Disabilities
After reflecting on our in class discussion regarding disabilities, I came to the conclusion that the word disability is not nearly as clear cut as I once thought it to be. The word disability spans a large field of behaviours and physical limitations. I learned through our discussion that one functional definition of the word does not seem to exist. I felt enlightened by the many different ways that my classmates described the word.
After reading the textbook and examining the many scopes and subfields of the term disability. I came to the realization that the shear broadness of the term is one of the largest barriers to finding an appropriate definition. The textbook breaks down the term disability into five main catagories, they are as follows, communicational, intellectual, behavioural, physical and multiple. It also points out that there are thirteen subcategories under these five main umbrella groups. I think by defining these more specific groups and by categorizing disabilities one can gain a far more precise understanding of the needs and impairments of the children that are labelled as having a disability.
As an aspiring teacher, the concept of including children with disabilities in the classroom is intimidating and anxiety provoking, but having a clear understanding of the implications of the disability that an individual child has helps to reduce this anxiety. This is not to say that I oppose inclusive education. Rather I am concerned about meeting the diverse needs of all students. I think that it would be unnatural for a teacher not to have feelings of anxiety in this regard. I value the philosophy that all children deserve to learn in an environment that is fully supportive of their individual needs. I feel that if I were to focus my attention on the children with disabilities in the classroom, it would leave the children that are seen as average to fall through the cracks and not recieve the proper attention they need to be successful. I believe that everyone has limitations in terms of what they can take on, and I think that the teachers limits must be taken into account when considering inclusion in the classroom.
I think that inclusion of students with disabilities also has benefits for the class as a whole. Inclusion forces teachers to reach out to the individual learning modalities and multiple intelligences. Using well thought out instruction benefits all students even those that are not labelled as having a disability. In this sense inclusion can help teachers strive to accomodate the individual learning needs of all students in the classroom.