Ableism, as the Center for Disability Rights defines it, is a set of beliefs or practices that devalue or discriminate against people with physical, intellectual or psychiatric disabilities. The belief that disabled people need “fixing” or that there’s something wrong or bad about bodies and minds that work differently from what we’ve been taught to consider the norm. People form prejudice, ableism can be rooted in fear, ignorance or a lack of education. Even though as many as one in four Americans live with some sort of disability or chronic illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many people are uncomfortable talking about disability or interacting with disabled people, especially those with apparent physical or mental disabilities.

In the beginning of the article Penny she is Joe's mom. She knew her son was disabled but didn't realize the fight she would have for son's basic rights.  The world has negative assumptions concerning disabilities. While speaking to the social worker at a preschool they made it clear she shouldn't have the same dreams for her son as a parent with a non-disabled child. Another time she was told that she had to go through a period of mourning the arrival of her disabled child. Penny’s response was, “I have lost a child at birth and I have had a disabled child. I know the difference. My son is a gift, not a tragedy. This is terrible for a parent to hear. I can’t imagine a parent hearing that. 

Ableism in schools, according to the article an ableist perspective, students with  disabilities results in societal attitudes that assert that it is better for a child to walk than roll, speak than sign, read print than read Braille, spell independently than use a spell-check, and hang out with nondisabled kids as opposed to other disabled kids. Basically its preferable for  disabled students to do things in the same manner as nondisabled kids. 

Education of the Blind, The school Bias for against blind or visually impaired students. The schools have been against Braille and failing to teach it to blind and visually impaired is ableist assumptions. Reading Braille is a disability-specific method of reading.  The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), an advocacy organization of blind people, has taken a strong position favoring the teaching of Braille to blind children and those with other vision impairments. The controversy around Braille is the students that are visually impaired they can read large print or other accommodations. Another controversy with blind or visually impaired students' orientation and mobility services (O&M) they help teach students to walk around with a cane. Does a school provide assistance and 1:1. We have one blind student at our school who walks with a cane and has a 1:1 aid with him at all times. He uses a Braille typewriter for his work and has special services. The problem is when she is unable to attend school and they cant replace her he has to miss school. 

  To end ableism in education, schools need to continue to make everyone feel equal whether its race, gender, or disabilities.  The article had suggestions to help end ableism 

-Include disability as part of schools’ overall diversity.

-Special education should be specialized, The notion that once children are placed in special education they receive a different education should be rejected

-Encourage disabled students to develop and use skills and modes of expression that are most effective and efficient for them. 

 The school dept I work for does a great job with working on ableism in ours schools. We encourage all of our students to participate in activities, sports, school events etc. I have 4 special ed classroom and 6 co taught. We have students that work well in reg ed rooms and others that have difficulty. Every student learns differently and at different paces.  We are having our first unified basketball game at our elementary school. We are having our 5th graders and staff along with our special ed dept. Our senior prom last year our student with special needs was our prom queen. I think our schools have done a good job but still a work in progress. I attached a video of my students that appeared on channel 10. https://turnto10.com/news/local/promposal-prom-warwick-rhode-island-pilgraim-high-school-unified-program-sports-poster-bee-celebration-special-may-16-2023

 Literacy with Attitude

     The main idea of Literacy with an Attitude is the inequality in the American educational system. The education available to those children who take lower social roles does not provide them with opportunities to develop their potential and focus on critical thinking. started out talking about the differences in the types of students, economic status, ethnicity, gender and how differently they are treated in schools, and what the outcomes of their futures may be.

     In the first chapter, He discusses teaching classes of teachers. He focused on just applying what they thought they could implement in their classes. He wrote about his upbringing as the eighth of nine children, 6 boys 3 girls in a blue collared family. Dad was a plumber and five of his brothers became plumbers. He did not follow in his family's steps because of a birth injury, so he was encouraged to stay in high school.He went to a local teachers college and became a teacher. His first teaching job was teaching in a black neighborhood in Chicago's south side. The students were sorted by reading scores into 15 classes. He said he made the assignments easy so the least able student could do them and extra credit for students who finished early.  For 25 years he has been on the faculty of the Graduate School of Education at the State University of NY at Buffalo. He ended the chapter by reflecting on educating students for almost 30 years how to read, write, think, debate. He said he's teaching teachers how to teach language in elem.  He learned not to be so damn superior he learned from his hard bitten teachers. Don;t look down your nose at people out there teaching real children in real and sometimes dreadful circumstances. I think this goes for more than just teaching. Even in nursing people look down on nurses who dont work in a hospital and want to work in a nursing home as if it's not as important.

Chapter 2 Anyon talked about her study working in 5 different schools of different economic status. Working class learned to follow directions and do mechanical low-paying jobs while resisting authority. Middle class children learned if they cooperated they could get rewards with possibility. Affluent professional class learned to create products, art and negotiate from powerful position. Executive elite children were trained to rule the world. When Anyon asked what is Knowledge to different classes the answer was all different for every class of student.

     At the end of Chapter 2 she asked “Those who are the smartest and work hardest go furthest” Who's kidding whom? She continued to say When a student begins school in such different systems the odds are set for them.

 I think that is a strong statement and I can see how true that is with my students I work in a title one school, low income families that don't have much. Many of them don't have support at home, they have supportive teachers but not having parents or guardians to help guide them when they are not at school. I think it would be difficult for them in the future, not in all cases but for some.

https://youtu.be/laS1y4f_U2E

Sex and Gender-based Systems

    After watching the video and reading the articles I learned new pronouns that I never knew were used for someone's gender. I have always heard of he, she, her, him, they, and them but  I never heard of Ze or tree, so I read another article to find out more about the pronoun "tree"  Love Simon actor Keiynan Lonsdale uses the pronoun Tree because we all come from trees, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a he or a she or a they or a them. 

https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/keiynan-lonsdale-preferred-pronouns-tree-8477100/

   I work in the school dept in elementary and was previously in a high school. I had a kindergarten student that was born a male and identified as female, he wore dresses some days and boy clothes on other days.  In the elementary school, we had either a boy bathroom or girl bathroom no gender-friendly bathroom so he did use the nurse's bathroom when he felt uncomfortable. In high school, we have transgender students use the nurse's bathroom as well. Is it because of bullying or due to parent's complaints or are the students more comfortable coming to a private bathroom.  A gender-neutral bathroom should be available and not have to use a bathroom that is made and used by ill students.

 According to guidance from RIDE, the student may access the restroom, locker room, and changing facility that corresponds to the student’s gender identity. The Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education recognizes that all educational agencies must provide all people and groups with full access to educational opportunities and barriers to student participation based on sexual orientation or gender identity/expression must be identified and removed. The Board also recognizes that all students, without exception, have the right to attend a school in which they feel safe and able to express their identity without fear. So are they really attending school without fear, are they using the nurse's bathroom because they're concerned about their safety? We do have a great support staff in our elementary school and high school for our students and families.   It's still a work in progress as far as things that need to be changed. 

    I teach puberty class to our 5th-grade students every year, I have parents question what will be taught is it about transgender. I had a parent ask to review the video and paperwork for the class before allowing me to teach his child, this upset me. I'm not sure what he was so afraid of or why he made such a big deal, I hope in the future there will be fewer parents like him and more understanding supportive parents.  I spoke with a parent about transgender in elementary school and how she feels about it. She had a student who was born a male but identified as a female in her daughter's kindergarten classroom. She said she felt the school did a great job making all the students comfortable. The teacher asked what she would prefer to be called and introduced her to the classroom. This parent also said she was glad her child had her in the classroom at an early age because she knows it's not a big deal to her daughter it's just a normal thing to her. She also continued to say she doesn't think it matters what bathroom is used if there are stalls with doors on them. All parents should have a supportive attitude like this mother of 4, 

https://youtu.be/OePy0AjVU7s?si=Uea8VNus5cFXKt_v 

 The inclusion movement in education

     I find this topic important to me as a school nurse I worked in a high school and elementary setting. This topic has come up more and more. I have students, that are blind, deaf, autistic, and non-verbal. I think it's important for our teachers to have the skills necessary to develop the individualized programs that these children need. Today more and more students with disabilities are educated for more of the day in regular education classrooms.

    The article I read about blaming mothers of autism made me think more about how things need to continue to change. The idea is that a student with a disability isn't going to be employed or attend school, disability is not a tragedy. My daughter is a 6th-grade student in middle school she joined unified basketball, its a team of students with or without disabilities working together on the same team. This builds friendships and an understanding of each other

https://www.unicef.org/education/inclusive-education

Audience

I would like my audience to be my colleagues and staff. I think this is an important topic for the staff in my school to understand. I like including students in educating them about disabilities not to be afraid or to make fun of other students, help staff and students with acceptance and understanding

Format

There will be a slide presentation with my staff during our weekly meeting. Next week I have a presentation for our 5th grade students about inclusion. They will be attending middle school next year i think this topic is important for them as they grow and learn. They will have the option of inclusive sports in middle school and high school I hope with some education they will learn to be more accepting of their peers.