Everyone Deserves Someone Who Believes in Them

“It is important to have people believe in you. With this support, what you can achieve is

limitless” (Ronnie Colman). I heard this quote from my grandfather many years ago, and it has

stuck with me ever since. It helps me understand the importance of showing people that you

believe in them and are there for them.

Throughout this semester, we have read, watched, and discussed what it means to be an

individual with an intellectual disability. One thing I learned about students with disabilities is

that every day is a battle for them. The world is not geared toward people with disabilities, so

these individuals tend to have to work ten times harder to do simple everyday tasks that we take

for granted. For example, I once heard a story about a Butler student in a wheelchair, and when

they were going to Jordan Hall, they found out that the ramp was closed. Then they asked the

construction workers to move. However, the workers said “no,” so the student could not get into

the building. Situations like these are ones that someone who is not in a wheelchair would likely

not think about.

Through this class it has become apparent to me that I want to accommodate everybody

the best I can. I want my students to understand that some of their classmates may have

accommodations that they may also want, but they do not have it because they do not need it. For

instance, a student with dyslexia may be given extra time to complete a test. I want my students

without dyslexia to understand why students with dyslexia may receive this accommodation.

One thing that the readings, discussions, and activities taught me about the perspectives

of peers, community members, families, and educators is that a lot of people have a mindset of

“people with disabilities get catered to and life’s so much easier for them.” I often see this
mindset from other students in school when they look at a student with a 504 plan and say, “Why

do they get notes on their test? That's not fair.” However, in reality, these people struggle daily

with their disabilities, and sometimes even their accommodations are not nearly enough.

A connection that I can make between the books, discussions, and activities is that they

all had at least one person who believed in them to help them keep going. The main character in

the book Out of My Mind is a 12-year-old girl named Melody who has cerebral palsy and is non-

verbal. After school, Melody and her sister start going next door to Mrs. V’s house for her to

watch them. Pretty soon, Mrs. V realizes how smart Melody actually is. She begins working with

her every day after school for hours to help her pass a test, so she can be a member of the Whiz

Kids team. Thankfully, through all of Mrs. V’s help, Melody made the team. Then in the book

Rules the main character, Catherine, has an autistic brother named David. Catherine goes with

her mother to take David to occupational therapy, and one day, Catherine meets a boy named

Jason who is in a wheelchair and is non-verbal. Catherine ends up recognizing that Jason

deserves to be able to expand his vocabulary, so she starts making note cards with words on them

so he can be more specific when talking to people. Through Catherine’s help with making note

cards, Jason is able to communicate more effectlively. In the book Forgive me Lenard Peacock,

Lenard, an 18-year-old boy, is on a mission to kill his ex-best friend and then himself. When he

was about to go kill his ex-best friend, he decides not to do it. Later on when he was about to go

kill himself, he realizes he cannot do this either. Immediately, he calls his teacher, Herr

Silverman, and Herr rushes over to comfort Lenard. Silverman helps Lenard realize that he is not

alone. Finally, in the movie Temple. Temple Grandin who has autism is super passionate about

cows. No one ever advocated for her or believed in her, until her science teacher William

Carlock came into her life. Carlock advocated and encouraged Temple, which allowed Temple
not to give up and keep pursuing her love for cattle. All four of these examples have one thing in

common, which is the fact that all it takes is one person to believe in you and be there for you in

order for you to keep going and be sucessful. Consequently, I want to be an educator who

believes in her students and does everything in her power to ensure that they can succeed.

My thinking can connect to the COE mission, vision, and shared commitments because

they are all about helping their students and fostering environments where they can reach their

full potential and foster an equitable society. I am a firm believer that as an educator if I can help

be that person in my students' lives who encourages them to keep going, even on days that seem

impossible, they will go places they may have never imagined. Just like the people in my life

have done for me.