The world keeps turning, and on the horizon is ParaEducate’s fourteenth anniversary. We have been looking a lot at things we have not had the chance to examine lately and looking at the future. Especially as we write the majority of this post December 31, what else could be ready for us as the year continues ahead?
The things that are out of our control
The changes in the federal government with respect to all the parts of special education have been entirely out of our hands. And we are watching to see what transpires in the next few months. These changes are going to challenge multiple generations of people with disabilities in how they have access to education, and what counts to providing support.
The best course of action actually is to continue to remind our elected officials that people with disabilities, and especially children with disabilities, have the distinction of needing support. The better course of action is to gently remind our elected officials that children with disabilities do become adults, and they may need continued support depending on the nature of their disabilities.
The better course of action is to gently remind our elected officials that children with disabilities do become adults, and they may need continued support depending on the nature of their disabilities.
ParaEducate
Following the changes to the Department of Education can be exhausting, but for those of us who are United States Citizens, we need to stay on top of the changes because it is part of our duty as members of the country to make sure we have an educated population and that does include people with disabilities.
Where Do You Belong?
There is a visual of a planning document, and I am not certain which state the document is for, but it is a planned community centering around people with disabilities.
A friend of ParaEducate’s recently wrote that she is not denying that some families may need this option, but also did not see this option for the member of their family with a disability. And yes, the planned community might be necessary for several families for several reasons, but denying the option for inclusion in a community that has always known the child who grew to adulthood in is also not an option.
Why does this matter to a paraeducator? Not knowing what might be available for some families when their child becomes an adult is just as dangerous as ignoring the truth that children do become adults.
That Echo–
“What time is it? Let’s check the schedule!”
“Check the schedule.”
Except it is not a student who is echoing an instruction, it is one up to every additional adult in the classroom telling the students to check their schedule.
How do we remedy this all too easy pattern?
We teach the adults to wait.
We teach the adults to wait.
ParaEducate
The prompting, especially for students with a processing delay only restarts the clock all too often.
And a reminder, the rule should be just because it takes a student with a disability longer to understand or to do a specific task, does not mean they are not hearing that instruction or not interested in following the instruction. Admitted: that option does happen to some students with disabilities. But students need the time to follow instructions, and have the confidence to follow instructions from a variety of people, and that only comes with the grace of time.
An aside
Renay would like to thank you for the grace our readers have shown with the notes of support that have come her way. The family funeral occurred just this month and was filled with amazing memories of a dear friend. The children are safe and are working through their needs at this time.
Do you have any comments about this month’s blog? Do you have a question for us? Would you like to have an opportunity to pilot some materials at your campus? Find ParaEducate online here, here, here, and on our website. ParaEducate is a company providing materials, information, and strategies for people working in special education inclusion settings for grades K-12. ParaEducate, the blog, is published once a month during the academic school year. ParaEducate shares its findings at conferences, through its books, and through its academic adaptations.
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