We had a guest speaker from BC Ed Access, which is:
An entirely volunteer-run organization serving families of students with disabilites and complex learners all over the province of British Columbia.
This society also focuses on equitable access to education, which means that all students have the opportunity to learn from teachers and create quality learning experiences for students with special needs.
The speaker also provided us with another website, Inclusion BC, to look at. When I opened the website the title stated: “Advancing rights. Promoting abilities.” This statement stood out to me because I believe that all humans have the ability to learn, read, and write, but in various ways. I think the term “disabilities” has a negative connotation because everyone is able but in different ways. Inclusion BC offers blogs to read, programs to access, and insight on different situations.
You can access the website here.
Damon Kirsebom
The speaker also suggested looking at a blog and a YouTube video both created by Damon Kirsebom. He is a teenager, that at a young age was diagnosed with non-reliable speaker and autism. A non-reliable speaker is when they can produce speech, but it is not what they are intending on saying. He had a hard time through school, was held back for “not understanding”, which was incorrect because he could comprehend what he was learning but was unable to speak about it. Later, he was given the ability to use a text to speech which changed everything for him. What he has accomplished is outstanding, and it just shows you that even though he may learn differently, or write differently he can still succeed through the education system. Please take the time to watch his video, and read his blog.
Reflection Time
I felt that this was a great guest speaker because they provided resources to help us as future teachers to understand inclusive education primarily focusing on students with disabilities.
For myself, I have grown up with a sibling that has overtime became blind, the school provided him with the tools he needed to succeed. I remember they brought home a huge monitor, which looked like a giant TV, but it was actually a machine where they could put a book under and it would increase and invert the font and project it onto the monitor. This machine gave them the ability to read books. This sibling has continued to use technology in ways to help them.
The speaker also touched on a personal story about how their son’s disabilities went unnoticed for a while. It really makes me reflect on when I will be an educator and how important it is to look at the whole picture and understand these disabilities because I want to help all students succeed through the education system and life.
Photo by Yomex Owo on Unsplash
