Talking Points 9

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome~ Christopher Kliewer



Kliewer argues that children with disabilities should be put in a 'regular' classroom and get the same learning experience as the students without disabilities.
"Mia finished school in segregated placements but then returned after graduation to take content-area courses originally denied her. These included, among others, introductory and advanced journalism, as well as child development. Mia has since gone on to co-lead a study on communication skills and people with Down syndrome with Professor Laura Meyers, a linguist at the University of California-Los Angeles."
This goes to show that even though Mia went through a segregated school she is just as capable as the "normal" students. So for all the years that Mia was placed in a different school for her disability she really had the capability to learn just as the "normal" students did.
"Now we know that people with disabilities can learn and have a full, rich life. The challenge is to erase negative attitudes about people with developmental disabilities, get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with disabilities"
This goes to show that people need to realize that students with disabilities should be in the same society as those without disabilities. I know that when some people see students with disabilities they put them into a stereotype as DUMB... but they are really bright and intelligent human beings and we have to demolish that stereotype. People need to realize that disabled students are capable of great things. Just because they are disabled doesnt mean that they cant do anything. And everything that you can do to help them be succussful is important.

Personally I think that school administrators are afraid to take that leap into including disabled children in the classroom. I think that they are afraid that the disabled students will be a distraction to the "normal" students. I really think that schools need to start including the disabled students in regular classrooms. I think by separating them it makes them think that they aren't like the normal students and that they can only hangout with the disabled students. They need to socialize with the students who don't have disabilities as well as those that do.