Most people are afraid of the new and unknown. As a society, we generally reject things that are different from our perception of "normal", and try our best to conform and blend in. For special needs people, this isn't an option. They're what "regular" people gawk at, who are misunderstood or even forgotten. But at FMHS, the Circle of Friends program offers adolescents with special needs an inviting environment and opportunities to learn life skills. Two of the program administrators came to speak to our class yesterday, and they had much to say about the kids their experiences.
Mrs. Beasley introduced us to all of the kids they brought with them. She had an obvious love and connection with all of them, and described them just like you'd describe any other person, telling about their quirks and qualities, treating them, refreshingly, as the people the deserved to be recognized as. It was a reminder that what you see on the outside isn't necessarily what's on the inside. Mr. Humphreys helped us to try to understand what living with severe autism is like on a daily basis at school. Because people with autism have sensory issues that inhibit them from being able to isolate and filter out sensory input, he had the class begin to make a lot different noises, while also giving us directions that we needed to follow. It was really hard to focus, and quickly became frustrating. That clatter is what school is constantly like for an autistic kid. It made me appreciate the abilities that I have, and understand more about what kind of effect autism can have on a person. He also spoke to us about acceptance. He asked if our class would accept a special needs to kid to sit at lunch with us. We said we would, and he said that that was no different than accepting someone of a different background, religion, race, etc. That if accepting people with obvious, major differences was so easy, accepting each other should be as well. It was really insightful, they way he put it. It made sense, especially in a time when people are so quick to fight each other instead of being accepting and working together. Not only was it a nice sentiment, but a call to action for our class.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi, I'm Courtney! You can learn more about me in the About Me section. Archives
May 2017
Categories |