Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Module 1 Blog Prompt
"The images of disability as portrayed in Christmas in Purgatory are biased and sensationalized. They are not reflective of the lives of persons with disabilities today and therefore should be summarily dismissed as a thing of the past. All that is in the past and today we have advanced tremendously. Persons with SPD are integrated in society and have adequate care and protection." Take a position for or against this assertion, providing appropriate reasoning for your position. Whenever possible, cite appropriate research.
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When thinking about the pictures from Christmas in Purgatory, I am amazed that we used to have institutions that treated people with disabilities like this. For me, I do not know how institutions are these days, but from my education classes in my undergraduate degree, I have heard that some of them are not so great. When it comes to the quote that is mentioned above, I do not completely agree with this statement. One of the reasons why I do not is because I feel like people with severe and profound disabilities are not completely integrated into society. When we see someone with a disability in the grocery store or at the local store, society looks at them as what is wrong with them, why are they like that? This goes to show that they are not integrated into society like someone without disabilities is. For example, in the reading, he says on page 5 about how the senator probably did not understand what all had to take place to take care of someone with disabilities like this. I believe this could be said for all of society. Another example I can think of is when I was in my special education undergraduate classes, we always talked about how students with disabilities, whether it would be severe or not, were always like the bagger at the grocery store or had the lowest job and would never advance. This shows that they are not integrated into society because they should have an opportunity. It just make take them longer to understand it. Also, for the care and protection part, I am not positive on how this is or is not. I wish I knew more about some of the institutions around and how they are treating people with special needs. I believe that we should still be looking at images like that and seeing if all our institutions are not like and to make sure that people with the severe and profound disabilities do get the treatment they deserve and the appropriate acceptance and understanding they deserve.
ReplyDeleteDespite the advances society has made post Christmas in Purgatory, Social Darwinism, Eugenics, and other theories suggesting that those with SPD are “feeble-minded people” we still see these similar ideas being played out both in and outside of the classroom. Today many of these students are sent to schools that are specially designed to meet their needs. Although these schools have these students’ best interest at heart, are these students being fully “integrated into society?” One then might argue that we do have classrooms which provide these students with the opportunity to interact with their peers (i.e., inclusive classrooms) or that they are only in these types of facilities because according to IDEA they are in their least restrictive environment. They are being protected and provided adequate care in these types of schools, but how do we measure “adequate care” and what is meant by “protection”? These words are far too broad. In Dr. Blatt’s Christmas in Purgatory, the author suggests that the legislatures and other decision makers of our country were “infuriated because the Senator reacted to only the worst of what he had seen” which I believe society tends to do today to those with SPD. I believe these policymakers did have a right to be somewhat outraged. Today, teachers always seem to be the first to be blamed when something goes wrong in education. Many say “oh yeah, I remember that happening at that school, that must be what’s going on at our school” which is a farfetched assumption. It is important that we as educators encourage the public to think otherwise. Despite all of the negatives that surround education today, it is necessary not to only focus on everything that is wrong, but what is working right and how these positive aspects of education can influence change. I find it difficult to take a clear stance on the above statement because we have indeed come very far since these images were documented. However, we should constantly be educating ourselves despite our age. The irony is we encourage our students to be evolving learners but are we practicing what we preach? Regardless of the progress we have made thus far, there will always be room for improvement and it is our job as teachers to continuously search for ways to do so.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on everything you said. I feel like I touched the surface and I saw the same passage with the senator as you did. I believe that when it comes to IDEA yes some schools are their LRE, and like you said are we integrating them into society? But, should we give them the chance after they have been moved and placed there to try and get integrated into society? I guess when thinking about society, people would rather have them out of the school than have them "endanger" their child because they do not know enough about their disability. Society still has a long way to go don't you think?
I agree and disagree with this statement. I disagree with the statement that individuals with SPD are integrated in today’s society. Although individuals may not be rolling around in their own feces, they are most definitely still separated. Students with SPD are separated in public schools everyday. They are not given access to the general education classroom, and they are not given access to the general education curriculum. For the most part, they are even separated from the rest of the students for the majority of the day. Some believe that this is best because it allows students with SPD to be taught on a level that they understand and removes them from the ridicule that occurs in the general education setting. To be honest, before I began my study in special education I was one of those people. I thought that the “self contained” classroom was the best option. Now, after learning more about special education, I do not believe that this is the best option. I attribute this belief to mainstream America’s lack of education on the topic of special education. Even as an educator, I only received one course on special education. That course almost never focused on SPD.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the statement that we have made advancements. Transition programs across the country are attempting to truly integrate all people with disabilities. The belief that every person has a place in society is becoming more prominent. Transition services are available to all students with disabilities, and group homes are normally the last option. Independent living is the first goal for all individuals exiting the education setting. This, I believe, is a true advancement.
I agree that progress has been made in the way of persons with SPD being integrated into society and having adequate care and protection but I also feel that further improvement can be made. After reading and watching the slide show "Christmas in Purgatory" one realizes just how far special education has come. This should also demonstrate the necessity of further evidence-based research to keep making strides in these areas. What if research had stopped years ago? There is so much technology now that allows persons with SPD to hold down jobs, communicate, help with physical mobility, etc. As an educator, one should never be satified, but continue to strive to make the world a better place for everyone. I also feel that the limit of funds hender the teacher/student ratio and thus teachers become overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brandi that SPD students are not integrated at all in the general education classrooms. Brandi also made reference to one of the reasons being that this cut down on the ridicule with which the students would be subjected. I believe that the reason children, especially young children, in the general classroom ridicule or act afraid is because they are not familiar with and do not understand such disabilities. I believe that acceptance should be taught from an early age.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elizabeth that as educators the focus should be on what is right with education, look at the evidence-based practices, see which ones work with our students and move forward. Every child is different, whether disabled or not, and learns differently. I feel we need to continue to come up with instruction that meets every child's learning needs.
ReplyDeleteWow. The Christmas in Purgatory pictures are disheartening and disturbing. The picture that stuck out most to me is the one of the baby in it's crib. But, the crib is bare. There is nothing there but a sheet for the child to lay on. While this child be "disabled", that doesn't mean that they shouldn't have some sort of toy that can help stimulate their brain. It seems that way with the adults too. They were just all standing around doing nothing. It goes with the idea in the introduction of Christmas in Purgatory that the concept of human potential is self-fufilling. So many people are viewed as being helpess, therefore they are. If we never give them something that will help stimulate their brain, no good will come out of it. The people in charge of this type of institution and in education in general are the contributing factor to learned self-helplessness. It is something to be really ashamed of.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we should hide these types of images from society even if it is not how institutions are run these days. In fact, we may not know how they are run today because we do not have images like these. In my eleventh grade psychology course, we took a fieldtrip to both Bryce Hospital and Partlow Developmental Center. What I saw at each of these places is completely different from what is conveyed in the pictures. At Bryce, my class through a party for the patients at the hospital. My favorite part of the day was dancing with an older man to "Baby Got Back". It will be a moment I will remember my entire life. It was so much fun for both my myself and my classmates, as well as the people living at Bryce. At Partlow, we saw its residents learning how to different jobs. I do remember though seeing one severely handicapped man in his room looking out of us while we toured the center. I honestly felt really sad for him.
It's hard for me to take a position simply because I believe just because I have toured institutions, doesn't mean I've necessarily seen everything that goes on. I do believe we have made great strides in the accomodations of people with disabilities, but I also believe that there are still many things that could be made better. For instance, we need to still educate parents about their child's disability and how to properly care for them. Unfortunately, I know of a child who was caged at home because his disability was so severe his parents did not know how to properly care for him so they thought their best option was to lock him away from the rest of the world. I think while we have improved, there still needs to be more done.
Elizabeth, I really agree with your statement that as educators we should be still learning ourselves. There are many resources out there that as educators we can utilize to better understand what is going on in today's classroom. You were with me in SPE 503 when we talked about how a lot of teachers do not want ot be "renovators" because they are set in their ways. We definitely need to "practice what we preach" and be good examples for our students. Also, when I first read your comment about how we send students with special needs to "special" schools and fully integrating them into society, I thought of a Law and Order: SVU episode where two students with disabilities met at one of these schools to teach them independent living. However, when the two students fell in love and decided they wanted to get married and have their own place, the educators and administration at the school tried to stop them from doing so. What is the point of trying to teach them to be on their own if we are just going to put an injuction in from them doing so?
ReplyDeleteBrandi, I'll admit that while I was growing up that students with special needs needed to be in a self-contained classroom. I just thought they had their own little place and their friends and that they were okay. When I was studying in undergraduate, I began to see that this is not the case. They do need to be integrated within the school. However, it was not until my classes in Special Education did I really learn some of the best ways to help assist these students. I think Teacher Education Programs could do a little more to help future educators who are not studying special education with tools to assist diverse learners
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI really do agree with your post. What really stood out to me in your post was the everything is blamed on the teachers. I do agree with this. I teach as an adjunct instructor at a junior college, but I have practiced as a school based occupational therapist. I have seen the fear in the eyes of many teachers during IEP meetings. You are so correct I have seen parents, outside special education advocates, and other professionals jump down the throats of many great educators. The thing I have a problem with is that it is all of our responsibilities to make sure that individuals with SPD receive the appropriate and needed resources in and out of an academic setting
Brandi,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I agree children with SPD are not fully integrated in the general classroom setting. I personally believe that this doesn't happen often because the general education teacher doesn't want to bothered and because of fear of truly integration general ed students with SPD students. I think that some teachers have a fear of explaining questions that general ed students have about students with SPD. If full integration is to occur I think it is great for general education students to have exposure to students with SPD. I think this will be beneficial in improving social interaction among those who are considered different and it teaches one to respect those who are different. Therefore it raises the question are we all really that different?
In response to the discussion question. I do believe that we have come a long way, but not long enough. Yes, children with SPD are being integrated more in the general classroom. Are they treated equally in this setting? As a former school-based OT I can tell you that in some classrooms that I have experienced, yes and others no. So what is the point in integrating students with SPD if they are over looked in the classroom and are never given a chance to participate? There is not a point. Many schools participate in integrating the students not because they want to but because they have to. It is only a formality. Also in the reading The Christmas in Purgatory, I do believe that we have improved in the efforts in making sure that individuals with SPD have more suitable facilities to reside.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that the facilities are better equipped but the staff are not. I have independently contracted with facilities that serve individuals with SPD, and what you have at times is a nice, clean facility in which the residents are verbally abused and their hygienic needs are not being met. So you have a clean outer appearance with a filthy core. Therefore, I do believe that facilities have improved and laws have improved to ensure a better quality of life for these individuals. It is sad that peoples attitudes haven't improved. There needs to be a law that enforces individuals to show more respect, and compassion to their fellow man, no matter if that person has a disability or not. Then I feel that we will then be able to see a significant change in individuals with SPD being truly integrated and respected in society. Once again it has improved but everyone's experience is different, because it depends on if the integration process comes from formalities or a genuine place.This determines if the process will be beneficial for the individual with SPD.
We should never forget about the past. If we get to the point where we do forget about the past, then we are at risk for repeating our mistakes. This is an example of the “Revolving Door Syndrome” Dr. Mutua discussed in the lecture for the first learning module. Also, if we do not view the atrocious pictures in “Christmas in Purgatory”, then we discredit the lives of those individuals with SPD. We are basically saying that their lives were worthless if we believe that what is in the past is not applicable to our current society. In other words, what was the point of those individuals even existing? I use the term “existing”, because that is what the pictures showed. Sitting on benches with blank stares on their faces is a form of existence rather than a form of life. These individuals did not have any manipulatives to stimulate their brains. The personnel at these institutions allowed those individuals’ minds to mentally decay. I do not believe these individuals viciously meant to do this. I merely believe, as mentioned in the foreword to “Christmas in Purgatory”, the expectations were low and individuals with SPD had to do little (if anything at all) to meet these expectations. As mentioned by instructors in my previous graduate classes, educators and other personnel who interact with individuals with SPD (as is the case in large institutions) need to have high expectations for individuals with SPD to advance the amount of autonomy these individuals can attain.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the statement that persons with SPD are fully integrated into society. Many individuals with SPD are placed in group homes rather than institutions. For the most part, those individuals who do work perform unskilled labor. I was horrified when I came across a reading which stated that businesses who hired individuals with SPD did not have to pay these individuals minimum wage. I understand that in these cases, individuals with SPD are paid according to their productivity. If someone is at work for eight hours each day then he or she should get paid for working eight hours whether they painted 20 wire hangers or 200 wire hangers. If individuals with disabilities were fully integrated into society, then (in my opinion) they would be paid at least minimum wage.
I do believe protection and adequate care for individuals with SPD has come a long way since the 1960s when “Christmas in Purgatory” was first published. Now there is federal legislation which provides protection for these individuals and also mandates they must be provided with a LRE. LREs have allowed persons who are nondisabled to at least have some interaction with individuals with SPD. However, (in my personal experiences) this interaction takes place only during physical education or recess. So much more can be done to allow individuals with SPD to have access to a better quality of life. As mentioned in the lecture for the first learning module, many of these individuals have limited autonomy in their own lives. Sadly, some caregivers treat these individuals as pets to love and provide for rather than human beings who are capable of making their own decisions. After all, everyone (no matter what their level of functioning is) deserves to live rather than to simply exist.
Tim,
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agreed with you when you wrote that schools do the bare minimum to meet the requirements of recent federal legislation. This may be due to the ever-shrinking funding for education. Like you, I also believe visually appealing facilities do not necessarily mean that the services provided for individuals with SPD have improved. A university is just a collection of several buildings if it not equipped with knowledgeable instructors who have a zeal for learning and respect for students to which they can impart information. As you, I also agree that we should treat others with respect. As the Golden Rule states, “Treat others as you would treat yourself.” I believe we can best impart this respect on society in general by being good modelers of respect. Many small acts combined together form big impacts.
Jonathan Christian
Christy,
ReplyDeleteI liked it when you wrote that educators should never be “satisfied” with regards to the advancement of individuals with SPD. As Dr. Mutua mentioned in the lecture for the first learning module, we must continually research information to provide the best instruction for students. If we become stagnant and refuse to keep abreast of current research, the practices we use in instruction may not be the most appropriate strategies to use with regards to students with SPD. I also agree that funding is an issue which impacts the quality of care provided for students with SPD. With more students entering our public education system and less teachers being hired to instruct them, students are not receiving an adequate education.
Jonathan Christian
I do not feel that those images portrayed were biased and sensationalized. I believe they were evidence that a major overhaul of institutions and their staff was a crucial issue facing America. I agree that we have advanced tremendously but there is still much to be done. Although many persons with SPD seem to be better integrated into society, people continue to focus on their disabilities rather than their abilities.
ReplyDeleteI remember being in elementary school and the special education classroom was not even in the school with the other classrooms. They were in a back hall of a dark and creepy gymnasium that was not used anymore. We were taken to p.e. where we were always told not to go down the hallway where the “special” kids were. I was scared to death of them. It was not explained to us that we should not go down the hall because we would disturb their classes.
Christy,
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers should never be satisfied and should keep striving to make the world a better place for everyone. I know it is easy for me to become frustrated at times because it seems that parental involvement is almost nonexistent. With children with SPD it is important that we all work together in the best interest of those children.
Amber,
I agree with what you said about individuals with SPD not being fully integrated into society like people without disabilities. Since entering into the field of special education, I tend to watch how people react to these individuals. Many times I see them ignore or move away from them like they are going to catch what they have. If they were truly integrated, that would not happen. I have always been drawn to these individuals. They are amazing people.
I disagree with the assertion. I feel everyone, especially individuals who work with people who have SPD, should see these pictures. . We going through the first few slides I was reminded of pictures of factory veal farms. It is absolutely deplorable that human beings or any creature be placed in such crowded conditions. The latter pictures showed hope for a better present and future- one where children and staff happy and busy at work and play.
ReplyDeleteAdvances have been made; however, history tends to repeat itself. As mentioned in the lecture when people in the public hear you are a special educator they assume you work with students SPD. As a whole the public, teachers, parents, students and administrators still are not completely informed about students who have disabilities mild or severe and often hold misconceptions about individuals with disabilities.
Amber,
ReplyDeleteI agree people with disabilities are not fully integrated into our society. I believe situations are much better than they were in the time of the pictures, but people are still treated unfairly because of public disinformation and that some individuals with disabilities lack the skills needed to advocate for themselves. I also agree with the statement on page 5 about how the senator probably did not understand what all had to take place to take care of someone with disabilities like this. I feel that is the same situation today. People who do not work directly with people with disabilities do not understand what is involved. What can we do to better inform the public?
Kimberley,
I know of a situation where a Hispanic with young lady with multiple disabilities that did not go to school until she was 14 years old . DHR went into the home and found her. What can we do to better educate parents, especially those who are disadvantage or come from a different culture than our own?
I too think teacher education programs could do a little more to help future educators who are not studying special education with tools to assist diverse learners. Most general education teachers I speak with state that they know very little about how to help children with disabilities even with just mild disabilities. I would also venture to say that individual school systems should provide more professional development to help general education teachers. What can we do to promote this?
Kimberly:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. I agree that society still needs to learn more about people with disabilites. Especially the ones that have SPD. Those are the ones that I think socieyt tends to shy away from or talk about more behind their back. I remember a few years ago, I met a guy and I knew his brother. They were in a serious car accident and the guy almost died. He would have probably been classified as SPD because he had to relearn everything he knew. He also had some issue with his face and was deaf in one ear and he told his parents he realized the look he gave students with special needs was the look he was giving people now.
That really humbled my heart and I started thinking about how I looked and acted to people who are different than me. And I believe that is what society needs to do also. We need to watch how we interact and look at people. We could end up having a disability and people might be doing that to us and how would we feel if they wrote us off by just walking by us?
When I look at the pictures from "Christmas in Purgatory" it breaks my heart! Although I feel we have come a long way from those photos I do not agree with the quote. There are still places today where people with SPD are not treated like they should be. I also do not feel that they are completly integrated into society either. We still today have seperate schools and classrooms for students who have SPD, and even in some of those classrooms the students are not treated with as much respect as they should be. I think that even though we have come a long way, we still as a society have a long way to go!
ReplyDeleteBrandi:
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying. We have come a really long way, especially with all of the transition programs out there today. I think we still have a ways to go. We need to keep learning and encourging others to learn, especially about the postives in education, transition, and persons with SPD.
Christy,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that we as teachers need to keep learning and striving to do what is best for our students and continue to encourage parent involvement wherever we can. It is key to work as a team.
Emma,
ReplyDeleteI too agree that we have come quite far when it comes to special education but just as we both said before, there is always room for improvement. However, sometimes these separate facilities and classrooms are more beneficial to students with SPD. These teachers are often highly qualified to work with students with SPD and are very educated when it comes to their rare disabilities. For example, I know many of my fellow classmates have had the opportunity to do clinical placements at Brewer Porch here on campus. There is a separate classroom dedicated just to students diagnosed with Autism. These teachers are aware of how these students function and are aware and ready to deal with the negative side effects of autism. Many teachers, both general and special education typically are not specialized with a specific disability and often have just a broad overview of many disabilities. Then again, is the student really in his or her least restrictive environment? They also lose the chance to interact with other students their age who do have disabilities. I can see both the positive and negatives to schools that are specialized based on the student’s disability.
Farah,
ReplyDeleteI too had a similar experience growing up when it came to my peers who were in special education. I remember one specific incident that happened at Sunday school when I was very young. There was a little boy in my class who never was able to play with us. He sat in the corner and rolled a ball back and forth against the wall. All of the other children in my class would make up horror stories about how “weird” he was and how he wasn’t like the rest of us. Even the teacher would avoid interacting with him. For a while I was scared to death of him and would try my best to avoid him at all costs. “Joseph” was diagnosed with autism when he was very young but everyone was scared of him because he was living with a disability that made everyone think he wasn’t “normal.” It truly is heartbreaking how even then an adult would consider a child “different” just because he had special needs. As educators we should encourage others to realize that despite these disabilities, these children are human beings too and deserve to be respected.
WOW! what intellectually invogorating dicussion you are having! I try to minimize my "noise" in the blog by holding my thoughts because in the end, you say it all so well. Do know that I am following the discussion along and may jump in occassionally to offer, suggest or prompt a counter-narrative or suggest a reading or make a connection. I am glad to see the connections you are making of the readings and images that you saw in slide to lived experiences, personal encounters, media texts, theoretical sources/module lecture, etc. In your responses and comments, I hear righteous indignation, outrage, cautious and cautionary statements, and a whole lot of hope.
ReplyDeleteAlso as you go through each of the modules, keep in mind (and make the connections whenever possible) with the key issues in SPD (covered somewhat in Mod #1 lecture): integration, QOL, personal choice, autonomy, etc). I noted that all of you spoke (variously)to the fact that teachers in SPD have to actively engage in advocacy for this population on an ongoing basis. And that we cannot get comfortable. That we have not "arrived" yet---that we have come aways, but not all the way yet...good discussion!