My Thought as I Journey Through this Class (Part4 ) Disability

I want to think about disability groups since I'm a special education teacher.  Many of my students would never share these thoughts, but I know they often wonder why they are different.  They want to know if other people are like they are.  They want to know how these other people make it.  Do they struggle with their thoughts as well?  After they get to know me, I sometimes get a glimpse by what they share.  I think about deaf students.  I love picture books.  I think picture books are good for both people that can hear and people that cannot.  I believe picture books influence a way a child perceives things.  Picture books also have a direct correlation with text comprehension.  (Golos & Wolbers, 2012)

I also believe that the purpose of children books that depict students with disabilities are not for the sole purpose of “mirror watching”.  While it is beneficial for children with disabilities to learn about others with the same disabilities, I think it is also equally important that student without disabilities read about their peers with disabilities.  There is a lot of discrimination in today's world, and we need to educate people (looking out the window).  If we can get our kids without disabilities to read about kids with disabilities, then we can close the gap of knowledge that leads to discrimination later in the highways and byways of our communities and workforce.  (Smith-D'Arezzo & Moore-Thomas, 2010)

Golos, D., Moses, A., & Wolbers, K. (2012). Culture or Disability? Examining Deaf Characters in Children's Book Illustrations. Early Childhood Education Journal,40(4), 239. doi:10.1007/s10643-012-0506-0

Smith-D'Arezzo, W. M., & Moore-Thomas, C. (2010). Children's Perceptions of Peers with Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 6(3), 1-16.