Hope for the next generation
10 Dec 2010 by Cheryl Chan, 4 Comments »
Surprisingly, I’m not talking about my hope for the generation of people with disabilities! The 2 experiences I talk about here are just the tip of the iceberg – my son and I are seeing things like this taking place all the time, more and more, and it is so exciting! In a world where we are mired in all that is going wrong, all the things that are getting ‘worse’, I wanted to share what I think is one of the happiest things taking place in a very long time!
schöner ausnusa der besbrung zu treuung mit hrlig und proda. stons den eckefeln des gesiede ohne knigen, pfchen, lymen oder wosung.
Cheryl,
I loved your VLOG. As a parent with a child that has autism, your comments really made me think about how Finn will interact with the future generation. He is only 5 so by the time he is an adult, it will be interesting to see how far this dynamic progresses. Your feelings of hope have given my wife and I hope for a better future for Finn and others with Autism.
Thanks so much for the post!
Thanks so much for your comment, Phyllis! I’m actually a little ashamed of myself because I should have taken the opportunity to thank the educators who make inclusion successful – without supportive special ed and regular ed staff, it fails. It takes the entire team of teachers and paraprofessionals to promote a positive inclusive environment. So thank you for reminding me that it’s important to give credit to those who make inclusion successful for ALL students!
I have been a special ed. teacher in varying capacities for 25 years and have worked and advocated for inclusion for 20 of those years … almost the same length of time since your son was born! Currently I teach graduate courses at a state university in a teacher preparation program in severe and multiple disabilities and I can say, whole heartedly, that I share your observations and your hope!! And not only is there a shift in the collective consciousness of peers, but those peers are becoming teachers and I am finally beginning to see a new world. We still have SO much work to do but there is, without doubt, a shift in the community and society that now surrounds our children and students. I appreciated hearing this reflection from a parent! Thank you for the post!