Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken,” 1916, lines 18-20
I am a young adult with a disability. I atttend a 4 year university and have an enoromous amount of experience to share regarding survival both in High School and in life. At six months old, I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy ("CP"). The only limitations resulting from my CP are physical. Nevertheless, those limitations required the district to provide an aide whose tasks were to take notes and assist in any other essential daily functions. With the role of the aide came the immediate suspicion on the part of my peers that he or she was the one completing assignments and not me. I was, despite the aforementioned fact, the talk of the town; you see, I had a motorized scooter, and everyone’s day was made if he or she had a ride on its back at recess. But as junior high school came, cliques began to form; in other words, students realized that I was different and began leaving me out of activities and sometimes acted as if my existence was not a reality. That forced me to ask the painful question: “why me?” Suicide did cross my mind. But I hung on and found other pursuits, mainly intellectual in nature, to keep my mind stimulated and numb the emotional pain.
Things changed as I entered high school. In the first semester, because I had a love for baseball, (and still do—Let’s go White Sox!) I wanted to be a sports broadcaster; a position in that arena would allow me to travel the country and experience the game I love. But then, I sat at home one day and watched ESPN; on the screen, the anchor was detailing the Supreme Court’s holding in PGA Tour Inc v. Martin 532 U.S. 661 (2001). This case helped to spur my passion for advocacy and catapulted my life in a truly unexpected direction. It was after hearing about the case that I wrote Congressman Mark Kirk, who has since been a great ally and voice in Congress, supporting initiatives that help to make society more open and accessible to people with disabilities. But a full explanation of my activism is beyond the scope of this piece; what is important here is that socialization became even harder in high school, because students who I believed were my friends ostracized me because they thought that what I was doing was “gay.” I realized, after quite a bit of deep thought, that their ad hominem attacks were immature and that they did not truly comprehend the reasons for my actions or its positive impact on the community.
It was because of my struggles and challenges in high school that I began to consider at length the concept of inclusion. I had first considered inclusion in an article I had begun writing for a journalism class. In that class I had detailed the experiences and opinions relative to inclusion of two other students with disabilities and various teachers at school. Following the completion of the article, I sat down and thought about all the things teachers had done over the course of my entire educational career to ensure that I was truly included. As I examined the list, I realized that my inclusion was successful because I too had done everything discussed below. So, without further introduction, here is the list, supplemented with short anecdotes and/or supporting arguments. Students should:
Develop and Maintain a Positive Attitude
In theory, this advice may sound obvious. But there are two realms
in which students must stay positive for inclusion to work. First,
they should always try their best on assignments and know that, no
matter what grade they receive, their best efforts were expended. If a
grade is lower than what a student wanted to receive, he or she should
carefully examine teacher comments and ask the teacher if, for partial
credit, corrections can be made; if not, then on the next assignment,
make certain that corrections suggested by the teacher are
automatically made. The grade will more than likely be on par with the
desired result. In any event, getting worked up or depressed about the
low grade is not an option, as the effects will inevitably be felt in
other classes and areas of life.
For instance, Math was never my strong suit; it still is not. In
Geometry class during sophomore year, I received a B- on a test. It
was a thoroughly disheartening experience, especially since I thought I
had done very well. Upset as I was about this grade, I knew I could not
allow it to affect me too much, given that I had three other classes
that demanded my attention. In addition, I was encouraged when I
learned that the majority of the class also did poorly; because of
this, the grade could be boosted by turning in corrections with
explanations of the mistakes we made. This mentality has served me
well in school; there are, of course, many challenges that arise, but
if students continually believe that they can meet them, and do not
become disheartened when bumps appear in the road, inclusion will work
better because the teacher will have a more positive view of the
student, who participates in the process.
Discover and Embrace Their Unique Identities
Inclusion, however, does not just occur inside the classroom. Being
at school should provide an academic education, but the social portion
is just as important. High school can be a rough time, as I stated in
my Opening Statement above. It is a time when the natural inclination
is to want to fit in. To some extent, this is doable—that is, students
with disabilities can certainly wear the “right” clothes, listen to the
“right” music and so on, but a simple fact should be realized here: if
even a mildly visible disability is present, a student will not be seen
as “normal.” And I say this not as an attempt to wreck emotional
stability, but as an attempt to produce and sustain it. Disability is
actually a blessing in disguise, proving to everyone that in fact, we
are all limited in different ways, with some more so than others. With
the knowledge and understanding of the blessing, students should take
the time to really investigate the things that interest them. By
“interest,” I mean things about which students are passionate. For
about the first half of my freshman year in high school, I spent time
trying to fit in. During this period, I felt completely lost, because
I had not yet identified exactly who or what I was. And, even worse, I
actually started believing that I was inferior after kids began making
fun of me. But if students find several things in which they are
interested and at which they are good, they can offset the possible
damage caused by peer pressure that will inevitably render them
irascible. They will know what makes them unique and special, and not
need anyone else to justify their existence.
Enjoy the Educational Experience
As I mentioned above, school can, at times, be laborious and seem
rather useless. Students should also be aware of the fact that when
they get into the “real world,” (hopefully none of the readers here
will be in the raunchy MTV series) they will likely miss school. Take
for example the cooking class I had senior year. Every Tuesday, we
would learn how to cook something new—from pizza to brownies to
scones. (Never mind the fact that the food lab, which contained small,
individual kitchens with stoves and sinks for each group, was
realistically inaccessible for me in the wheelchair because everything
was too high for me to reach it). But even in the more involved
classes, I enjoyed the learning and skill development.
In Constitutional Law, (yes, that was a high school class) we
learned how to loosely conduct a mock trial and write appellate briefs
for the cases. The point here is simple: it is exhilarating when
something you learn from class is understandable because the teacher
makes it that way, and when the knowledge a student gains in the
classroom can be applied in everyday life—which, believe it or not, is
the case with most high school courses. Inclusion will work better if
the student can show the teacher that he or she cares about the
material being covered, and can help his or her peers understand it if
necessary. And, most importantly, as former South African President
Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which
you can use to change the world.”
Do not be Afraid to Talk with Adults
A large part of enjoying the learning experience discussed above is
dependent upon the student’s willingness and ability to talk with
adults in an academic setting. Inclusion must be broadly construed to
foster open communication with the teacher about the student’s academic
progress and any accommodations needed. Self-advocacy builds
confidence, shows the student how to meet the challenges of daily life,
and makes the process of inclusion run more smoothly. At the beginning
of every school year when I was in high school, I talked at some length
with each of my teachers, telling them that I was looking forward to a
great class and then detailing the character of my disability; this
naturally led the need to a list (even though it was in the IEP
already) of the accommodations which I would require as a member of the
class to make my education appropriate. This action illustrated to the
teacher that I was responsible for my educational success.
Students should also not hesitate to share their feelings about high
school, or anything else for that matter, with parents and other
trustworthy adults. Since the high school years coincide with what can
be a rebellious stage in development, students’ reluctance to do this
based on beliefs that either they know everything or their parents will
rail at them is not a surprise. Nevertheless, students should maintain
an open relationship because parents (and teachers) can provide
guidance support and wisdom as kids enter previously uncharted waters.
What is important in this discussion is that if students with (and
without) disabilities can overcome their fear of talking with adults,
they will be ahead of the game, able to articulate their feelings and
needs to those around them, making the process of inclusion easier to
manage on both sides.