Blog 9 - Ableism

 Challenging ableist assumptions implies that disability is an ordinary part of human variation, something that doesn't need to be fixed. Thomas Hehir notes that the largest barriers faced by students with disabilities are often the product of social opinion and school policy that underestimate their capacities or rely on limiting stereotypes. In my own experience in public schools, I’ve seen how powerful it can be when students with disabilities are welcomed and fully included in the classroom. When teachers encourage inclusive and supportive environments, strong, respectful connections develop, benefiting everyone and creating long lasting success.

As a counterpart to inclusion, how instruction is organized matters immensely as well. Hehir refers to planning lessons ahead of time with varying learning needs in mind, rather than waiting until trouble arises and scrambling to attempt to adapt. Planning for students is part of the job. To be prepared for student needs prevents the students from feeling like a bother. With flexibility built into instruction, more chances for success are available to all learners-disabled students and non-disabled students alike. I firmly think that this proactive approach strengthens classroom communities and brings us closer to building more successful schools.

Finally, accepting students with disabilities is accepting their strengths and wisdom. It is accepting their distinctiveness, as a contrast to how one would try to make them fit into set norms. Too much focus on "fixing" disabilities has the ironic effect of avoiding students from achieving total and full education, Hehir cautions. Pressuring children into narrow models of "normal" can be damaging. Instead, as Hehir argues, we should be focused on changing the learning environment—redesigning how we teach and assist students so that they have every chance to succeed.