with the problems they are facing and provide support and services to improve the client’s life.…
Lunch was over and students were filing into the classroom. As soon as we got inside the atmosphere felt really uncomfortable. I looked to the second row of desks and saw Katrina, a long-time friend, digging through her desk, Mrs. Nakigawa, our homeroom teacher, looking over her shoulder with concern.…
I had the pleasure in meeting and interviewing Mrs. Robinson* from Wellington Elementary in LISD. She has been a Special Education teacher there for the past three years. Before working here, Mrs. Robinson worked at a middle school in Plano, TX. Collectively, this is her 16th year teaching and I think that she is a prime example of adapting her practice to meet the needs of each learner.…
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.…
A young female NEET walks into her future college in a sunny, windy day in August. As the youngster enters the Student Services Center building she feels a nice cold breeze brush upon her soft face, leaving the hot evil air outside. She found herself in a busy area. She found students lining up at admissions and others waiting to be called in the advisement center. She walked to the cashier line, luckily where a long line didn’t exist. After she paid for her Reading TSI exam, she walked rapidly as if she were speed walking, to the testing room. As she signs up for the reading exam, the test instructor walks the young person into a cold computer room. She sits down in this squeaky, cushioned rolling chair and looks around. She could hear the students taping on the keyboards rapidly with their fingers,…
Growing up I spent most of my childhood in Vietnam living an ordinary life. My parents were not risk-takers until they decided to quit their career as educators and move to the United States. Knowing that life in America will be challenging for immigrants, we mentally prepared ourselves to be fearless and get through every obstacle that is in our way. No matter how prepare we were, being a newcomer was frightful. When I first step foot on the land of promise, there was a mixed emotion suddenly rushed through me as a signal telling me life here will not be easy. We faced will endless obstacles and the language barrier is the most, the biggest challenge for us. Personally, I think learning a new language is difficult and requires a lot of hard…
Disability support worker; what does mean? To someone who is unaware of the term, they may think that it is just adult babysitting. Aside from that being offensive, it is so much more than that. It is devoting your time to spend with a person and to make them feel like person. To one person, it may not seem much to some, but to the right person, it could mean the world. Having the opportunity to meet individuals and making them feel empowered meant the world to me, and the smile on their face for their success. With knowing that you made an impact on their life, it makes a person feel like anything is possible.…
Growing up I had to struggle with my learning disabilities add to that having to learn a whole new language it made my life a challenge that I had to overcome , as well as learning from the many failures that came with it. Imagine sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher talk about verbs, pronouns and action verbs, but the only thing you know it that you don’t seem to understand a word that she is saying. Being a Hispanic female means that the first language I learned was spanish, my family all spoke spanish and so did the people around me. When I was nine years old my mother was told that I need extra help in school because I had a learning disability. I didn’t understand thing as fast as others and I would confuse many words around.…
Talking to your interns and yourself reassured me that I wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement, specially with the DEA. I first met you at Rutgers Newark Career Fair for the Spring 2016 semester, you intrigued me in the many opportunities that the DEA has to offer and I am fully confident that I have the desired skills sets and abilities to intern with the DEA.…
Working with kids didn’t seem like a big deal at first. In fact, the idea was really intriguing. However, as the time began to bring me closer to the moment, I could feel my heartbeat… every single pound in my chest harder and louder than the previous one. It beats so hard, I thought it might escape my chest. The thud began to echo in my ears, louder than my footsteps against the marble floor. I paused at the doorway, letting my eyes roam the room before anyone noticed my appearance. One last time, my unsteady hands quickly ran down my thighs through my faded light blue jeans. As the door stood towering above me, I let out a shaky breath, closing my eyes. I grasped the doorknob, the cold metal sending a shiver up my already quivering arm. I…
When I was 10 years old, I learned that my older brother, Michael, was autistic. I always knew that life was more challenging for him, but I did not fully understand the impact of having an autistic family member until I was older. Michael was diagnosed in the early 1990’s, when there were limited to no resources and supports available for those with autism and for their families. Many people do not understand what life is like for people with Autism and how challenging it can be for them to function in society.…