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Jeremy from 3rd Grade
In the 3rd grade, there was a classmate who had autism. This was the first time I had ever had an experience with someone who had autism. He was always running around, screaming and crying and always had an aide with him. -
Jeremy from 3rd grade continue
Most of us thought this was very odd at the time, until his aide explained to us that he had something called autism and that meant that he needed to express himself differently. She assured us that sometimes it was shocking to see him hitting the wall and screaming and crying but to remember that we all had bad days and expressed ourselves differently. -
Briana
My cousin Briana was diagnosed with San Filippo Syndrome, and it was the first time a disability had impacted us personally. We were told she wouldn't live for very long, but now she's 20 an had surpassed the expected life expectancy age. -
High School Exposures
My high school was typically very good at keeping kids who had disabilities integrated with the whole school. Those who needed extra support were given an aide and classes dedicated for them. -
Rafa who then became an awesome friend in high school
The second experience I had was with a boy who had a speech delay. We couldn't really understand him, and he usually made a lot of grunting noises. As the years went on, his speech improved and we became really good friends. My mom told me (around middle school) that his mom shared with my mom that he processed information slower, had a speech delay, and needed extra support in school. We had to trust that he was actually really smart and reminded us that he is also a regular kid too. -
College and Beyond
As I got older, I learned more about kids/adults with disabilities and learned that we do not need to fear them or exclude them (which is what I had been taught at home or had learned to feel). I also learned that we didn't need to feel sorry for them either, in fact, we should allow them to experience life like we do and those of us without disabilities need to accept and adapt ways we could support them more. -
My Son
Now, my son gets special education services for SLI.