Disability Access: The School Years
For nearly every parent, a child's first day of school brings butterflies that come back a little each year. Sometimes the first day brings just a little nervousness, especially if your child has been doing well.
Will this year be as good as last?
What kind of teacher will she have? Will she learn about computers or other things we might not be able to teach her at home?
For many parents of children with disabilities, each year brings anxiety and worse as they try to show teachers their children as they see them. The following is from the mother of a child with autism.
"At the time of the writing of this article, our son was 14 years old and in 9th grade.
Jon has been a victim of the ups and downs of our school system. He had good years, where the education providers adjusted their thinking and accommodated his needs. But he also had years where teachers refused to change their “ways of doing things”. These years have contributed to many paranoias and fears in my son. ....The educational system was broken into three levels – children attended a grade school (grades 1-5), then moved to a middle school (grades 6-8), and finally were transferred to a high school (grades 9-12). With each transition, Jon had new people to teach him. Each transfer to a new school brought days, weeks, even months of stress to Jonathon as my husband and I tried to “teach” the teachers methods of instructing our son. Some teachers were open to suggestions, some were defensive about their methods. "
Welcome to the school years. We hope to help. Click on the arrow below to begin your introduction to special education.
Introduction to Special Education