Blog #10. Eliminating Ableism in Education

                    Eliminating Ableism in Education

                                                    Written by Thomas Hehir

Author's Point of View:

"Disability only becomes a tragedy for me when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives, job opportunities, or barrier free buildings."

This article starts of with a personal narrative with Penny, a mother having born a child with special needs.  I could not believe that at a workshop for parents with disabled children Penny was told that she 'had to go through a period of mourning when her child arrived because that child would never be normal.' Penny was told to have very 'low expectations' about what education her child would receive in school.  In order to get an equal education for her son, Penny would need to fight for him.  This occurred in the year 1983, 41 years ago. That's really not a very long time ago!  As an educator and parent, this was very sad to read.

TEACHING POINT #1

Before reading this article, I had never heard the word ableism.  Thomas Hehir defined this as "a pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who have mental, emotional, and physical disabilities...Deeply rooted beliefs about health, productivity, beauty, and value of human life, perpetuated by the public and private media, combine to create an environment that is often hostile to those whose physical, mental, cognitive, and sensory abilities...fall out of the scope of what is currently defined as socially acceptable" (p. 198).  The words that stand out for me with this quote are DISCRIMINATION, EXCLUSION, and OPPRESSION.  This same theme and social issue was written by Allan Johnsons in his article, Privilege Power, and Difference.  This same societal discrimination is also happening in school with a population of students who are considered 'different.'  Shocking to me!!!!  Changing a person's disability in which they were born with cannot be changed or overcome.  We, as a society, need to change how we bridge the gap and make it equal for everyone. 

The 'poster child' syndrome was a new term and ideology for me.  In this article, Joseph Shapiro (1994) makes mention of this as "Tiny Tims" campaign.  "The idea that disabled people are childlike, dependent, and in need of charity is a pity" (p. 14).  By displaying a child on a poster makes it seem that being disabled is not okay, and by giving money to the cause or organization, 'the disabled child will go away.'  Joseph Shapira writes that these posters are oppressive to most disabled individuals.  In the past whenever I too have seen these posters, I've felt strange and couldn't quiet been able to  explain why.  Was I too feeling this poster to be disrespectful and embarrassing for individuals with special needs?   To the special needs population, this is EXTREMELY hurtful and offensive.  Thomas also gives an example of discriminatory behavior by non disabled individuals when he writes about the blind climber who made it to the top of Mt. Everest.  Was this climber deserving of pity or respect because of his disability?  The reality of this was that an amazing obstacle, regardless of who did it,  should be the big celebration, noteworthy of praise whether it was performed by a disabled or non disabled climber.

TEACHING POINT #2   The Education of the Deaf

In this section of the article, Thomas Hehir writes that educational programs for deaf children in the United States have existed for over 150 years.  This is a very long time!  Both Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc opened up the American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817.  The importance of this program was that Laurent was also deaf, the teachers at the school were fluent signers and most of them were deaf themselves.  I think that what made this school and students so successful was because they were being taught by teachers who themselves knew the struggles of being deaf.  These deaf educators also were skilled and knew the importance of ASL.  

In the later half of the nineteenth century, a new theory of teaching the deaf was believed to be the best method.  This method was called oralism.  This practice teaches deaf children to lip-read and speak.  This practice prohibited the use of 'manual language' because 'they' felt that it 'decreased the motivation' for deaf students to speak.  This section also mentions Alexander Graham Bell who was a huge supporter of oralism and who had wanted sign language banned.  This surprised me!  I have read a lot about Hellen Keller who was born blind, deaf, and mute. Her parents had brought her to the school Mr. Bell ran.  He recommended a teacher named Annie Sullivan.  Annie was partially deaf herself.   She taught Hellen  language by signing.  Later. Alexander Graham Bell would create Braille. Why did he want it banned, when his own wife was deaf?  These questions we will never know. 

This practice of oralism is still around today with many advocates pushing for it.  In 1989, Jacobs found that "for many, the deaf "supercrip" is a deaf person who can read lips to speak.  Jacobs goes on to write that very few deaf people master oralism.  He then goes on to show that the deaf who do master this practice are usually the ones that had lost their hearing after they had developed language.  To this day, there is no resolution.  I think individuals that are pushing for oralism feel that a deaf person's disability can be cured.  They are not advocates for teaching disabled individuals methods they can use that would make learning easier for them.

In this section of the article, it also goes on to talk about the upbringing of a child who is deaf.  Researchers have studies this and concluded that teaching a child to use ASL is both beneficial as well as necessary.   ASL is a language with its own syntax, the arrangement of words, as well as grammar.  This language develops naturally in a deaf child in the same way that oral language is developed in a child with normal hearing.  Deaf parents raising a deaf child has also been researched.  In these findings, Courtin, 2000; Sisco & Anderson, 1980; Zwiebel, 1987 found "that these children born to deaf parents display superior language development and obtain higher scores on IQ measures than deaf children of hearing parents".  Is this because the deaf parents used this 'superior' way to communicate with their child?  I think there definitely is a correlation.  Well developed language = higher levels of literacy.  

TEACHING POINT #3 Toward Ending Ableism in Education Ways to Fix the Problem of Ableism:

1. Acknowledge the problem

*Teach diversity

*Dealing with disabilities in a straightforward manner

*Adults with disabilities need to take on more powerful roles in society

*More adults with disabilities need to seek out how to have a more powerful influence in schooling

2.Encourage disabled students to develop and use skills and models of expression that are most effective and efficient for them 

*All students are not the same, nor should they be taught the same way

*Accept differences and have students perform the disabled child's way, not how non disabled kids perform.

*Allow natural development of language, especially students that are deaf.  Teach them the ASL method.

3.Encourage disabled students to develop and use skills and modes of expression that are most effective for them:

* Allow flexibility with disabled children to perform in a way that it 'just right for them'.

 CONNECTION: This reminds me of the article Aria written by Richard Rodriguez.  It is unethical to ask children to respond and show their understanding if it is not what they are capable of doing based on a barrier or challenge he or she may have.  

*Provide educational opportunities to disabled students that offer the students a disability-specific mode of learning and expression to help them succeed and shine.

4.Special education should be specialized: 

*Inclusion is important for all students.  

*Same curriculum should be practiced across the board

*IDEA 1997: IEP teams need address curriculum access for all students- curriculum needs to be the same for all students

*Specialized support needs to be in an inclusive setting

*Special Educators need to be trained in specialized instruction; especially with disability-specific skills to be most effective with helping a specific population of students

5. Move away from the current obsession with placement toward an obsession with results:

*"IDEA incorporated the current requirement that children be educated in the least restricted environment."(U.S. Department of Education, 2000).

*High-stakes tests should not be allowed to measure a disabled student knowledge.

6.  Employ concepts of universal design to schooling:

*Universal design for all students does not meet the needs of ALL students

*Reading programs are not designed for all students.  

*Reading interventions need to be specific, and designed for the specific population it is intended for

7.Promote high standards, not high stakes: 

*Stop the belief that disabled people are incapable

*Standardized testing is problematic

*Stop the disbelief that disabled students cannot receive a diploma

8.Employ concepts of universal design to schooling:

* Make building accessible for everyone

*Universal design in school is essential

*Design reading programs to fit the concept for all student learning   

A meaningful quote I took away from this article:

"Disability services should be justified on the basis of their impact on the non-disabled.  Universal design is a matter of simple justice," Thomas Hehir.