That's not gibberish. Those are the acronyms I am surrounded by. Sometimes those acronyms make me feel as though I work for the secret service. Heaven forbid I ever talk about one of my students to someone else that is not on their 'team.'
I understand that things need to be confidential. but. at the same time....the confidentiality implies there is something wrong, something worth hiding. There is nothing wrong with my students. They have nothing to be embarrassed about, nothing to hide. My kids are so many things: hilarious, sneaky, intelligent, problem-solvers, teachers, learners, friends, sons, daughters...and they also happen to have a disability. Why is the disability all some people can see?
I think it's a vicious cycle. I think the confidentiality piece creates kids, teenagers, and adults that are taught not to question disability. Not to look. Not to talk about it. Those same kids turn into adults that have no knowledge of disability. Those adults then have their own kids. Those adults teach their kids not to look, not to talk about it...It goes on and on.
What I love about the very young kids in my school is that they ask questions. "Why can't April talk?" I love that question. I love answering it. "Why did Joe just hit me?" Ask me and I will tell you.
We need to talk about it. It's okay to talk about.
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