A Gap in my knowledge

      There is a show on  Fox and  National  Geographic   called  Cosmos.  I really  love this show.   The show   talks about    science.

       Ever since  I  have been watching this show, I  can not help  but  moran  for    a chance to be in middle school again.  In   middle  school  kids in  resource  only  took three core classes.   Everyone was  required  to  take   English,   then referred  to as Language  Arts, and  Mathematics. In terms of history and scince   at my middle school  you  were supposed  to  chose  between  the two.  All three  years of  middle school  the school and my parents  chose  history.  This  really  paid  off because  now I am  a  self  proclaimed history buff  and   passed  my  AP  test my junior year of high school in  American  History.   But   all three  years I
missed out  on  science.

  In high school   when  I  finally took  science ,  I struggled  in science  a lot.  In  biology  I was able to  work with the teacher who  was able  to help me  on test.   In   Chemistry  it was   really  hard  because I was  lazy  probably  in part  because I  had never  had  science  in  middle school.  In  college   I did well in Biology , but when  it came time to  take   the Solar System,  I was   lost  because  I   did not  know the order of the planets . I had  to work really  hard and  I  passed.

    Instead  of   learning science  in  middle school I  had   resource  room  where  I was bullied a lot   from other students  while the teachers did not  do anything.

 Lets think about what  my day would have looked like  if  my school   practiced  best practices  My   teachers  would have  came into the class  and   help me  inside   my  general education  classes.    Maybe  I would get pulled out   in a small group  once a week  for  pre-teaching  and  study  skills  development  in  areas  that I   needed help  with.      Since it was  a small  group   and  it was   with a purpose   perhaps   the other students would have been busy and  not   teased  me.    I  would  have  taken  Science and   History .      I wouldn't  have gaps  in my knowledge    Perhaps in  high school  I would  have   had an  easier  time  in  my science  classes.     I  might  have had the   foundation  I needed  to  take  an  AP  science course.  In  short   I  might have  had  a  educational career  similar to   my  peers  who did  not have a disability.

  All  schools  should   practice  best   practices   All  students  need to  learn   in  inclusive classes just like  they  would have  if  they did not have a disability.  We  are  Worthy!

60 years later

 Over the weekend,   Brown  v  Board of  ed turned 60 years  old. This court  case  turned  over Plessy  vs Feguson  which said  Seprate but equal  was not acceptable.

  All the news stories     that I have heard   only talk about race.     Race is  important  I  totally  agree.   It is still an  important problem  that    society  has not worked out.

   But  there is another  issue   in the fight  for  equality in the schools

           Disabled  students


   Disabled students everywhere  are  learning in segregated classrooms.  Segregated  classrooms.  Children are missing out  on the opportunity  to learn  grade level class work  and   meet the kids  in their neighborhood   All studies have   shown that   special education  classes produce   bad outcomes for kids.   The  unemployment  level  for people with  disabilities is high.

  The  next  time you talk about diversity  remember that there  are students  who  look, move,  roll different  too.    In a  country as rich  as ours  we should  find the  resources to   allow all  students  to  learn  together.  There are  no excuses.

60 years later.
 We have a lot of  work to do.

Blogging against disability day 2014: Don't put words in my mouth

 Too many orginzations that serve  people with disabilites,   the most famous one being Autism Speaks Do not  listen  to people with  developmental disabiltes


      Why is this  a problem you  might ask?

 Let  me take you  back to   history  class more specifically  American  History class.

   Your in fifth grade and   its  time to learn about colonazation.  In it you  learn about the British forced the  colonist to pay taxes.  The  colonist pay  taxes  on  things in which they have no say over  stamps   papper  goods .  Then they  foce  you to only drink  tea from the East India tea company.     People  do not like  it and a little thing    oh what is the word for  it  o h  yeah the American Revoultion happends.   Americans are taught that   British  were the bad  guys  because they forced  there agenda on   the colonost, later  the Americans.

  Now  can you igmane what would happend if instead of  money  people  told you that you are an epidemic. That  medince  needs  to heal  you. That you  have to wear smelly uniforms.    The last straw for American people  was when  activist  had to house soliders,   You know  what   those all called to us  Yanks   the intolerable  acts.

   Then  fast forward to the mid  20th centruy.    We learn that seprate is not equal and  everyone deserve a  vote.   So many  fellow  men and women of color  gave there lives  for  freedom. People  were  hosed  and  had dog attacking.  

Why  isn't   the  same liberaty offered  to those with disabilities.    Why is it that people  time and time again  disregard  us in making descins. Why do you  refuse to ignore  our wants and desires.  Give us  a vote. Bring us to the table  and  show us where the money is going.   Ask us what we hope for.  Ask us if  we want to be in the world or a community.  Asks  us if  we want jobs.  Asks us what our dream job is.   Then  listen  to what we have  to say.   Listen  like you would to our able bodied counterpart.   Listen to us.   We know best.    We  know   what it feels like to be isolated. We know how it feels  to  be talked down too.  WE  know   whats it like  to  work hard in theaphy. WE have experinced  frustration.  WE experinced the laughter and  taunts  go unoticed .  We know  the  pain of  people   dreading   a birth of  someone like us.    We know how it feels  when  people tell us our  experinced isn't valid because we are not  normal.



 Nothing about us without us.