Interpretation and Impact of Point:

In the chapter of “About Us”: “The Nazi’s First Victims Were the Disabled”, it discusses the Nazis eugenic movement of sterilizing and killing people with disabilities; the “undesirables”, just like the Jews. On top of this, we must tie in an equally horrifying fact that the United States of America also tried to exterminate disability and people with disabilities, and arguably, still does.

Historically, we live in a society that views differences as impurity; whether that be your race, gender preference, sexuality, or disability status. We do not put emphasis on life, but emphasis on what's considered a “valuable” life; essentially playing God and deciding which life is worth applying civil rights to and which is not.

Society has long represented the disability community as invaluable, impure, financial burdens that we shouldn’t allocate resources to, or moral burdens that we shun out of public spaces through lack of accessibility or looks of fear or disgust…the list goes on. Inconspicuously, over time, portrayals of the disability community have been imposed upon us through political policies, entertainment, word of mouth, etc., and instilled implicit biases within us that without our knowledge, created this covert (oftentimes overt) intolerance or prejudice towards people with disabilities. This was essentially the Third Reich’s main goal: eliminate groups of "inferior" people through brainwashing society into believing their lives are less valuable because they are different.

To this day, there are people in the world who still believe equality for people with disabilities is not a civil right, it is not their problem as an abled-person, they make fun of disabled people, using harmful words that hold negative connotation, they park in handicapped spots, they feel they do not want their tax dollars going towards people who "have a poor quality of life", teachers don't want disabled students because it's "more work", districts avoid evaluating students to avoid creating IEPs, racial disparities with students with disabilities are prevalent and apparent through school segregation, and we can even get into the extensive testing during pregnancy and genetic splicing to ensure disabilities don't occur, and the option to abort is there if you don't want a disabled child. If that wasn't the longest run on sentence I've ever written, I could go on and make it even longer regarding what I see every single day in reference to the disabled community--and I'm on the outside looking in.

To sum it up, the representation on disability is a historical systemic barrier intentionally put in place in an attempt to eliminate disability entirely. In terms of education, it has, for a very long time, directly impacted students with disabilities and their access, or lack of access, to an equitable education, while simultaneously generating grudges inside teachers because they are improperly trained on teaching students with disabilities.

Impact on Future Teaching Practices:

When teaching students with disabilities (SWD), it's incredibly important as teachers that we educate ourselves on the historical ableism that works hard to represent the disabled community in a light that portrays them as less than. I believe this can contribute to a deepened understanding on SWD and allows us to develop a richer sense of empathy when you actively try to understand what disabled people and students have gone through to get to where we are in education, and where we still need to be.

By diving into the history of the adversities and trauma the disability community has faced throughout time, I believe it will only make me more driven to become a passionate advocate and fighter for my future students rights and motivate me to serve them with the best education that suits their individual learning styles.

The idea that there are teachers out there who don't want to educate students with disabilities or they're programmed to believe that it's "more work" is a painful thought to me. I hope if I ever encounter a fellow educator who feels this way I can provide support and knowledge as to why this additional "work" is so well worth it.

—De-Stigmatizing Disability: Stereotype-Smashing Kids Books

Culturally responsive teaching is a student-centered teaching practice that incorporates student identity, experiences, and culture in the classroom which aids in academic success through empowering our students. Over the years, we've learned the importance of children seeing themselves in the content we provide; whether that be books that represent students with disabilities, students of color, cultural identities, genders, or different family styles.

As educators, we hold a lot of power and responsibility in the classroom: we play a major role in molding the minds of future generations. With that in mind, we have a responsibility to ensure the content we are choosing to present and have available in our classroom are accurate representations of all cultures and identities. In order to truly encompass a culturally responsive teaching mindset, we must ensure the content we are giving our student's access to are developed by the voices of those who are living the lives of what they are writing or speaking about.

I think the majority of educators want to build classrooms that every single student feels seen in. In order to do this, we must have the hard conversations about the historical systemic oppression against minorities: the disabled community, racial and ethnic groups, gender. I think as a country we've lost sight on how to do this. There are radicals who want to push certain agendas on both sides, but the most important way we can ensure our students are learning this history while simultaneously being heard, is by intricately selecting material that is appropriate, relevant, and created by someone who has lived an experience first hand.

Over the recent years, we've heard the controversial term "fake news", and although some may think it relates to a certain person or agenda, there is a lot of media we have access to that is not always genuine. There are millions of people in this country that are entitled to freedom of speech--that means there are millions of brains that work and think differently and are allowed to produce content that they feel is "good". It's important not only as educators, but as civilians, that we do not just look at something superficially and think "good enough", especially when choosing content that is going to represent our students. We must think critically about the materials we're consuming, analyze them deeply, and determine if the information we're intaking is actually a true representation of what it's intended to be.

Impact on Future Teaching Practices:

I think one of the most important ways I can ensure my students are accurately represented in the classroom is taking the time to get to know each student--their cultural identities, their interests, their abilities and their struggles, their family background, and most importantly, who they are as an individual person. I think this is the most crucial part of the beginning months with a new classroom, and this can easily get lost in the chaos of drilling in routines and rules, trying to keep up with curriculum standards, while also devising accommodations and modifications to content; but with passion and drive, there are ways to do all of this while also going above and beyond to learn who your students truly are. We are with our students, a lot of times, more than they/we are with our own families, we have plenty of time to truly get to know them and develop deep, meaningful relationships with them.

Once I confidently know my students, I think it will be so much easier to be able to provide them with access to material that is 1) created by someone who lives a similar life to them, 2) allows themselves to be seen through content, and 3) aligns with their interests. I strive to uphold a classroom that not only represents those who make up my classroom, but breaks down barriers and opens the eyes to some who may never have been impacted by hardships, whether that be in general or by disability or racial disparities. I strive to create generations of future adults that welcome those different from them with open arms, fight to represent those who are overlooked, and genuinely want to be the change to an equal, accessible world.

For far longer than any of us have been alive, camp programs have been a space for people to come together and enjoy social interactions and group activities--for abled-bodied people that is. Until Camp Jened, people with disabilities weren't welcome in these spaces, along with most public spaces. Most of us have a cultural identity and belong to a culture of people where we feel a sense of belonging. Those with disabilities were/are still today, so commonly denied a sense of belonging, simply because they are different. Although most of these campers had families who loved them, they were still hidden away, controlled by their parents (whether that be from fear due to their "inabilities" or fear from instilled public shame), they seldomly were allotted the experience to be around like-minded people who they saw themselves in, who they could relate to.

Camp Jened was, for all of these camp-goers, finally a place where they were able to experience a sense of culture, especially during a time where accessibility and acceptance were slim to none. It was the first time they were free to openly discuss the challenges of being disabled with people who knew what it was like, the first time they were able to participate in group activities that able-bodied people take for granted, the first time they were able to feel love, heartbreak, and suffer from STD's (something most of us cringe at the thought of, but for them, they celebrated); overall, it was their first time encountering basic, bare minimum, human milestones.

But why? Because society fought so hard to, quite literally, silence these people, whether that be through eugenic movements or by shoving them in a basement for "school". Disability culture was never meant to be a "thing"--but clearly, it was hard to avoid when disability is the largest minority group of them all. The founders of Camp Jened understood this. They understood the need for those with disabilities to have a sense of culture, to experience what able-bodied people experience on a regular basis, to fight for change for people who didn't feel like they had a voice because they were told they didn't. The problem has never been with disability, but with the people who treat disability as a burden.

Impact on Future Teaching Practices:

Culture is not just the language we speak, our traditional family practices, or our religious beliefs. It is the community we build around us. In the classroom, it's the physical space, student engagement, the materials we provide, the "friends we make along the way".

I know growing up, I had some really incredible teachers who facilitated a classroom community where we all felt comfortable being ourselves. I also know, that I can remember that as young as second grade, I had some teachers who had very little awareness as to what was going on within their classroom community. One of my biggest goals as a teacher is ensuring that I never got lost in the endless responsibilities I'll have and I ensure that the culture I create in the classroom is one where every student knows they belong in it. Even if they don't have that feeling at home, my duty is to ensure that my future students will be able to walk into our classroom and can just breathe, because they know they are wanted there, regardless of their abilities or inabilities, their interests, or their beliefs.

I believe every educator should thrive to create a classroom culture that gives everyone the sense of relief that Camp Jened gave these camp-goers: a place where they feel, even if they've never felt it before, they belong and genuinely want to be there.

In "Being Heumann", Judy was in first grade and didn't really understand why she didn't go to a "normal" school, but she didn't really have a problem with it because all of her friends and family went to different schools--public, catholic, and home school for Judy. She was a happy kid, there was no reason to really question it, and as a child, it's hard to articulate that question anyways.

I chose this point because I feel it proves that inherently, we believe in ourselves. We are not born to believe we can or can't do something, or that we're not physically appealing, or not smart enough, or not fit enough, whatever your internal insecurity may be, that was not something that was in your DNA when you entered this earth. We believe in ourselves--until we get older and something tells us not to.

I can't speak for anyone with a disability, but from reading and watching resources created by those with one (or multiple), most don't see their disability as something to overcome. When we live a neurotypical life, we are more inclined to look at someone with a disability and say "oh I could never live like that", but for those with a disability, it is just their norm or becomes their norm. We all grow up with a sense of self, early on we tend to become aware of our differences, but it isn't until we grow older that we truly see how people view those differences and the impact that has on us. In hindsight, our differences mean nothing, but when you are different and have a society that has worked against you your entire life, that can entirely change how you see yourself and the world.

Impact on Future Teaching Practices:

I hope as a future educator, I can actively work to combat the external dialogue around differences and instill a strong sense of self within my students. One of the most powerful characteristics you can have is self confidence, and as an educator, it's personally so important for me to try and build that within my students, especially because I lack that within myself oftentimes. I hope to teach them the idea that we are not born with insecurities or negative perceptions and that they will grow as we get older, but they are arbitrary standards that are consciously and subconsciously taught to us as we age and they actually don't matter nor exist. I believe that no matter what you are or aren't able to do, no matter what you look like, or where you come from, you are a unique human being first who deserves to have a high sense of self-worth.

But I'd always know that. It wasn't that.

It was the world and how it saw me. The world thought I was sick”

—What are Models of Disability?

–Things People With Disabilities Wish You Knew

One of the most important facts you should know as a teacher is the fact that America is a country that was founded on systemic oppression and constantly used minority groups as a step-ladder to get ahead. No matter which way you align politically, as White teachers in America, it's ignorant and harmful to our students to deny that fact. This is in relation to race just as much as it is in relation to disability.

This idea is still very prevalent across the country, with or without people's knowledge. There are some of the best schools in the world in this country, yet in some major cities, there are schools that are crumbling to the ground, with health and safety code violations, inedible food, and incredibly poor teacher quality, yet we preach: "children are the future of America". It's so important for us to acknowledge these hard facts that students are suffering, all throughout the country, and there are politicians, government officials, school board members, educators, and parents who all turn a blind eye.

This idea of cultural supremacy can directly relate to special education and students who receive special education, as historically, students with disabilities have been given the short end of the stick, as a way to devalue them, their additional requirements needed in education, and limit their access to these basic human rights, especially when we look at marginalized groups/students of color with disabilities.

Impact on Future Teaching:

I intend to always stay vigilant in seeking out disparities within my classroom and maybe one day, on a larger scale, district level. The best thing I can do for my students, as a white educator, is educate myself on the history of marginalized groups, and the ever changing political and school climates that directly impact them every single day. I have to acknowledge my own internal implicit biases that could potentially impact my teaching and my students and be aware that they do exist, even at time when I think they don't. A high sense of self-awareness is key as educators, we hold the key to shaping the lives and minds of these students, and we have to be aware of the content, materials, and information we are providing in our classrooms.

Growing up, Judy always knew she was different, but she never thought of those differences as something negative. It wasn't until she had an encounter with a young boy, who thought she was sick, did she start to understand that the world viewed her disability as something disadvantageous. This returns to Point #1, that inherently we have a strong sense of self and it isn't until some external influence changes that within us.

It's easy to say: "don't let other people's opinions affect you", but I'm sure it's hard not to, especially when those opinions are incredibly prevalent throughout society, whether it be through stares from people, a clear sense of discomfort from someone standing next to you, lack of accessibility in public spaces, lack of access to resources, appropriate education, the list goes on... However, throughout these experiences in life, Judy didn't allow it to break her down and affect her sense of self (at least not for too long)--she knew she was just as capable as any able-bodied person, she let these barriers fuel her. She took these external influences that most of us internalize and let fester within us, and decided to prove the world wrong. Her sense of self was impacted, but in a way we should all strive to allow negativity to impact us, it motivated her.

Impact on Future Teaching Practices:

Opportunities are not equally distributed. It is incredibly ignorant to assume that because some people can make mountains out of molehills, that we all are able to. However, I believe this lesson from Judy is one we should all share with our students: let the barriers, the negativity, the lack of respect you will inevitably experience in life fuel you to fight for what you know you deserve. Instilling this in our students is not going to ensure they will become the next President, but it can aid in building a strong set of self-driven learners who strive to become the best versions of themselves, for themselves and in follow, their communities. I know as a teacher I can only control what happens in my classroom, but as someone who struggled with school my entire life, I hope to utilize my power to help student's build upon the characteristics they were born with--motivation, drive, and self-worth.

After a 24 day sit-in from a community of disabled activists all over the country, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed into law. It was for the first time, people with disabilities felt they were taking their image as a hidden, weak, and pitied group, and transformed into to represent a community of strong and confident members of society. The community finally felt a sense of pride of themselves for the first time, for many of them.

This moment in history was impactful on the disability community as it not only was the start of federal changes and regulations, but like Camp Jened, gave a sense of culture, community, pride, love, and friendship to people who had gone through life feeling silenced and shunned. It was the first time a lot of these disabled people felt seen and knew they could be in control of their lives after years of lacking that basic human necessity.

Although this was only the beginning of the fight, and years would come before seeing real changes around the country, this was a monumental moment in history for the disability community. After years of inaccessible independent living, education, public access, and negative societal portrayals on people with disabilities, the community was finally being heard.

It's unfortunate to me that we put so much emphasis on American History in school, however, if taught at all, topics like this are tend to be briefly discussed. Educators hone in so much focus on the foundations of this country, but curriculum seemingly lacks requirements on monumental moments like this. The history of what the largest minority group in America went through, is so seldomly taught, at least in my experience, and is a clear example of active ableism in our school systems. If we are not actively thinking about this minority group when devising lessons and excluding the presentation of the history in our classrooms, we are continuing to silence and marginalize the disabled community through lack of knowledge and disregard.

Impact on Future Teaching:

I can only speak for my own education and I can acknowledge that I can be considered an unreliable narrator because I dropped out of high school so I'm unsure of what was being taught. But when asking around to the people in my life about historical disability movements, the only people who know anything are those who's careers involve working with people with disabilities--and even then, the knowledge is lacking. Observing in and working in classrooms today, our students learn so much about historical civil rights movement, but I've never seen anyone teaching disability civil rights movements, why?

Disability is prevalent in our school system and as a teacher, I would be doing a disservice to my students if I am teaching some civil rights movements and not others. Obviously, this is dependent upon the age group you are teaching, but I hope to be able to further my knowledge on the history of disability rights and be able to instill that knowledge to my students, not just for the ones who may have a disability, although it is incredibly important to show them that they are fully capable of anything an able-bodied or neurotypical person is, but so everyone has the access to learn the history around the community.

The ability to ask for help is one of the greatest strengths we can have within ourselves. For anyone, asking for help can feel like a weakness; for someone with a disability, it can be challenging and may sometimes even feel dehumanizing, requiring help, especially if you're in a classroom surrounded by people who may not need as much support. However, I think there is something that is so powerful about asking for help and something that we should be proud of, as it's not easy.

Having a disability, especially in a country that claims to be progressive and accessible but actually isn't, is not always easy. It affects people's every day lives and independency. It takes an incredible amount of courage to ask for help, especially to be out in public and having to ask strangers (sometimes my anxiety prevents me from building up the courage to even ask the grocery store worker where something is), so why do we act like it's a sign of weakness? Disabled people deserve to feel the greatest sense of pride of all people; they take on life headfirst every day and face challenges that for most of us, are never even a thought, and do it without complaint.

Impact on Future Teaching:

When we destigmatize this idea that asking for help is a weakness, we empower those who may require additional support. In our classrooms, it's important to teach that help=power. When we work together, we are able to create something way bigger than we could if we were to do it on our own.

I work in a three-story restaurant where were utilize "team-based service"--we all help each other, it is the only way we can function. You can envision it as a circle with every job title going around and around, we have a strong team of people who contribute to every job when needed. I will one day uphold my classroom upon those same team-based values, where we all have an overarching goal of success, and the only way to get there is by helping each other. Whether that be helping your peers by holding the door, assisting in content areas that one student may be better in, or cleaning up the classroom--as a community, we work together to help each other, regardless of your abilities. By instilling this, I hope to create a community of learners who never judges one another for needing an extra hand, but instead is ecstatic to get the opportunity to lend one.

There are three big models in disability: 1) The medical model: views disability as a problem that needs to be fixed or cured, puts emphasis on normalization, eugenics. 2) The social model: states disability is caused by barriers in society through provision of accommodations, equal access at school, and civil rights. 3) The neurodiversity model: which views disability as a diversity with an important role in human systems, there is full inclusion, destigmatizing, and innovation.

As a society, and especially in education, we should be aiming to encompass a "neurodiversity model". Under this model, we can uphold classrooms that although sometimes can be frustrating, value diverse traits and understand the benefits they bring to our classrooms. Zosia discusses the idea that this model takes the main ideas behind the social model, but extenuates them to ensure that we are providing equitable opportunities for neurodivergent learners.

For example, if student has dyslexia and a significant speech impediment, we may go from just giving the student a communication device and ensuring we are not assuming their intelligence, to working with the student to discover new ways of communication that work for them. We provide additional resources and supports for the student to determine how they would like to communicate, rather than supplying them with a device because they can't communicate.

It's important for us to go the extra mile to create opportunities and accommodations for students that not only we think is in their best interest, but if able to do so, the student thinks is in their best interest. The word "accommodating" means to adapt. The neurodiversity models take us "adapting" education and transforms it into impactful ways that empowers teachers and neurodivergent students to maximize their education in ways that best benefits them.

Impacts on Future Teaching:

I never considered that we are just simply "accommodating" students. In society, we are constantly everchanging and progressing, and it would be ignorant to say that right now, how we teach students with disabilities is the best way. I personally believe that even in 2, 3, or 5 years from now, the way we teach neurodiverse students will be completely different than what we do now. The neurodiversity model is about complete destigmatization and the way I hope to contribute that is by going beyond just accommodating my future students. I would like to hear their voice and do my best in assisting their educational goals in ways they want--we know ourselves better than anyone, and I think listening to our students, even those who may not be able to verbally express their needs, is a crucial part of being a teacher, especially to those with disabilities.

As stated previously, there are millions of people in this country, that entails millions of different brains computing different thoughts and ideas at different speeds and abilities.

Neurodiversity is our strongest super power as a society. It allows the ability to have different minds working together to improve society. Zosia discusses the idea that, if we all had one thought process or one type of brain, there would be no progress in the world. It would be a stagnant line of just existing. It is a privilege it to have neurodivergent minds in society and in our classrooms; they allow us to understand people's differences, they provide opinions and ideas on devising new ways to help different people and different learning styles in the classroom, they contribute to innovative ideas and technologies, they are different than the majority and allow society the opportunity to better itself through providing different, challenging perspectives that enable us to grow.

We want neurodivergent students in our classrooms not only for the reasons listed above, but because having different minds fosters a sense of inclusivity in schools, it provides equal opportunities and education for neurodivergent students, it teaches neurotypical students empathy and understanding by communicating with peers different from them, it ensures neurodivergent and neurotypical students have access to real-world experiences where they will inevitably encounter each other one day.

Impact on Future Teaching Practices:

As a future teacher who will inevitably have neurodivergent learners, I hope with time that I develop a toolbelt of skills and strategies that will aid all of my learners, regardless of their abilities. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that encompasses a number of disorders that may present themselves similarly and at times completely differently. As an educator, it is my duty to learn my student's strengths and weaknesses and build upon those in ways that are engaging and helpful to each individual student while also reaching an overarching goal of academic success. Every student will be different, neurodiverse or not, and I aim to be able to provide an individualized but collaborative learning environment for each student.

Freedom is when there is a true sense of autonomy and the ability to live without fear of oppression. The passing of the ADA and Section 504 were monumental for the disabled community--but did that entail true freedom? The short answer is no. Even so many years later, the disability community probably will say there is still not true freedom. There has been a lot of positive progress in time, but we do not live in a truly accessible world where all of society recognizes disability as a part of human nature, something that we all may experience, and something that deserves respect from all.

Laws have been made to protect the rights of disabled people, people of different races and ethnic backgrounds, people with different religious beliefs, but laws are broken every single day. It's hard to rewire an entire society's thought process when able-bodied, neurotypical people, predominantly white communities, etc., were raised with certain ideologies or mindsets that are harmful to people who aren't like them. I thought this line in Crip Camp was incredibly powerful, because it was stated so long ago, and it's still true today. How do we rewire the thought process of so many? How do we create a country of true freedom, when there are so many different minds controlling it and access to media and material that contributes to how we think?

Even in classrooms today, districts and educators avoid classifying students to avoid having to follow IEPs, parents have to fight tooth and nail to get their children access to the resources they deserve in school, educators complain about having to accommodate so many different learners, racial disparities are seen in special education...what needs to be done to have a truly free country for all?

Impact on Future Teaching:

There will always be disagreements on what freedom is and if we, as a country, truly have it. I think the only thing I can ensure is while in my classroom and under my care, my students will be equal. They will ensure they have if no one, at least my voice to advocate for them, to provide them equitable educational opportunities, to ensure that while we are in the same four walls, they will have freedom in my classroom to be who they are and they will be able to capitalize on that. We can only control so much in our classrooms and it's pivotal that we create a culture of freedom within our schools.

As an able-bodied individual, a freedom I so largely take for granted is my privacy. Sayings that often come out of my mouth are: "I need my alone time", "My social battery is drained", "I can't go out tonight, I just need to sit in my bed and not speak". It's a privileged thinking to assume everyone has or has had the opportunity to get to say these things.

Depending on your disability, true independence is a freedom you may not get to have. Everyone is entitled their right to it, but some people don't get to have it. It's important to remember that these freedoms that we rely on, often times we think for our sanity, are not accessible to everyone. As teachers, obviously we are responsible for knowing where our students are at any given moment, privacy is not necessarily a "thing" at school, but why not? I believe Nancy was speaking in terms of her family violating her privacy, but sometimes, that's what it is: students go home and they have no privacy or freedom. Can we allot time for them to experience that in school, even just for five minutes if necessary?

I think part of the reason why children dislike school so much is they view it as a solitary confinement where they have no freedom. I think if we think even deeper and think about our students with disabilities, or students who experience hardships at home, school may be their access freedom, so we should be capitalizing on that. We should be allowing them the freedom to privacy if they need (within limits, obviously), we should be allowing them to make choices, be in control of their education, the content they're learning and how they're learning it, give them the sense of freedom they deserve.

Impact on Future Teaching:

I hope to be able to have a classroom where students don't dread coming in and know it is a space where they get to experience freedom, whether they feel that at home or not. They know their voice is heard, they know they are providing with choice or opportunity to choose, they know they are in control of their day to day learning, they know if they need a moment to sit by themselves, I will ensure I can give that to them. I want to provide all students with a sense of autonomy while they're in my classroom and I hope that in turn, develops self-driven, motivated learners who are willing and excited to come in every day.

Having a strong community where you feel included is a crucial part of the human experience. For a lot of people, that community doesn't easily come to them. For a disabled person, they may often feel alienated from their community.

This story in "About Us" was about a woman in a wheelchair who aimed to avoid getting in the way of "normal" people and tried to diminish herself and her disability to make others comfortable--this was the way her community made her feel she had to approach life. That is, until she met Olantis, who loudly and proudly blasted music from his electric wheelchair and zoomed in out and out of the city with little care about what people thought of him. The story goes on to discuss their handicap bus experience and how she developed a sense of community within that bus, and in turn, developed a sense of self that allowed her to be free of the worries of other people and live her life without shame.

I think this is a prime example of what a strong community can do for someone. It instills a sense of pride, strength, and confidence in you when you know you have people around you who support you. Unfortunately, some communities will never accept you, they will fight (even sometimes unconsciously--incomes internalized ableism) to make you feel unwanted or a burden...but when you find that community where you belong, you can become unstoppable.

Impact on Future Teaching Practices:

I think this falls hand in hand with classroom culture. Building a strong classroom community where we help, rely on, guide, and support each other will create a culture that allows us to reflect on and celebrate our differences and use them to create an educational environment that promotes higher level learning.

Like stated in the last point, some communities will never respect you, or like asked in point #1 of the Freedom section, how do we create a country of true freedom? I think true freedom and equality begins with our children and what we instill within them so we can shift the paradigm. Discrimination begins in the home, not in the person, an external influence.

When our children are curious about those who are different from them and we resort to shunning them, we are conditioning them to associate disability, racial/ethnic differences, or different religious beliefs, with something negative. People may feel it's done as a way to avoid embarrassing a person, but ultimately, the underlying reason is they were probably taught the same by their parents or family when they were young.

Instead of shooing our children away from someone who is different than them, we should be celebrating their curiosity and having conversations about our differences, taking opportunities of meeting people with disabilities or people from a different backgrounds as a way to destigmatize differences. If your child has a question for someone in wheelchair, ask the person if they would like to answer, the worst they can say is no and you move on.

I think this is why one of the reasons inclusion in our schools is so beautiful, because sometimes parents won't allow their children to ask questions, or sometimes, people don't have the opportunity to meet those who are different from them. In turn, we create welcoming, inclusive communities that don't shy away from disability or differences.

Impact on Future Teaching:

As a white woman on Long Island, it is a guarantee that I will have racially diverse students from me as well as students with disabilities. It's my responsibility to ensure that every student, regardless of who they are or what they look like, learns the ability of acceptance. We all will encounter many different people throughout our lives and in order to obtain true freedom within this country, I think as an educator I, (as well as all of the other teachers in the country), am responsible for guiding students in understanding the beauty within differences and how we can celebrate them in and outside of our classroom. I cannot wait to provide my students with resources that they see themselves in, as well as resources that may be new to some students, but aid in developing learners who embrace others who aren't like them. I hope to create a community of learners who take what we practiced in our classroom and instill it into the communities around them--maybe then we can really begin to create communities with these new generations that truly emphasize equality and freedom.

I think everyone can confidently say Judy Heumann is an ultimate sign of strength when you hear her story. She lived a life of people constantly telling her no, simply because of her disability. They chose not to see what she could do, only what she couldn't. The story of her high school graduation experience is a true testament to her strength, especially during the vulnerable high school time period. She won an award due to her outstanding academic achievements in school, and during graduation, while the able-bodied award-winning students were entitled to sit on the stage, Judy was instructed to stay on the floor. She had to endure the humiliation of her father carrying onto the stage (due to wheelchair inaccessibility), and then be shoved to the back, to avoid being seen.

Throughout her life, people in power constantly tried to hide Judy and others like her. They went out of their way to try to break her down so she would hide herself. But throughout all of this, she refused to be silenced. She knew she belonged on that stage and out in the world, just like everyone else. There may have been things that stung her in life, but she took her losses and learned how to fight back.

Disabled or not, Judy's story is one that truly embodies strength and something we can all look at and admire. But it's also something we should look at, allow it to enrage us, and fuel us to fight for our future students with disabilities and the inequitable resources and accessibility they still will face today. Society has made some large leaps in progress since Judy's graduation, however, complacency is the enemy of progress, and it's important to remember and maintain her fight for equality for minorities.

Impact on Future Teaching:

I think Judy is the perfect example of what we can show our students to present the fact that they can accomplish hard things, so long as there is strength attached to their pursuit. I think this can be a slippery slope and can possibly get mixed up with the idea of "grit", but I think personal strength is something I would like to instill within my students through showing them that they can overcome obstacles, even if for a short while or for small progress, and to use that as motivation or drive to keep pushing.

Although I know this quote could easily fall under the community section, I think there is an underlying message of strength within this story. The strength it takes that when others around you are treating you as a burden because of it, you still do not ask to be cured of your disability. The strength it takes to know and admit that we all want self-agency and to be in control of our lives, despite our abilities. The strength it takes to see that our abilities or disabilities are not the problem, but the lack of inclusivity and acceptance from those around us is.

It's incredibly easy to see someone different from you and judge them, or allow their differences to make you uncomfortable, or avoid the fact that our communities as wholes, are in fact the broken part of society. What takes strength is acknowledging that there will always be disability, there will always be illness, or people who look different from you, or think differently than you on things that really matter to you; society will always tell you to shun these people out or "cancel" them, as the internet has been saying. And strength can look different for everybody, but personally I think strength is being able to accept and respect other people for their differences while also accepting the differences within yourself and celebrating them.

Impact on Future Teaching:

It's hard for me to articulate this thought, especially having a 31 year young disabled sister who has lupus, spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia and other arthritic disorders that I could never name, I wish that she got to feel healthy 100% of the time, I've asked if she's able to "cure" these things...but at the same time, I've never looked at disability as something to cure. It is simply just something that is. I would like to teach children to feel the same, that disability isn't an illness to be cured, it isn't the problem itself. Can it be devastating and horrible for some people? Absolutely. However, the problem is within ourselves and the way the majority views disability.

We can all become disabled at the blink of an eye, so why do we treat those with disabilities as burdens or waste of resources? Why do we avoid creating accessible spaces for everyone to enjoy? These are the hard discussions that I think we should have with our students so they really get to understanding that the things that are out of our control are not the problem, the way we handle them is the problem. I hope as a future teacher, I can guide these conversations in a way that is appropriate yet eye opening, because I think these things are necessary.

- Future White Teachers: A Guide to Racism and Privilege

--What is Neurodiversity?

But this sacred, mystical, invisible healing can happen in our communities. It is not brought by restoring the ability to see or walk or sing on key, but being welcoming, accepting, and embracing all others into belonging."