Hello, =)
My name is Sandra and I am a college student majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking an Inclusion for General Educators class, and we have been given an assignment where we must interview a parent of a child with a disability (or a person who had the disability as a child.) I’m sorry to be intruding upon your message boards, but it is important for us as future teachers to better understand and know about the challenges faced by students and their families. Here are the questions we are to ask:
What type of disability do you (or does your child) have?
What was your reaction to the diagnosis? Your family’s reaction?
What knowledge do you have about the disability?
What has your experience with the educational system been like? (Your experience with teachers, schools, etc.)
Do you feel that they were properly supportive with your (or your child’s) disability?
Do you wish the school system would have done anything different to help you (or your child)?
Was teasing a problem? And if so, do you feel the school administrators and teachers properly handled it?
What have been your experiences with medical and professional systems and personnel?
How did your family adjust to the disability?
What was the impact of the disability on individual members of your family or family unit?
What support systems are available for your family?
Were you (is your child) involved in any after-school, church, or community programs?
What are your dreams and goals? (What are your dreams and goals for your child?)
What is some advice you can give to future teachers?
If anyone has the time and would be willing to help me in this interview, I would be very grateful. :) I know that I am prying into people’s personal matters, but by sharing experiences we can hopefully learn, make changes, and better serve our future students. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. You may post your reply here, leave an email for me to contact you, or email me at [email protected]. Thank you. :)