Week 8: Pre-Reading Questions

-From a personal experience, race, education and disability all intersect. For example, in school, those with a learning disability had to take certain classes, or had special classes to cater to their ‘disabilities.’ All in all, their educational experience was different from mine because of their disability.  Also, race can play into one’s educational experience as well.  For instance, there was the stereotype at my school that Asians are good at math. Although most of the students in the harder math courses were primarily Asian, this stereotype affected the educational experience of the Asians at my school—most felt like they had to succeed in math because of this stereotype. 

- The three categories, learning disabled, mentally retarded, and emotionally disturbed are all disorders that affect the way people learn and function in the world. In terms of special education, each category may affect an individual in different ways. For example, if a student had a learning disability, they may not necessarily need to take a special class because their difficulty in a specific academic area may not be significant enough to require special help. If a student suffered from mental retardation, their educational experience would be more difficult than a regular child. Because learning may take longer, they may have trouble adapting and blending in with other students.  Emotionally disturbed students not only suffer from a learning disability, but also a behavioral disorder that may case them to further be alienated by the regular educational system. The students would have to participate in special education classes and have special teachers aid and guide them in their education.

-Race, gender, and class all intersect with disability which impacts how people experience their lives. For example, take a poor African American woman. Because she is of a lower class, is African American, and a woman, living life with a disability would be very difficult.  It would be hard for her to have access to the care she needs because it would cost more than what she makes—if she even could get a job. Although it seems inhumane, there are some people would just completely dismiss her and not even consider the fact that she has a disability simply because she is African American. This experience would be vastly different from a white affluent male with a disability. Because he is a white male from a higher class, he may be able to afford the care he needs while being treated better, as a result from being from a ‘superior’ race.

Word Count: 420