These medical model behaviorists lead to many, many, many
competent disabled kids giving up-not feeling as though they indeed "can
be somebody"resulting in a self fulfilling prophecy for this model-ex. when
one of my chemistry professors found out that I couldn't raise my arms-
she said, "people like you shouldn't be in college"-there's lots more
where this came from.
We therefore should become much more involved in the ed. of disabled
children.
Phyllis Rubenfeld
On Mon, 8 Feb 1999, Barbara Robertson wrote:
> At 10:27 AM 2/8/99 -1000, David Pfeiffer wrote:
> >Perhaps I was lucky. I did not hear them from my teachers (well, maybe one
> >exception), but from my family and non-teachers who gave me advice.
>
> >On Sun, 7 Feb 1999, Gill Dixon wrote:
> >> I find it rather unsurprising that 'malingering', 'laziness',
> >> 'stubbornness' etc are words that are so familiar to some list members.
> >> It seems to me pretty straight forward. If a child is unable to conform to
> >> the expected norms, it must be the child's fault. I could suggest that it
> >> is an overt attempt at oppressing the guilt of the 'failing teacher', but I
> >> believe that there are many people who totally lack the ability to
> >> empathise, and some that just don't want to know.
>
> I was not so lucky as David. You'd think that a grade-school student who
> took the initiative at the end of the class to say, "Excuse me but I did
> not hear what the assignment is, could you repeat it?" would be treated
> well. But a teacher told me that I was not trying hard enough to hear what
> she said, and that I was being lazy in approaching her like that. This,
> while I'm sagging from the effort to pay close attention all day, in
> contrast to the other students who are bounding out of the room, still full
> of energy. Needless to say, this was demoralizing. My father was no better,
> until he (then 31 y.o.) was deafened when I was early in my teens. "Try
> harder" ceased to be a mantra at home, and I became an expert and ally to
> my father. Sometimes it takes a serious kick in the head to get a clue.
>
> I don't know if these assumptions of disabled folks being lazy or (people
> with hidden disabilities) "faking it" for ostensible gains reflects lack of
> empathy, but it sure keeps many people who might identify as disabled in
> the closet.
>
> Barbara
>
> Barbara Robertson
> Postdoctoral Research Associate
> Office Manager, Society for Disability Studies
> Department of Disability and Human Development (MC 626)
> University of Illinois at Chicago
> (312) 413-1975 (V)
> (312) 413-0453 (TTY)
> (312) 413-2918 (Fax)
> [log in to unmask]
>
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