2.2 (2K2C): Awareness of the effects that exceptional conditions have on a student’s life, family, school, and community.

Introduction

The effects that a disability can have on an individual's life, family, school, and community can be significant or not significant, depending on a number of variables - such as the degree of disability, an individual's response to this disability, and the responses of the individual's family and community to the disability. For example, the distance between what is expected of a person with a disability and what that person can actually do is often called a "handicap." A child with a learning disability in one family may have a large handicap while a child with the same disability in another family does not have a handicap. The difference has nothing to do with the disability, but is created by the expectation that the family places on the child. In one case the family highly values reading - for which this disability is a significant barrier. In the other case, the family highly values non-reading skills, such as speaking, so the disability does not become a handicap. All families, communities, and classrooms are unique, as unique as each child within them. Understanding some of the ways that disabilities affect those who live with them - be it parent, teacher, paraprofessional or student - will be an aid toward a better life for all involved.

Objectives

As you read the objectives for this unit, think about and rate your current knowledge using the following scale.

1. I do not understand this.
2. I do understand this.
3. I understand this well enough to use in my work.
4. I could teach others about it and use it in my work.

Upon completion of this unit, you will:

• Develop a greater awareness of how a disability can influence an individual and his or her family within a school setting.

The Para eLink is sponsored by the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, located at the Institute on Community Integration in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

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