ADA Disability Scenario Reflection

The card I got for my ADA assignment was a sensory impairment. I had to cook something while wearing oven mitts to demonstrate having limited feeling with my hands. This was much harder than I thought it would be. Trying to measure out ingredients and have a steady hand was quite tricky. At one point I just wanted to give up. I had to ask my roommate to help me a couple of times so I didn’t make a mess or ruin what I was trying to make. As I was doing this, I thought of those who have impairments similar to what I was going through and also those who had impairments of different kinds. I thought about how they went through these types of situations every day and how they must feel. I had a hard time asking for help, even when I knew that I needed it because I didn’t want to seem incapable of completing a task.

One thing that I really liked about this assignment is that even though cooking with oven mitts on the whole time may have seemed silly, it gave a really good experience and really allowed me to open my eyes and see what other people might go through on a daily basis. I was able to better understand how people feel with others looking at them and wondering why they do certain things. I felt like my roommates were a little hesitant about what I was doing, but most of them did ask if I needed help. This helped me see that even though we may not fully understand what another person is going through or why they may be doing certain things, we shouldn’t judge them, we should treat them kindly like we would anyone else.

I have had the privilege to work with many students that have a special need or impairment, and I can more easily see why they sometimes become frustrated with certain things and the things that people do. There were times where the students I worked with would get upset or sad if someone tried to help them or when people would make certain comments. I remember clearly the looks on their faces and the smiles they would have when someone treated them normally and didn’t always comment or make a deal out of their impairment.

Overall, I think the part of this assignment that stuck out to me the most was getting that different perspective and being able to get a glimpse of what people that have a special need or impairment have to go through. It just reminded me that everyone has their struggles in life, they may differ from ours but everyone struggles; we just need to have love for everyone despite their differences. A person should always be a person first. That is one thought that just keeps coming to me; a person is not their disability, they are just a person like you and I going through struggles in life just like the rest of us.

Reflection Week 2

Reflection:

This week I learned more about what different laws and acts that help those people who have a special need or disability get what they need. I really liked the video clips that we watched because I felt like they gave me a better understanding of what these acts and things entailed. It also helped me see why we have them now; before ADA, IDEA, and section 504 were a thing a lot of people didn't get the services or help they needed. They weren't always seen as people first; they were seen as their disability and that is so sad to me. We don't have the right to judge a person because they have a disability; we should just try to treat them kindly like everyone else.

I feel like the things I learned this week and prepared for have helped me prepare for my future career because I understand what these acts and laws mean. I have an understanding so that I will know how I can help my students that I teach and I will also be able to know what I need to do as a teacher to help them the most. As we participate in class, we are all helping each other learn more by asking questions or answering the questions we are asked.


Weekly Quote:

"A person is not their disability, they are a person first." This is something that I have always loved. We should remember that a person is a person first, not their disability or whatever else might be different about them from you. Everyone of us is a child of God and as a future SPED teacher, this is something important to always remember!

HWD:

I chose to do my higher wider deeper project on family relationships with families who have a child that has a disability. I chose this because it is something that interests me. I want to know more about what these families go through and I want to know what helps and services are out there to help these families build better relationships with each other and work together.

Reflection Blog Week 1- HIPAA and FERPA

Reflection:

This class works a lot with relationships in our career. Relationships with families, other professionals, and anyone else who helps out. We are learning how to have good relationships in all of these aspects and to know different parts that go into these relationships so that we can do our best in our professions. I have seen through working at a high school with special needs, how important it is to have good relationships and to know what we can do to help the students or children we are working with and their families.

What I hope to gain from this class and learn from this class is how to know what resources are available and how to find them. Sometimes I think I would be at a loss as to knowing how to find all the resources that could help a family or student, and so knowing how and where to look for these things would be very nice to know.

Weekly Quote:

"Being a professional is more than just looking like one." One of my other professors said this to us in class this week and I liked it because being professional comes in more than just the way we dress and we should be a professional in the way we talk and act too.