For the past year or so, I have worked with students with various disabilities. All students in the class have some form of disability...ranging from physical to cognitive as well as behavioral. I had one student that was actually a teacher. He suffered a stroke and lost quite a bit of cognitive ability and came back to school to relearn those skills he had lost. A few are almost blind; one has 2 hearing aids and is diabetic as well as other disabilities. The list goes on and on, and there are 28 students enrolled in the class. A couple have amazing cognitive abilities. Some with decent cognitive abilites have conditions that cause them to lose those abilities occassionally. Needless, to say this class is more than a challenge for any instructor. The biggest challenge is reaching them when there are extreme levels of ability in one setting. Of course the poor readers and those with limited eyesight require more attention. So they more capable students are left to fend for themselves which often leads to behavior problems. The atmosphere in the room can often be chaotic. Some students have a one-on-one care provider. Those workers can also be distractive. Maintaining such a classroom takes extreme patience and endurance. By the end of a day, I am totally drained. HOWEVER, I want to emphasize the fact that I love teaching these learners. I fight for their rights while acknowledging that resources are limited in our small rural community. I invest my own funds in resources for my students to help them remain in our program and to help them advance.
Working with students with disabilities is not for everyone, and do not recommend it for most instructors. But, it is rewarding in its own way for the instructors as well as the students. Hopefully, teachers will be able to learn more about these learners because they are a true fact of life for educators. These humans deserve the same advantages and treatment as all people. How we treat them reflects on us as a society.
