The Voice (Or Lack Thereof) for Special Education
Wake up early. Get ready. Hurry to class before the bell. Pay attention for hours at a time. Make friends. Keep friends. Take notes. Answer questions. Find people to sit with at lunch. Do homework. Maintain grades. Adjust to social norms. The list goes on… and on… and on. Then, you repeat it 180 times per year.
Sound familiar?
Let’s get real. Can anyone honestly say they enjoyed all aspects of their schooling?
If your answer is yes, congratulations — you are among the rare. If not, well, welcome to the club.
Whether it be public school, private school, or even homeschool, let’s face it: school is rough. Throughout their primary and secondary educations, students are constantly growing, changing and evolving to find themselves, all while struggling to meet society’s ever-increasing expectations. Children and adolescents are constantly playing a sort of psychological, emotional, mental limbo in an attempt to find their place in the world.

Having the stress of a failing school system could almost throw all of that over the edge. Luckily, traditional education students have a mostly straight-forward path paved for them by state and federal standardized curriculum. However, what is done for special education students? Schools create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student and do their best to implement each individualized plan to enhance the student’s education. But what if the student’s IEP is not closely followed? What if the IEP is wrong? Often times, special education cases might be swept under the rug for the sake of time, money, or lack of resources, amongst many other reasons.
School can be quite challenging for traditional education students, so you can only imagine how much more difficult this endeavor might become for those who may possess disabilities. Now, on top of that, add the stressors of not receiving the basic education that you have the right to receive. How can we expect students with special needs to thrive and succeed in today’s world when some schools can’t even equip these students with basic education?
Let’s take a step back for a moment. Remember this: most people have their own voice. They are able to express their needs, their wants, their beliefs, their goals, or even just hold a simple conversation, say, about their day, or perhaps simply about the weather.
Many individuals with disabilities do not have a voice of their own. They need a dedicated caregiver or support system to speak up on their behalf. However, it is often quite difficult for these caregivers or support systems to make their voices heard. Why? The issue with the special education system seems to be one of those problems that do not seem to matter to the general population, unless one is personally affected. Again, why? I believe it is similar to the following example: Think of how you might feel bad if an acquaintance, say, breaks a leg. You could feel sorry for them, or feel empathy towards them, but it in no way affects your life. The only way you can understand their day-to-day hardships is to also endure a leg fracture. So, oftentimes, unless you have a personal experience with the special education system, or are close with someone who does have experience with it, you might not feel any sort of connection or empathy towards it. However, special education needs more support now than ever.
Though I have never personally been enrolled in any special education classes, I feel quite passionately about supporting students to receive the education that they deserve. Throughout this blog, I hope to reveal to you my perspective on the current state in special education, the good, the bad, and the ugly, including: my personal experiences with the system, the current support — or lack thereof — these students receive, the differences in private vs. public special education, the debate about special and traditional education integration, and much more. My goal is to serve as a voice for those who do not have one.
School is tough. Let’s make it a little easier for those who might be dealing with an especially difficult educational experience. Who else is willing to be the voice that special education students needs?
