Students with Disabilities

I have not had any experience in the actual classroom with a student with disabilities, however, I have grown up spending time with a friend with disabilities. One of my mom's older friends had a daughter with mental retardation. She is about my mom's age but has the mental age of about a 10 year old. She is an amazing woman and so wonderful to be around. She is always easy to get along with and in a good mood. She is also really intelligent when it comes to animals and can tell you just about anything about snakes. Taking her around in public was always a learning experience for me. I learned how to be firm with her when I needed to and also flexible on my own part. People with disabilities will definitely stretch you and get you out of the box. I remember one time we were at the state fair with her and they were doing a show with a poisonous snake. She owns a few snakes and was insisting that she could hold it. She tried to go towards the man more than once to touch the snake, and we had to be very firm in keeping her back because the snake was highly poisonous. That is just one example, but overall, she is an amazing friend.

Having this experience with my mom's friend's daughter opens my eyes to see that teaching student's with disabilities is going to take patience and flexibility. You have to be able to change things when appropriate to accommodate the student, while keeping them connected to the class and getting along with everyone.