Spring Project:Discrimination and Disabilities

Shannon FergusonEnglish & US History

Ms. Kautsch and ToddSpring 2012

Description of FocusThe project I was originally assigned was on the vague subject of Discrimination. Due to this vagueness, drastic changes were done to the process of this project. For example, my group became just me, Shannon Ferguson, to do the project. This project is based completely on my efforts, so that is why the project may sound small even though the topic is significant. Another change was the altering of the topic. Instead of Discrimination, it became about issues for students with learning disabilities.

People with disabilities are a group that are often not discussed. Society often thinks of people in wheelchairs when they think of people with disabilities, but there are many different types of disabilities. My project’s focus is on students with learning disabilities, where these students have special accommodations to fit their needs based on difficulties with processing what they learn. Many students with learning disabilities grow up never knowing what their disability is (because their parents do not want them to feel too different), or why they go to an alternative classroom that is considered for students who are not “smart.” Having a learning disability does not make one “not smart;” it means that the way that student processes information, or learns, is not in a typical way, and certain ways of learning are difficult (i.e. visual, verbal). To be in a Study Skills class, which is part of Special Education, the student with the learning disability must have at least an average IQ. Students with learning disabilities entering high school have more things to consider than students without a disability. These students may take alternative classes, including a Study Skills class, and have to go to meetings at least once a year to discuss accommodations and goals to put in the student’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan). With all of these things to look at when transferring into high school, and other concepts of high school, I developed a pamphlet describing high school, answering questions, and giving suggestions to ease the transition process.

I created a pamphlet that describes high school, defines terms and Special Education systems, offers suggestions, and answers questions. Some of the information in the pamphlet can be useful to a typical incoming freshmen, and some of the information addresses specific things that affect students with learning disabilities. Questions that I answered were given to me by incoming freshmen with learning disabilities from Kenilworth Junior High School and Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley.

To address my project to the community, I decided to make a pamphlet for incoming freshmen with learning disabilities. I asked for current eighth graders with learning disabilities for questions about high school, which I would answer, and then I would distribute those pamphlets to the middle schools in Petaluma. I received questions from Kenilworth Junior High School and Mary Collins School at Cherry Valley (K-8 charter school). By giving information to at least these schools, I am reaching the community.

To have my project reach the Casa Grande community, I had students in Study Skills classes help me answer the questions given to me from the middle schools, since they would be the best experts to provide answers from the point of view of a student with a learning disability. I will also put some of my pamphlets in the Study Skills classrooms at Casa so new freshmen in Study Skills will have access to the information too.

Evaluation of Project

Successes FailuresEven though I didn’t do a good job with preparations, and I kept pushing it off, I at least got something done. I am happy that I finished what I set out to do, and it has a good chance at being successful. By making a pamphlet, my project can survive and be accessed by more than just next year’s incoming freshmen. I was able to do all that I could do, even though it wasn’t much, and I didn’t just give up on the project.

More seemed to have gone wrong than went right. I should have been more on top of my project. With my group, we should have been more productive in coming up with a project, and we should have communicated a lot more. When my group dwindled down to just me, I should have figured out a plan and executed it a lot earlier than I did. Because I did my project mostly last minute, it’s not quite what the project called for. I shouldn’t have pushed the project off so much. Due to the late production of my project, it also does not address all the RADIO points quite as strongly as it could have.

Radio PointsRigor Action Deconstruction Interdisciplinary

educationOther Voices

This project is not very strong on the Rigor point, but my project does reach out to middle school students to teach them about what to expect from high school with a learning disability.

My project addresses Action because it reaches out to students with disabilities in the community, and it will provide them a service with information.

This project is not very strong with the Deconstruction point, but my project probably deconstructs common beliefs about high school as well as stereotypes about students with learning disabilities.

My project combines information about high school, student life, and education with disability rights and accommodat-ions. It relates students with disabilities and high school.

People with disabilities, let alone youth with learning disabilities (to be more specific), is a group whose voice is not the mainstream. They are so not mainstream that they aren’t even mentioned in our class.

The Project

The next several pages will be the pamphlet that I made for incoming

freshmen with disabilities.

Time school gets out is subject to change at Casa, which will be fixed on pamphlet before distribution.

Thank YouThank you for reading about my project. Even though it may not be typical, or expected, for the Spring Project, I did all I could in the time left that I had. I hope that my contributions can be lasting and universal (for at least a couple years) help that affects more than next year’s freshmen. This presentation may not be fancy, but I hope it was informative.

High school is a difficult time, which is universal to any student. For students with learning disabilities, there is a lot more to know so as to be successful in and get through high school. With my project, hopefully that transition can be a little bit easier.