Changing name of special needs forum
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Anonymous
| I understand the reclaiming of the word disability. However, as a parent of a developmentally-delayed preschooler I probably wouldn’t have found the forum. There is also some pushback amongst people with dyslexia (most common learning disability) about the term disability. |
Anonymous
| I prefer special needs |
Anonymous
Why, and what is your relationship to the disability world? I don't have much patience for parents of kids with disabilities who want to talk over the preferences of people who themselves have disabilities. |
Anonymous
+1. Do not consider all special needs to be disabling. |
Anonymous
Not all disabilities are permanent. |
Anonymous
Can you give an example? |
Anonymous
| Not everyone, especially kids are disabled who have SN. |
Anonymous
That's fine, except most of the people looking for help in the special needs forum are not people with disabilities, they are parents of children, only some of whom have diagnosed disabilities. Will the parent of a toddler who needs PT or ST or has feeding issues or encopresis think a "disabilities" forum is the right place for them to post questions? |
Anonymous
Food allergies |
Anonymous
Same push back in the autism community |
Anonymous
Many in the autism community do not think of autism as a disability. |
Anonymous
Not my experience, which goes back a couple of decades including a lot of intensive training (look up Partners in Policy) for people w/ disabilities and their family members. The gist is that "all people have needs", and referring to "special needs" is not inclusive. It's interesting, too, that if your child's disability involved something neuro atypical, schools will push back when you try to advocate for services and accommodations since the kid "looks like a normal kid--he/she just"--misbehaves/ seeks attention/ doesn't take responsibility, etc--I realize this varies by school, by school district, by locality, but I can guarantee that no matter how progressive and well funded a district is, there's someone who has encountered tat pushback. https://rebecca-cokley.medium.com/why-special-needs-is-1959e2a6b0e Special needs was not a term developed by the disability community. We chose “disability” whereas a majority of disability euphemisims, “special needs,” “differently abled,” “physically/mentally/emotionally challenged” “handicapable” were all developed by NONDISABLED people, educators, and family members. (https://www.meriahnichols.com/3-reasons-say-disability-ins…/) It erases the expertise of disabled adults who find it infantilizing and inappropriate. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/my-daughter-doesnt-have-s…/) It is not a term defined in law. One reason the disability community uses “disability” is because the use of the world is connected to civil rights statutes. The Americans with Disabilities Act. The Individuals with Disabilities Act, the Developmental Disabilities Civil Rights Act. “Disability” talks about us as a people, not a service, “special needs teacher” centers the “special needs” versus the community you are engaging with. If you want to call yourself a special education teacher, that is fine, as that is in the law, but special needs is not. And it offends us. It does not cover the entirety of people with disabilities because not all disabled students are in special education classrooms or receive special education services. (https://www.washington.edu/…/what-difference-between-iep-an…) Special needs, gives the impression that the rights of people with disabilities are special or extra. We have the same rights as everyone else. How we access those rights may differ, but disability rights are fundamentally the same civil rights as all people. When you imply that the act of accessing our rights is “special” it gives the rest of the public a pass to treat us as though our rights are a special privilege, and then we get harassed for it.(https://www.damemagazine.com/…/i-prefer-that-you-say-im-di…/) It implies an out of date approach, given that the modern research shows us that 60% of students with disabilities spend 80% of their day in a general education, mainstream setting, alongside their peers. When you refer lovingly to “special needs students” or being a “special needs teacher” it also gives our community the impression that you think segregation is the appropriate setting for disabled Americans, which is not in line with your agenda. (https://www.educationnext.org/edstat-60-percent-students-d…/) “Special needs teacher” also reinforces a sense that disabled students are saintlike or deserving of pity. Special education teacher focuses on our education, our academic and social engagement. It gives us agency. Saying you don’t like the word “Disabled” or don’t see us as “disabled” is insulting, as it erases a part of who we are, and totally erases the oppression we face as a result of discrimination. (Look at #DisabledAndCute #DisabilityTooWhite) https://www.huffpost.com/…/what-to-call-disabled-perso…/amp… Because we asked you to. 30 years after the ADA don’t you think we deserve the right to self-determination? IJS |
Anonymous
It's not a growing movement, if by that you mean something new. This term has been regarded by people with disabilities for decades, literally. I got schooled in this in 2001 by people whose experience was already much more long standing than mine. |
Anonymous
Food allergies are specifically named as an example of a disability covered by ADA and 504. They pretty perfectly fit the definition of a condition that prevents people from doing things that other people can do, and that require accommodations such as food labels. |
Anonymous
Do any of those people accept the term "special needs"? |