Looking for smart kids in wheelchairs who should not be in Spec Educ. Any parents out there?

Question

I'm a student at LBCC making a film about students who are physically disabled that are being forced to take special education classes, meant for the developmentally disabled.

Parents please let me know your struggles. Hope to use your story to support our point. The laws are right, the school districts are not. Please contact.

Answer 1

thats terrible! i didnt even know that sort of stuff went on in schools. surely brainy disabled kids are clearly cut above the rest and dont need special help? that would really slow down their learning because they dont have to put in much effort to do well in school.

Answer 2

Can I point out some things that I have learnt from my studies and experience as an aide to students who have disabilties

They are asking for parents due to the legal issue (if you are underage your parent'guardian has to give permission for something like this)

Also although I agree with you that if they are gifted they should not be put in a class with other students who have learning disabilities or intellectual disabilities it does happen as it can be hard to figure out how smart someone is if they have no hand function or are non verbal which can and often does happen with various physical disabilities.

One other thing and I know chilli from the people with disabilities already pointed this out to you (I'm going to be a bit nicer and give you a bit more info) is developmental disabilities aren't just intellectual like Down's Syndrome ect they can also be physical.

Cerebral palsy which is mainly a physical disability (although an intellectual disability can accompany it) is actually termed a developmental delay.

Answer 3

Just an observation. If the students are academically gifted and only physically disabled, would you not be interested in hearing from them?

It seems to me that you are presuming that a 'student with disabilities' regardless of their disability and/or age is incapable of successfully advocating for themselves. Please rethink such a patronizing approach.

I speak from the experiences of a person with a disability who, when in school, was enrolled in Special Education services and then entered Advanced Placement classes.

Because the AP classes were being taught in an area which was not being affected by my disabilities, I believed--and successfully proved that I could perform the AP class work.