Final Essay and Reflection
Throughout the past three weeks, I have learned much more about disability that I have ever known. When I registered for this class, I was not sure what “disability” really meant, but now I think I have a clear picture. To me, I think “disabled” is just a label that society has given to people who may not have full movement of their body parts, may be missing body parts, or may have developmental problems. By labeling someone “disabled” we are really telling them that they are not fully capable of the work, morality, and comprehension that the rest of society is capable of. Three weeks ago I could not have told you that. My answer would have been “someone who is not able.”
I assume that if I move toward recognizing and respecting the beliefs and practices of others, my chosen field of psychology will benefit. I will be able to take this newly obtained knowledge of what disability is and how people with disabilities have been treated over time to prevent ill from happening again. I can help people (future clients) more effectively now that I know how they have been treated. Although I will never fully be able to understand these emotions they feel, until I become disabled myself, I can try my best to empathize with them. I can try to let them know that they are not alone and that not all of society will look down upon them and stigmatize them. I would offer Helen Keller as a role model to any of them who say that their disability prevents them from doing something big in the world. In psychology and in life, I will make it my own personal goal to help as many people who suffer from any form of disability because what they’ve gone through is enough for the whole world to have to deal with.
SPED 330: People with Disabilities has taught me much more about life than any class I have ever taken. Although I am not a special education major, I can use the information from this course and apply it to my own major and my own career later in life to help others.
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