Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome-Hyperlinks

This week’s article written by Christopher Kiewer discusses about Down syndrome and how it is treated within the classroom.  In the beginning of the semester the topic of S.C.W.A.A.M.P, which creates categories for the teaching atmosphere.  When something or someone is not considered under these categories they are pushed out of the classrooms that use S.C.W.A.A.M.P.  In last week’s reading we talked about social class and how it is segregated in classrooms and now this week disabilities, such as Down syndrome, are the topic at hand.  In this article, Kiewer discusses how although a student may have a disability it does not limit them from being just like the other students in the classroom.  When discussing the student’s individual goals Shayne states "You can get a sense of where a kid is compared to where people think they should be”.

A video that I felt related to this article and the discussion of children who face disabilities, such as Down syndrome, are faced with being stereotyped into not being able to do just as much, if not more, than someone without a disability.  This video that I found discusses Bryann Burgess, who is an assistant teacher at Kindermusik.  When watching this video it was eye opening especially in the teaching atmosphere.  Bryann Burgess states, “I keep on going and dust myself off” when discussing how she keeps a positive attitude about her journey through school and having Down syndrome.  This video stuck out to me in so many ways.  The older that I get the more I have become more apparent to the stereotyping of people who do not fit the S.C.W.A.A.M.P criteria and down syndrome is one of them.  In this video Bryann is proving to everyone that just because she has down syndrome does not mean she is incapable of being a teacher and working with children just like any "normal" male or female.

In this video, "Don't Limit Me!", Megan Bomgaars discusses how despite having Down Syndrome she has accomplished and is contining to accomplish some of her lifetime goals.  She wants 

educators to know that it does not matter if someone has a disability, they are still capable of achieving goals in both the classroom and in their everyday lives just as anyone else would.  A quote from the article that reminded me of this video was, "If you came into the room and were told there was a retarded child in the class, a child with special needs, I don't think you would pick Lee out. The kids really agree that he's as capable as they are. Intellectually the same." (83) Megan explains how she benefited from not being seperated from the others just because of her down syndrome.  She was able to be in a "regular" classroom while growing up along with doing "normal" sports in high school.  Megan states, "don't limit me by thinking that I can't learn in your class room, don't limit me by thinking that I will always need someone to help me, don't limit me by having low expectations of me."  She also states how not only she wants to be able to learn about english or math but she wants to learn about how to prepare for real life situations and being human.

Both of these videos relate to Kiewer's article and how the seperation of those who have a disablity, such as down syndrome, and who do not have a disability.  In our society today we are so focused on secluding those who, according to society "need more attention", from thos who are able to be in a classroom of 24 students and be able to focus.  I feel that Kiewer's main point was that we should not let this seperation continue in our schooling.  Each and every student has an ability to strive in their own way, disability or not.  Just because one person has a disability does not mean that they are not capable of achieving their goals and dreams, just as Megan in the video shown above.  They are HUMAN just as we are with just as equal rights and ability to become who they want to be, not what society has set out for them.