Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

                           

Many have blogged about their personal connections to people with Down Syndrome, i don't have a personal connection but i do believe that everyone deserves an equal education. I think that a person should not be judged on their intellectual or physical disabilities, i believe that a person can surprise you and you have to give them the chance. 

Students with Down Syndrome are often segregated into special education classes and not allowed to branch out from the confines of their diseases stereotype.

     "Mia Peterson described what it was like to be segregated from the educational opportunities afford her non disabled peers. She wrote:

  I started to notice that i didn't like the classes that i was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all of my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, i wanted to cry. (Peterson, 1994 p. 6)"

I think that it is horrible that in today's society there are students who are not allow to reach their full potential in school, i honestly find it mind boggling that we claim to be so accepting of everyone but yet there are students who hate going to school.

    My school was very involved in the meshing of special education classes and "normal classes" we had a unified basketball team, we had a mini special Olympics on Sundays where students with disabilities were able to work with other students in the school to accomplish athletic goals. Lunch time students came upstairs and had lunch with everyone, we also had elective classes that more independent students were able to attend. Our homecoming queen was the nicest girl I've ever met and she was part of the special education program. Students with disabilities, down syndrome, autism, any intellectual or physical disabilities deserve to have a chance to become all that they can be. 

Students should all have the ability to prove us wrong, every student should be excited for school and shouldn't be segregated based on their disease.