For this notebook prompt, I cut down my information effect project by a third.

It

helped me realize that I honestly had some pretty unnecessary information and

unneeded filler words. I started with 1,083 words, and cut it down to 722. Here it is:

Information Effect Project (cut down a third)

“An individual’s disability can play a major role in his/her life: whether it’s positive

or negative,” (1) writes Narmeen Shigri in her article entitled “The Importance of

Disability Awareness: Home and School.” Shigri addresses the different challenges

disabled people have to face every single day, whether that be academically, socially,

physically, or emotionally.

An article entitled “Why Inclusion of Special Needs Students Works” emphasizes

my social issue: inclusion of special education students at both the social and academic

level. It says, “Teachers have testified to the benefits that their students have received

in terms of increased performance and comprehension. Prior to testing these students,

they fell by the wayside and there was no way to tell what they were learning or even if

they were learning. The exposure to the testing has given these students a place in the

educational arena and exposure to more attention, opportunities and self-sufficiency”

(3).

Not only does it positively affect special education students, it also benefits

mainstream students as well. The author of this article, Matthew Lynch, says “(including

special education students in the classroom) teaches the mainstream students more

about compassion, understanding and that every student learns in a different way.

These are traits that cannot be taught from a book, but must be learned in the

classroom through experience – and they are important” (7). This proves the point that
including special needs students in the classroom positively affects both the disabled

student and the mainstream student. A win-win for everyone.

But thankfully now, there are laws in place that require the inclusion of special

education students academically. The same book entitled History of Special Education

addresses some of the people that were advocates for people with disabilities and

sought to change non inclusive and unfair laws. Helen Keller was a huge proponent for

awareness of special needs people. Her success of being taught successfully, despite

the fact that she was deaf and blind, was also a success for deaf and blind people all

around. Because of her successful education, many social reformers thought they could

provide the same education for other disabled people as well. Thus, nine schools were

instituted within the next few years specifically for children with disabilities. These

schools included the Connecticut Asylum at Hartford (a school specifically for the deaf),

the Perkins School of the Blind, and Gallaudet University (the first university instituted

specifically for the deaf) (57).

But you don’t have to start a school or institution to make a change. All you have

to do is be inclusive. The first step of being inclusive is being aware. A study entitled,

“Effects of Disability Awareness: Educational on an Inclusive Classroom” addresses the

importance of inclusion. The study was conducted in a fourth grade classroom, where

three lessons on various learning disabilities were presented and the students were

given questionnaires during the beginning, the middle, and the end of each lesson. By

the end, students had more knowledge about disabilities and were more inclusive and

open towards students who had intellectual disabilities. This just proves that being

simply aware of disabilities can make a huge difference (5).

 When looking back at the history of individuals with disabilities, it’s easy to see

we have come a long way. But we still have a long way to go until they are completely

included.

Works Cited
 Rotatori A. F., Bakken, J. P., Obiakor, F. E. (2011). History of Special Education

(Vol. 1st ed). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Retrieved March 5, 2020,

from

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXz

M1NTczOF9fQU41?sid=88a53f10-e8c3-49a3-b69b-

fca093d6e920@sessionmgr4007&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_iii&rid=0

65354, 10, 21803, & 390. (2017, January 22). Why Inclusion of Special Needs

Students Works. Retrieved from https://www.theedadvocate.org/why-inclusion-of-

special-needs-students-works/

Shigri, N. (2018, January 20). The Importance of Disability Awareness: Home

and School. Retrieved March 5, 2020, from The Importance of Disability Awareness:

Home and School.

Williamson, C. (2014, Spring). Effects of Disability Awareness Educational

Programs on an Inclusive School. Bowling State University, Retrieved March 7, 2020,

from

https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138&context= honorsprojects

A. Samuels, C. (2020). Nellie Aspel: Shining The Light On Inclusion. Education

Week, 39(22), 12–15. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libprox1.slcc.edu:2048/ehost/detail/detail?

vid=11&sid=79394e24-e88b-4a9f-8d93-6d82613183c7%40sdc-v-

sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=141838728&db=asn