Cindy did complete an alternative student teaching experience as a parent group facilitator and did receive her teaching license. She is realistic about her chances of securing a position and can articulate both her personal strengths and her limitations as an early childhood special education teacher.
As we encountered and considered the experiences of educators with
disabilities, at first independently of each other and then collectively,
it felt like we were peeling an intellectual onion. One layer was a story
of a person who had a disability wanting to become an educator. Another
layer uncovered a story of a successful educator with a disability. The
next layer revealed barriers that impeded people with disabilities in
their quest to become educators. The following layer exposed variables
that contributed to the success of educators with disabilities. Yet
another layer produced an educator with disabilities, such as Joan's
student, Cindy, who challenged us to rethink our preconceptions about the
teacher preparation and employment process.
Removal of each layer revealed new questions as well. Why, for example, have some people with disabilities experienced considerable success as educators and others encountered great difficulty? Why has the presence of educators with disabilities been limited in today's public schools even though people with disabilities represent the largest minority group in the United States? What factors have contributed to the minority status of individuals with disabilities? How have public schools and institutions of higher education responded to the choices and needs of educators who have disabilities? What are the career development issues related to educators with disabilities? Do the requirements and demands of educational positions inhibit or preclude people with disabilities from becoming educators? How do societal, teacher-educator, and administrator attitudes affect individuals with disabilities who wish to become educators? What supports are available to facilitate people with disabilities who want to become educators? What effects does public policy have on educators with disabilities? How does personal advocacy affect one's success as an educator?
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