Would you like to be labeled by your problems?

Would you like to be labeled by your problems or by the characteristics that make you a unique individual? When we label others by their ‘disability’ are we devaluing them as individuals? Our society has created stereotypes and labels, defining an individual’s value in society.

The students I work with have Autism, with cognitive and/or developmental ‘disabilities’. This does not mean that they are cognitively or developmentally disabled, but that their brains work differently. A disability is a natural human characteristic as are gender, hair color and other traits that make us unique individuals. According to Snow one in five Americans has been labeled with a disability. Isn’t defining a person by their disability the same as defining ourselves by our race, gender, religion or sexual orientation? (Snow, 2005)

Our society uses the word ‘disabled’ in a negative context. For instance, Snow made an interesting comparison. When a car has broken down, we refer to it as a ‘disabled’ vehicle. When we use the word disability for a human being are we saying that they are ‘broken down’? As Russel and Hasse pointed out, they are not broken down; they still function but just in a different way. What we think of as being different is ordinary for them. So is the word “disability” the appropriate descriptor to use?

Funk points out that our society interprets disabilities so broadly that students who are simply having trouble in school or are working below grade level are now considered as having a disability, as they have an ‘imperfect ability’ in reading, math or writing.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '97) defines Specific Learning Disability (SLD) as "a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage." (Pattan)

What is considered a ‘perfect ability’? How is this measured? A ‘perfect ability’ seems to be a pretty high standard. My understanding of disability has changed since I have been teaching. A few years ago, I would feel sorry and had pity when I saw someone with a disability. I did not have the same understanding of what it means to have a disability as I do now. Before stepping into my classroom I only had a two hour interaction with students with autism; I did not know what to expect. What I have learned from my students, and for which I am grateful, is that they are like any other child. They love playing, they love getting treats, they get upset, they have disagreements, they develop crushes (yes, I do have a ‘couple’ in my classroom); they all have very individual personalities that shine. My perspective has changed from feeling pity to seeing them as individuals whose needs aren’t special to them, but are ordinary. Russel and Hasse made this point. My old perspective was due to the fact that I had very little understanding or interactions with persons who are labeled as having a disability. I think it is important to talk about these things in schools to give other students and adults in the school a better sense of what it means to be labeled and an appreciation that they aren’t as different as society makes these students out to be. They do require differentiated instruction, patience, and understanding; attributes that all children require


Work Cited:
Funk, D. (November 2002). Love & Logic Solutions for Kids with Special Needs. Golden, Press: Love & Logic Press.

Haase, J. R. (1996). Obvious limitations, hidden potential. Break out: finding freedom when you don’t quite fit the mold. Ohio: Quixote Publications.

Russell, M. (1993). Malcolm teaches us, too. In B. Shaw, (Ed.), The ragged edge: the disability experience from the pages of the disability rag. Kentucky: The Avocado Press
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Snow, K. (2005). People First Language. In Kids Together Inc. Retrieved January 17, 2008, from http://www.kidstogether.org/pep-1st.htm

Specific Learning Disability. (n.d.). Pattan. Retrieved January 17, 2008, from
http://www.pattan.k12.pa.us/teachlead/SpecificLearningDisability.aspx