For the upcoming paradigm shift project, I intend to focus on how the special needs population is being treated in our country. In the past, they were pushed aside, but in contemporary times they have begun to be celebrated members of society.
This issue is especially significant to me because in high school, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work very closely with many members of my school’s special needs program. As a member of my high school’s dance team, I was able to perform several routines with members of this program. Every single one of those kids has a heart of gold, and they were such a delight to be around. After forming relationships with several of those kids, I was motivated to join Buddy Club in my senior year. This club simply allowed me the chance to spend more time with those kids by hanging out with them after school, or at special dances.
Buddy Club, and other such events, have not always been a part of the typical high school experience. In fact, in many places it still might not be. The first nationwide public special education came from the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act. This act made it so that the millions of children who were being denied an appropriate education solely due to their disability could receive a proper education. Even with the passing of this act, it took some time for this act to largely go into affect.
In 1990, the act was changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The wording was changed to be more sensitive to the people the act benefits. They are not people who are handicapped and are forced to have a dependence on the charity of others. And most importantly, they are individuals. They should not be defined by their disabilities.
Today, children with disabilities do not have to face the same discrimination that others did as recently as the 1970s. They are not as likely to be given up for adoption, and they are given the opportunity to interact with their peers in traditional classrooms. They are even becoming celebrated members of society through events such as the Special Olympics.
I am thoroughly interested in analyzing the shift this group of people faced from mass discrimination to celebration. I understand that there is still more improvements to be made in this field, but analyzing how change has come about in the past sheds light on how to bring future change.