Ability, disability, accessibility, and barriers are key talking points when creating an IEP. Yet, these are also highly subjective and personal.
I really struggle with spelling. Vowels confuse me. Letters change the sound they make depending on what is before and after them in the word. Then we have the various language influences, resulting in words that are spelled similarly but pronounced entirely differently. My teachers and parents tried to help, teaching me rules like “-i before -e except after -c.” Did you know that is only a part of that rule? I didn’t, until I was in my teacher prep program in college. The whole rule is “-I before -e except after -c or when it sounds like A as in neighbors and weigh.” How can I be expected to think through all of the nuances of the rule, apply it, and still get the consonant correct? In general, it doesn’t matter because the computer helps me. It underlines every misspelled word, gives me suggested spellings, and has a thesaurus when my spelling is so wrong that I need to find it using a similar word that I can spell. However, there is one area where my spelling really is a disability: crossword puzzles. I have the wrong vowel on 1 across, which means I now have the wrong starting letter for 3 down, and I know the answer to the clue for 12 across, but there are more boxes than I think there are letters, so I don’t enter any letters.
Crossword puzzles aren’t required for my job or life, but it does illustrate how a skill deficit can be a problem in some situations and not an issue at all for others. The same is true if we use a medical model point of view or a social model.
In the medical model, a disability is something about the person that can be diagnosed, and it is a problem or something to “fix.” Whereas, in the social model, disability is a reflection of architecture, culture, norms, or expectations of others.
In the medical model, disability is a fixed status, meaning it is not likely to change. In the social model, disability is dynamic, increasing or decreasing based on the environmental surroundings.
Both models are more complex than these simple definitions. Examining the difference helps to illustrate the importance of the point of view when making decisions and planning for students with disabilities. The most important viewpoint is that of the person with the disability.
For example, for many students, we have goals related to social skills to increase the amount of time they talk with and engage with their peers. But what if the student is introverted and shy? Maybe their lack of engagement is not a disability deficit but a choice.
As we start planning for transition as a required part of the IEP, when the team decides that the student will live independently, did we ask if that was the student’s goal? I am a successful, employed woman whose salary is a very livable wage, yet I don’t live alone. I have had the same roommate for decades, and I call him “husband”. If the goal someone decided for me was that I live alone, I still would not have met that goal all these decades later.
Point of view also helps us understand each of the IEP team members suggestions and concerns during the meeting. The parent is “parenting,” meaning protecting, guiding, coaching, advocating, and worrying about their child. The special education teacher is focused on the disability and how to reduce barriers. The general education teacher is focused on how to include the learner in their instruction and what to expect from the student. The district representative is focused on ensuring legal compliance, staffing allocations, and data. It is no wonder that people leave the meeting feeling differently about the result, because they were each looking through their own lens.
Given the complexity of the work, it is amazing how often IEP teams agree. When the team is struggling to come to consensus, perhaps they first need to back up and understand the point of view of each member. Then, with this richer understanding, try to develop a plan together.
I say this knowing how hard it is when you are certain that your suggestions are the best ones for the student. But I have also had the opportunity to look at my own practice from a different point of view, and learned a lot about mistakes made and missed opportunities. I wish I had made more time to listen and more time to look through someone else’s point of view.