Teetering bulb of dread and dream: Disclosure and Being an Autistic Cog-Sci Major →
Well, I’m out as autistic in the group for disabled students at my university.
I wish I could be out everywhere. But I’m in a major that’s happier with us being studied than being the ones doing the studying. I’m at a university with a professor who describes autism as “a cruel disease that…
three words: don’t give up. i’m pursuing a major in early childhood special education, and i have never fought so hard for anything in my life. if there’s anyone that they really need to work on the problems of autism, isn’t it…well…us? i’ve been told a million times that i just can’t do it, that i should be failed on principle because of the way i am wired. i’ve found that the best way to handle it is to be out with everyone [especially because i have a personality disposition assessment, and often i am mislabeled by professors due to my behaviors] but obviously some of your department is bigoted, and perhaps not ready for that. if we do not succeed, it should be because of who we are as people, not because of neurons that they let define us.
but none of the hate people throw right now matters, when we know what we are doing is going to MATTER more than anyone can imagine. give it a few years, and i’ll send you a picture of my diploma if you send me yours. =] never, ever give up.
I am also a special ed major with a disability and it is quite an odd experience. I don’t think they realize sometimes that when they’re talking about people with disabilities, people with CP……they’re talking about me. A living, breathing, human being who is in college and doing the same stuff they are. I feel like an alien in my major sometimes…
SO for a writeup of our observations in an inclusive classroom
We apparently had to compare it to OUR OWN GENERAL ED CLASSROOM IN THAT GRADE.
…..wtf? who’s to say that EVERYONE was IN a gen ed classroom in (in the case of my writeup) second grade? god forbid those SPECIAL ED kids actually GROW UP AND GO TO COLLEGE.
….I mean I WAS in a gen ed classroom in second grade or I guess an inclusive classroom since it did include students with disabilities, like, um, ME….so um…what does gen ed classroom even MEAN in this case???
so confused stop the nondisabled centering and ableism pleaaaaase.
