Talking Points #8: Citizenship in School: Recognizing Down Syndrome

Christopher Kleiwer

Argument:

In this article Christopher Kliewer argues that a democracy is defined by the contribution of all citizens in the community. In this respect we must recognize the diversity of society and that everyone has something to contribute to the community. In the context of schools students should be seen as individuals who can contribute to the school community in specific and unique ways. Students should not be placed under rigid standards of development but rather recognized for their own unique contributions to the school community.

Quotes:

1. "Judith Snow (1996)holds that
the dialogic of democracy is ultimately a set of values based on respect,
humility, and creative listening:
[Community] requires a willingness to see people as they are-different
perhaps in their minds and in their bodies, but not different in their spirits or in their willingness and ability to contribute to the mosaic of society."

This quote shows that though everyone in society is different in mind and body but we all come together in the common thread of community. Everyone has a part to play, a role, in our society and by denying that role in the community we deny the individual the right to contribute. By doing this society loses out because community is built on the contributions of all individuals. This is why we society loses out when we deny minorities access to the dominant culture.


2. "Colleen Madison agreed with Shayne that no child was inherently an intellectual burden to a classroom; in fact, she argued, each student contributed a unique and potentially valuable dimension to the web of relationships that formed a school community."

In this quote Colleen Madison an educator argues that no child is a burden in the classroom rather every child has a valuable contribution to the school community. This just goes to show that rather recognizing what a child "can't do," focus on what a child "can do," and think of how they can use what they know to contribute in a way that "can" for the benefit of others. Instead of focusing on the negative focus on the positive and use what you know about each student to facilitate access to the school community.

3. "They're different in terms of what their bodies are like, how they best communicate, what they're like socially, their interests. And with those three kids in the room it
would be hard to say, "This is how you should teach kids with
Down syndrome." They are not at all alike."

I particularly liked this quote because it is so powerful. It is the norm in society to see an individual with a disability and focus on the "disability." This causes everyone to focus on the disability rather than the individual. In this quote from Shayne Robinson, an educator, she argues that not every student with down syndrome looks, acts, or thinks the same. Instead of looking at the "disability" we must look at the individual. Not all students with autism are a like, not all students with Corabel palsy are a like, not all students with down syndrome are a like. We must recognize the differences in the individuals and instruct students according to their individuality.


Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

I found this article particularly interesting. I think that it was an easy read and I really enjoyed seeing the perspectives of teachers and students with disabilities. I think this article is very important because it shows how people are a product of their environment. This has been a running theme throughout this course this semester. Rather than looking at individuals in a diverse society and how everyone can contribute to society the dominant culture focuses on the "burden" of minority groups and by doing this we are loosing out the true concept of democracy. I particularly liked the story about Isaac in this article and how Shayne saw how Isaac interpreted the world around him as well as contributed in the school community in a unique way which inspired the other students to learn in a different unique way. This is just one example of how students with disabilities can contribute to the school community in their own unique way. We must recognize the differences in individuals and create, as Kliewer says, a "constructive" curriculum that focuses on how students learn from and contribute to the world.

Just like Oakes and Carlson argue by isolating these students from the "norm" society we create the defects, as Kliewer argues, that hinder their development. Instead of seeing these students as a burden we should focus on what these students can do, how they learn, and create meaningful ways for them to contribute to the school community. Just like the example from the text about John, an individual with Down Syndrome, who moved to a different community in California that was more excepting. By moving to this community which allowed him to become an active member John excelled in his academic and functional skills and became an active member in the community. We are all a product of our environment and if we allow all students of diverse abilities to contribute to the school community rather than being isolated from it we foster a more human, excepting, healthy democratic society.