Tag: supported decision-making

I have wanted to be a special education teacher since age three. I didn’t realize that this was unusual until high school. I thought everyone just “knew” what they would be when they grew up. It wasn’t until I watched my classmates struggle to decide where to go to college that I realized I was different.

Then, in college, I had friends struggling to declare a major, and again when changing majors while trying to graduate on time. My journey was so clear to me. Yet, I did wonder, why didn’t I have doubts? Why didn’t I have more interests? The truth is, I believe that God had led me to the career that fills my soul but also fills my desire to continue to learn and grow. I am a teacher.

Politics and social media have changed what it means to say, “I am a teacher.”

But nothing can change the incredible experience of being a teacher.

As a special educator, I support students in their journey to adulthood. I get to help them navigate friendships, learn new skills, and discover their gifts and passions. All of this leads to the greatest of decisions, what do you want to be when you grow up?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (IDEA), requires a transition plan complete with career goals by age 16. Many states, realizing the challenges of successful transitions to adulthood, have required transition planning beginning at age 14.

Age 14 allows for a focus on adulthood, often beginning in middle school, and throughout the entire high school career. The belief is, with good planning the student will know what their goals are and then do the work to achieve them. However, the reality is, they don’t usually know what they want to do. It is rare that a student has a clear vision for their life—I know, I was an exception.

Purposeful planning for the discovery of a career is the true test of a transition plan. Does it leave room for change? IF the student, like their peers, changes their mind about what they like or want to do, can the plan shift with them? How do we plan, but still allow natural adolescence?

I fear that parents feel pressured to become fortune tellers, looking into their crystal ball to see what career will fit their child’s gifts, passions, and dreams. But, like the fortune tellers at a fair, the vision they see is only the image of what may be, not what it is.

If we can see one vision, why are we afraid to see a different one? If we saw the students as a worker in a local restaurant, why not see them as the manager in a local firm? Why are we limiting ourselves to our visions? Life is far more interesting than a single vision. We should encourage trying out a variety of careers and options. Often, the joy is in the journey, not just the destination.

Similarly, when a student has a clear vision for their future, we need to foster it. As teachers, we can help them create a concrete plan to achieve their dream. After all, While I was different from my peers, I was not unique. There are others with a clear plan for their future, and, like me, it is a career that fills their mind and soul. We can all work together to help them step into their dream.

Awareness campaigns are a powerful way to inform the community. A good campaign will include general information and a way to contribute to the cause. Some campaigns are annual events, such as autism awareness month. Others, like the ice bucket campaign for ALS, consist of short bursts of education and training.

But are awareness campaigns enough?

A colleague recently asked me this question and it made me wonder, at what point do we move beyond a need for awareness and shift to a call to action? Awareness absolutely has its place for a variety of causes. However, when it comes to autism or other disabilities, maybe it is time we shift to action. We need a call to stretch beyond awareness or acceptance to a place of true action. And, our action should include the individual with a disability, as a self-advocate and leader. Maybe what we really need is a campaign to empower?

Empower: make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.

The Britney Spears court case has recently called into question the concept of power and, ultimately, who has power.  In Britney’s case, it is not her.  Britney’s case calls into question the true definition of empowerment. She wants nothing more than the right to be confident and control her own life. This seems like a right that the majority of us have simply because we have had 18 birthdays. The reported reason for her losing the right is that she made one too many bad decisions. But again, why is she not allowed to make a bad decision? Don’t’ we all make mistakes? Isn’t that considered learning?

Britney’s case highlights the legal policies that dis-empower individuals all across the country. This is especially prevalent within the disability community. It is for this reason that I am calling to you, the next time there is a disability awareness campaign, leverage the energy and emotion to call for empowerment. This will not be easy and will require that we become informed and use multiple strategies.

One way to inform and empower individuals is through the Tennessee Center for Decision Making, shared in a previous post. There are also many small ways to help empower individuals including:

• Allowing someone a chance to make a choice
• Supporting a choice that is not the one you would make
• Listen to their words and actions
• Ask for their ideas and be willing to hear them
• Watch for their lead
• Seek leadership training through your state disability council or other state or advocacy agencies
• Seek out postsecondary opportunities and choices
• Work with a benefits counselor to better understand the options
• Be the cheerleader, and not the coach

These are just a few ideas, and hopefully, they empower you.