"Eliminating Ableism" by Hehir and "Examined Life"
Cassie Abatecola
Thomas Hehir defines ableism as the "devaluation of disability," which creates the social biases of wishing to walk instead of roll, speak instead of sign, read print instead of Braille, spell independently instead of use a spell-check, mingle with nondisabled students instead of disabled classmates. Hehir points out these ableist practices through critiques of research and historical practice in educating children who are deaf, blind, visually impaired, or learning disabled through dyslexia. He argues that habitual ableist assumptions in educating children with disabilities not only perpetuate stereotypes but also result in lower levels of educational achievement and employment opportunities. Drawing on his many years of service as the previous director of the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education, Associate Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, and Director of Special Education at Boston Public Schools, Hehir provides six down-to-earth suggestions that will reverse ableist approaches and attitudes in schools.
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ReplyDeleteHi Cassie! It's so important to recognize how deeply ingrained these ableist attitudes are, and Hehir does a great job of bringing them to light. The connection he makes between these practices and poorer outcomes for students is crucial. It really drives home the point that we need systemic change, not just surface-level adjustments.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassie, I thought what you wrote was powerful and how you recognized how society typically favors the typical human to the person with a learning or physical disability. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteTry to respond with your own thoughts without depending on AI. You are able to generate a reflective response after doing the reading.
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