Special education discussion - Coursework Example

PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES Most stories about people living with disabilities are portrayed by the media as people with many problems. Most stories in the media are about sufferings of people living with disabilities. People living with disabilities experience problems and many challenges. They are mostly portrayed as people who require help rather than people who need help. The society perceives them as helpless people who constantly depend on the government and the rest of the population for their living (Ingstad, 1995).

However, there are also other stories that portray these people as people with immense strength and hope. For instance, a story about a blind person who still went ahead to finish his postgraduate studies and does motivational talks for other people with disabilities as well. Some of them despite their disabilities, work very hard against the perception that the society has towards them. They work very hard to prove that disability is not inability and that they can do the things that people without disabilities can do.

Some of the articles are educative on the types of disabilities that exist. For instance, there are people who are physically challenged such as those who cannot walk, the blind and the deaf.Understanding special education is a skill that most people especially those dealing with the people living with disabilities should have (Friend, 2010). They need to be able to understand their feelings towards certain issues in addition to being very understanding. For instance, the teacher has to have some knowledge of braille if he is interacting with blind students.

He also has to learn sign language if he dealing with deaf students.There is a group of teachers who are skilled in dealing with people living with disabilities and challenged in one way or another. This is particularly the case where the disability is so severe that the child cannot learn in normal classroom with the rest of her peers (Friend, 2010). The procedures of special education is so detailed and each child is treated differently according to the type of students that they are dealing with.

Each type of disability has its own method of teaching and thus the carers should be aware of such.The mentally challenged is the most disadvantaged group as they are very easily taken advantage of. There have been many incidences where mentally disabled people have been locked in houses with no access whatsoever to the outside world. This is because they are not capable of having the same emotional responses as the rest of the population (Marshall, 1996). In this sense, they have to be taken care of and taught in different schools.

They react differently or slowly to situations and thus always need to have people with them. They get their medication in addition to professional psychiatric help. While some can be treated and get better with time, some have to be restrained and live with the condition for their lives. This means that they are just given medication to manage their conditions and to make their lives a bit more bearable. The stories affect the perceptions of the individual towards the people living with disabilities in that they tend to pity them.

For instance, stories that depict that disabled people are at more disadvantage than the rest of the population makes people pity them. Some of the people treat them with less respect as they do not have the same capabilities that they have (Ingstad, 1995). They are seen as people who are incapable of doing what the rest of the population can do. However, some sections of the media tries to enlighten people about the abilities of the disabled people and assure them that they are no less than the rest of the population.

Such stories also make people aware of the plights of the disabled population and this makes them more sensitive to them.My interactions with disabled people has made my interest grow in this area. Contrary to popular opinion, people living with disabilities do not like to be treated with pity or sympathy. They like to be seen as people who are capable of doing things for themselves and also like to be treated normally like the rest of the people. Most of them if treated with dignity and respect can usually achieve so much more than they normally do if they are given the right support system.

It is important that people understand their needs and their wants so that they do not feel left out. Any decision that is made without their opinion may be considered as an imposition. They then end up feeling helpless and incapable of making any meaningful decisions. In my studying them, I would like to recognize and understand their needs and what they truly need in order for them to achieve their goals and to reach their maximum potential.ReferencesFriend, M. (2010). Special Education Contemporary Perspectives for School Proffessionals.

London: Merrill.Ingstad, B. a. (1995). Disability and Culture. Berkeley: University of California Press.Marshall, G. G. (1996). Vecinos y Rehabilitation: Assessing the needs of indigenous people with disabilities in Mexico. Final Report, American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Centre, 24-32.