Journal #9- Final Reflection

I feel like my knowledge regarding a person with disabilities has definitely grown this semester. I have learned so much about all the different types of disabilities there are, the different laws that are implemented to help someone with a disability, how to accommodate a person with disabilities in the classroom and the necessary steps to form a successful IEP, and the different models of disability just to name a few. I also have been able to use a variety of different resources to help me grow and learn, including our textbook, different guest speakers, and group projects.

This class helped to confirm that I definitely want to go into Special Education for my career. This class also presented me with a variety of opportunities regarding that. If it were not for this class, I would have never learned about Virginia Camp Jaycee or had the opportunity to volunteer for their anniversary weekend. That weekend was probably my most favorite weekend in college this year because I realized that working with people with disabilities was something I truly wanted to do and had a passion for. 

I don’t think that my attitudes about a person with disabilities has changed per say, but they have definitely grown more positively as to how I use to view them or treat them. I of course never treated them negatively, or were mean to them, but I feel like before this class my natural instinct was to place them on a pedestal instead of treating them like any other person. I think that volunteering at the Virginia Camp Jaycee helped with that also. By interacting with these people, I realized that they were very similar to me regarding our likes and interests, and I was able to carry on a normal everyday conversation with them.

Regarding the outlook for the future of people with disabilities, I hope that society is able to become more appreciative and accepting of them. I want everyone to realize like I did, that someone with disabilities doesn’t need to be babied nor coddled, but given the same mutual respect you would give any other person. I hope that we are able to research and find out definite causes of some of the different disabilities where the majority of the causes are unknown or unidentified. My highest hopes for people with disabilities is that they feel like they are accepted by everyone, and that they can achieve just like anyone else can with the proper accommodations.