Abstract
In this article, Thomas Hehir defines ableism as the devaluation of disability that results in societal attitudes that uncritically assert that it is better for a child to walk than roll, speak than sign, read print than read Braille, spell independently than use a spell-check, and hang out with nondisabled kids as opposed to other disabled kids. Hehir highlights ableist practices through a discussion of the history of and research pertaining to the education of deaf students, students who are blind or visually impaired, and students with learning disabilities, particularly dyslexia. He asserts that the pervasiveness of … ableist assumptions in the education of children with disabilities not only reinforces prevailing prejudices against disability but may very well contribute to low levels of educational attainment and employment. In conclusion, Hehir offers six detailed proposals for beginning to address and overturn ableist practices. Throughout this article, Hehir draws on his personal experiences as former director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, Associate Superintendent for the Chicago Public Schools, and Director of Special Education in the Boston Public Schools. (pp. 1-32)
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~hepg/hehir.htm
Fanatastic Article
Thanks, Dad. Absolutely incredible article. My son has difficulties with reading comprehension (reads two grade levels above his own grade level and comprehends at two levels below. I constantly encountered biases from his teachers (when he was at public school) that he ought to be reading instead of watching television. He would read those junky “Goosebump” books for school reading logs, but just ate up documentaries on the History and Learning Channels. Which do you think I preferred? People are so brainwashed by the “reading is the only gateway to intelligence” philosophy that they’ve forgotten why we read and what other ways there are of obtaining the information we gather from reading. Nice to see an expert say so.
In my utopia, imperfections will be embraced and accepted, not made as invisible as possible. It’s a valid question to ask ourselves when thinking about strategies, remediations, and accommodations — whether they’re to make learning accessible or to make a difference disappear.