The R-Word

 

I have taught art and other classes to adults with developmental disabilities for over five years. I love my students and highly value my experiences with them. I have come to realize people with developmental disabilities are far from one-dimensional. They are varied individuals, and they have just as much depth as anyone else. Like any of us, they have their special talents. I have students who draw better than I do and students who call their legislators regularly to demand rights for people with developmental disabilities. I have students who are marvelous actors and students who have been in longer romantic relationships than I have. Through my students, I have witnessed true acts of dignity, strength, generosity and love. Although I am their instructor, I have learned so much more than I have taught.

I know a lot of nice people who refer to others as “retards” or “retarded.” It is so easy to use a derogatory word without considering the meaning or the people behind it. While it may not be intended, the implication is that the receiver of the putdown is as stupid as someone with developmental disabilities. But people with developmental disabilities possess the strengths and weaknesses all humans do. That is why I was so happy to see the public service announcement  “Not Acceptable” featured at the end of last night’s episode of Glee. It moved me to tears. It was intense and empowering, and I hope it will make people think before they dub someone a “retard."

The language we choose to use when referring to others is important, and we should all work on stopping the spread of hurtful stereotypes. While I do not use the r-word, and  am vocal about my distaste for it, I am definitely not perfect. I have been guilty of using labels (particularly when I’m in my car and feeling road ragey or when I am relating said road ragey incident to friends). I will work on cutting that out, if you r-word users will make an effort to remove it from your vocabulary.

For more information, visit R-Word: Spread the Word to End the Word, a website launched by the Special Olympics in 2008 to end the derogatory use of the r-word.

**Just as an aside, my students have had such an influence on me that I wish to cultivate a career working with or on behalf of persons with developmental disabilities. I have not quite figured out how to make this happen, but keep your fingers crossed for me!**

Here's to giving people the respect they deserve by breaking our bad habits and cultivating better ones!

Alison

Kid Sister and A New Career Path(?)

GLEE! My favorite characters are Brittany, Emma and Sue Sylvester.

I am writing from my sister Lisa’s place. She rents an awesome and massive apartment above a shop on the main square in the town where she lives. Its hardwood floors, lofty ceilings and painted metal kitchen cabinets give it real charm. In addition to living in a cool apartment, my sister is incredible. She is my bff and confidante, a person to bounce ideas off of, and a person who will give me tough loving when I need it. She loves mob movies and young adult fiction (which are really not that far removed from one another if you think about it). She teaches eighth grade English and Social Studies. From what I’ve witnessed, Lisa is a fun teacher who has high expectations. She works hard and feels a deep responsibility toward her students.

Tonight, we had a Glee get-together (a day late, I know) with a good friend and co-worker of Lisa’s. We ate pizza and discussed the drama, drama, drama that occurs on Glee. In the middle of all this discussion, I realized that while I enjoy Glee and am a fan of musicals, I am just not a Gleek. I can leave the show on the screen when it ends. I regularly miss multiple episodes in a row. I am even okay with being a little behind on several major plot developments. Unfortunately, I am a disappointment to Gleeks everywhere.

I will be going back to middle school tomorrow, which is a terrifying thought. Luckily, this time I will be an adult and a visitor. I am going to shadow some of the Special Education teachers at Lisa’s school. I am really excited to see what they do for their students. For the past five plus years, I have been teaching Art and other classes to adults with developmental disabilities through a wonderful program in Kansas City. I LOVE it. I find it highly fulfilling for multiple reasons: I enjoy teaching; I feel like I am truly serving others and improving their lives; I am incredibly patient and enjoy seeing even small gains; I feel like I learn even more from my students than they do from me; I ADORE my students. Since I have been given this unexpected opportunity to reevaluate my life goals and find a new position, I have been considering returning to school to get certified to teach. Most people who know me would probably think I would want to go back and get certified to teach Art, because a) I LOVE Art (making it, viewing it, talking about it, thinking about it) and b) I already have an MFA and a BFA. However, there is a real need for Special Education teachers, and I know I have the right personality and experience for working with Special Ed students. I think Special Ed could be a niche I fit into really well, and I am very excited to see how younger students differ from my adult students! I am not 100% sure this is the route I’m going to take, but that is why I am doing a little advance research.