Funding

Group, Samantha Linton, Katie Swenson, and Carlie Palmer

Funding is always an important issue in Special Education. In Article 1 it says, 40 percent of the extra costs of the
inclusion of special needs children into regular classrooms would be covered by the
federal Government, this is clearly not being done. This is a very important issue for us future teachers. If you are going to a new school or a school with little funding you are going to be starting from scratch. This can be very difficult. Article 2 With so many students with special needs out there sometimes the money is hard to achieve. There are so many promises out there for money but you have to go find it (like grants). What do you think the government could be doing more of the help with the funding in special education class rooms? And where should this money come from? The state and national government keep passing responsibility back and forth.

Prenatal Surgery: Good or Bad?

Group: Emily Rice, Morgan Fry, Shauna Corry

It’s dangerous enough to perform surgery on an expecting woman; what about operating on her unborn child? Is this even possible? Amazingly, it now is. Pre-natal surgeries have been conducted to help correct Spina Bifida. Article #1

Needless to say, this is a controversial subject. Both pros and cons are well explained in this article. Article #2 Some believe that no operation should be conducted in which the benefits fail to outweigh the possible costs. Operating on a child still in the womb and at a fetal age where it could not survive outside the womb, poses every possible risk to both mother and child. One must take into account whether it is better to face whatever impacts Spina Bifida will bring or to make the gamble of operating and possibly losing the child altogether. As a mother-to-be, one group member says she would be terrified to operate on her completely dependent child and would have to take everything into account before making a decision.

Others feel that it’s worth the risk to potentially help their child live a fuller life. Successful surgeries have occurred which encourages both doctors and parents-to-be. This option and the continued development of surgical procedures ensure that the topic will continue to be followed.

What do you think? If it were your child, how would you react? Would you consider surgery? What things would you be taking into account?

 

The Argument for Confinement

In the article, Court Upholds Involuntary Commitments For People With Disabilities the constitutionality of placing people with disabilities under government-institutionalized care is decided in Nebraska. After being challenged by a person with an IQ of 62 who was recently committed by the state, it was deemed that the state holds the authority to place people with developmental disabilities in mental hospitals if they are “determined to be dangerous.” In the same article, lawyers argue that this law is unconstitutional because it does not require a trial to be held for people with disabilities. On the other side of the argument in the article People With Disabilities Confined Involuntarily For Decades, Suit Alleges discusses three residents of Texas who have intellectual disabilities who have been institutionalized for a total of 130 years without anyone reviewing their placements, and it is feared that they are not alone. These are just two articles that discuss opposing viewpoints dealing with confining people with disabilities, how many others are there? Our questions to you are: 1. What is your opinion regarding both sides of the decisions, 2. What precautions could the state take to prevent people from being placed in care?

Group: Julia, Tiffany, Danielle, Jordan, Kristen

Disabilities in Literature

Group: Shauna Corry, Morgan Fry, and Emily Rice

Have you ever stopped to think about how individuals with disabilities are presented in literature? If not, it is probably because you have not come across it very often. The following two articles focus on this lack and need for more main characters with disabilities: Article #1 and Article #2. After reading these two articles we realized how much of a need there really is for accurate portrayal of disabilities in literature. Children without disabilities have so many role models to look up to in the books that they read, but those with disabilities do not. We believe that is is important that the children that must live day in and day out with hardships due to their disability would benefit from reading about characters with similar disabilities who find their true potential and talents despite the setbacks they may have. In addition, reading books that have main characters with disabilities provides a great teaching opportunity for teachers to discuss differences with their students and how to reach out to those that are different. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was given as an example of inaccurate portrayal of disabilities and these articles point out that several other pieces of literature that have attempted to include individuals with disabilities also portrayed them wrong or placed the individuals as a minor character. However, though there may be several books that do portray disabilities wrong there are some that do a great job in approaching the issue (Tru Confessions, Rules) Our questions to you are: (1) How do you think characters with disabilities should be presented in literature: do you agree or disagree with the points made in the articles, (2) Do you feel there is a need for more literature that focuses on someone with a disability, and (3) What, if any, books have you come across featuring a character with a disability that you appreciated.