Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome (Reflection)

  I found this article to be very interesting I feel like I learned a lot and I also feel like I can relate to this article. I don't have a learning disability but I do have a physical disability so I know what its like to feel like someone is judging me. "people without disabilities are judging us". I have CMT which causes weakness in the muscles in my lower legs and hands because of this disability I sometimes have to wear leg braces. I am always very self conscious of this of people staring at me or judging me just because I am a little different.
    "Community requires a willingness to see people as they are different perhaps in their minds and in their bodies, but not different in their spirits or in their willingness and ability to contribute to the mosaic of society". People have a way of judging before they truly understand. People with disabilities are some of the strongest people anyone will ever meet. They are fighting a battle everyday that they can overcome and get past to be able to be accepted in society.
   I also understand what it feels like to be singled out at school because of my disability. Because of my disability I couldn't do all the activities like everyone else. When I went to high school I remember a gym teacher yelling at me because I wouldn't do jumping jacks but I was embarrassed I didn't want to tell her why I couldn't do the jumping jacks in front of the whole class. My cousin was in that class and he knew exactly why I wasn't doing what I was suppose to in class so he basically yelled at the teacher telling her I couldn't do it and the teacher stoped. At the end of the class I told the teacher the reason I wasn't doing everything I was suppose to. I never wanted to be singled out I wanted to be treated like I was normal. All I wanted was for the gym teachers to be aware of this so they wouldn't single me out. In elementary school I did have to take a "special" gym class but that didn't last very long. I also didn't like that I was being singled out. I feel that kids with disabilities should be able to be in a regular classroom with everyone else. They just might need a teachers aid to give them a little more attention but its good for the kid to interact with kids without disabilities and it is also good for the students without disabilities to interact with them so they can understand a little better about what their peer is going through and wont jump right away to judgement.

 In class I would like to talk more about if it's a good idea to put a student with disability into a class where kids don't have disabilities.

If you want too know more about CMT