Part II. Section 1. Prompt 3. How This Class Has Impacted Me Outside of the Classroom
Over the course of this semester, it has amazed me that just reading and talking about the certain issues that we have gone over, makes those situations stand out more and more in my everyday life. When it comes to treating people with disabilities in a different or “special” way, I find myself starting to treat people with disabilities just like any other person in the world. In situations where I would have previously gone out of my way to assist someone with a disability who is obviously capable on their own, I am holding back in order to not be the cause of drawing attention to the disability. I have learned that a disability does not take away all of the capabilities of a person. It only changes the way that they go about doing the same things that I do each and every day (Hehir Ch.1).
An example of how this course has begun to change my thoughts and actions in life is when I was at Meijer getting groceries. As I was shopping, an older woman in an automatic scooter was doing most of her shopping right next to me. In the past, I would have paid more attention to this woman to assess her situation and determine whether or not she needed help with her grocery shopping. I would have looked to see if she was reaching everything on the shelves that she needed and tried to stay out of her way as she steered her scooter. Now, having learned about people with disabilities and their desire to be treated just as anyone else, I found myself not paying that close of attention to the woman and only using the common courtesy that I would with anyone else. My smiles weren’t any more pronounced than they would be to a total stranger. My manners of pushing my cart over so she could get through the aisle were just as I would for any other person trying to get through a crowded aisle. I found myself wanting to treat her as an independent grown woman, not as a woman with a disability. I also found that I needed her assistance because I was unaware of what kind of frozen chicken to buy to make a certain type of dinner. Usually my mother would have been the one that I asked, but I decided that most grown women would know that, and so I asked her. She was able to assist me more than I could ever even assist her in her grocery shopping.
In situations where my friends are utilizing derogatory words as jokes or ways to describe something that they think is dumb or funny, I find that I am no longer going along with it. No longer can I feel justified utilizing words that have been used in history to describe someone with a disability or that describe someone’s sexual preferences. Language usage is so vital to communication. Negatively using words such as these only tears others down and continues the negative connotations that these words carry. There is no reason for these words to carry a negative connotation except for how they have been utilized throughout history. If people can start to understand this, things can start to change and become more positive for everyone. There are times in my life where a friend may think something is unfair, annoying, or may become angry about something and say “that is R*******!” or “that is G**!” Now, I am not one to agree with them or even stay quiet. I am much more apt to correct them or ask them to utilize a different adjective for their emotional state (Gollnick Ch. 4).
Becoming open-minded about certain things that I have been previously close-minded about such as different sexual orientations is one thing that I have been working on immensely as a result of this course. Previously, I have been that part of society who does not understand or agree with the lifestyles and preferences of anyone who is not hetero-sexual. Because of the environment and religion in which I was raised, I have been taught that there is one right way to live and all other ways are not the right ways. As a result of this course, I have truly taken a deep look at myself and critically evaluated my thoughts and behaviors. Although it is something I am still working on and trying to improve, I am becoming much more open-minded about the acceptance of lifestyles that differ from my own upbringing (Gollnick Ch.4).
Over the Thanksgiving break, I was given another wonderful opportunity to see my Uncle. For years, I have known that my Uncle was a homosexual, and for years, I have been unable to wrap my mind around it. I was always taught that there was a right and wrong way to live (in reference to sexual orientation). Therefore, I have always been close-minded and even uncomfortable around my own uncle when I see him at family gatherings. My uncle and his partner are two of the nicest, funniest, and kindest men I know. They are giving, outgoing, and the life of any of our family parties. Before going through this course, I found myself looking over all of those rare and wonderful qualities unable to see the genuine and wonderful people that they truly are. After our intense discussions in this course and deep evaluations of situations in our readings and currently in the world today, I am now able to have an uncle-niece relationship with these men and truly being able to show my love for these members of my family. This course has taught me that not everything in this world is going to be the way I was brought up or taught that it should be. In fact, most of the time it won’t be the case. This course has also taught me that my open-mindedness is a key factor in my success as a teacher. Not only are my students going to be experiencing home situations such as this but they may also find themselves with this sexual-orientation preference as well. Being close-minded is not a positive way to live nor is it healthy in interpersonal communication and forming relationships with people.
This course has taught me that disabled persons do not want to be treated as such. They want to be treated as a person. I have also learned that communication is key and the language we use to communicate has a large impact on how others perceive what we are saying, who we are, and what kind of person we are. There are right and wrong ways to go about saying something, and it is necessary to retrain ourselves to speak positively and in an uplifting way about all people whether they are the same or different from ourselves. This course has also started to truly break down my barriers against lifestyles different than my own. I am starting to become more open-minded and accepting.