Sharing My Experience and Research With Disability and Accommodation in School

When I was in grade school I was a less confident person than I am now. I had a mother who always looked out for me and made sure my needs were met. This is something that shaped me into the fighter I am today! I have cerebral palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a muscle condition that occurs at birth. I also had learning disabilities which meant that I struggled in school. I had some special education teachers who did not always work well for me, but I had enough who did work out, so I did well in high school.

Having a learning disability, or any kind of disability, is never a bad thing and it does not mean you cannot succeed.

Let’s get one thing straight: having a learning disability or any kind of disability is never a bad thing and it does not mean you cannot succeed. Dealing with these issues just means that your brain processes in a different way than others, so no one should ever feel bad for themselves or feel that you failed if you are a parent.

My mother and counselors had been there for me.

When I was in grade school, I had trouble reading until I was in the second grade. As a child I was discouraged, however my mother was there to help and guide me, along with a teacher’s assistant who read lower level books with me until I learned to read. I was very excited as my vocabulary got larger and by the time I was in third grade I was reading at a sixth-grade level! I had accommodations to help with homework like an alpha smart laptop because my handwritten work was not good, and I would somehow lose assignments, so the assistive technology helped me. By the time I was in eighth grade, I was ready and excited to graduate because my mother and my counselors had been there for me. The key is accepting your challenges and understanding that you or your child is different not less. If you are a young person reading this then know that your parents are there to help and protect you.

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Tips

Here’s some tips for parents when you want to make sure your child with a disability is on track: Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) made into law in 1975 amended in 2004 (https://sites.ed.gov/idea/)

?  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that requires schools to serve the educational needs of eligible students with disabilities.

?  Schools must find and evaluate students suspected of having disabilities—at no cost to parents.

?  Not every child with learning and attention issues qualifies under IDEA.

The Purpose of the IDEA

?  To provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to children with disabilities, at no cost to parents.

Who Qualifies? Children with:

Autism
Deaf-blindness
Deafness
Emotional disturbance
Hearing impairment
Intellectual disability
Multiple disabilities
Orthopedic impairment
Other health impairment (including ADHD)
Specific learning disability (including dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia, and other learning issues)
Speech or language impairment
Traumatic brain injury
Visual impairment, including blindness

It is your right as a parent to inquire about these services!

For More Information like this, please visit: www.understood.org. When I was doing my research, I found this website and wanted to put the resource out there that would be the most accessible and a site that is updated frequently.

Caprisha Williams

Caprisha is a 29-year-old self-published author from Chicago. She currently attends Northern Illinois University in Dekalb where she studies Nonprofit Civic Engagement and Disability Rehabilitation Services. She has spastic cerebral palsy. Caprisha is now an ambassador working with the Borgen Project. The Borgen Project is a non profit based in Seattle Washington, they promote global poverty prevention and awareness to foreign policy.