My mom is a Special Education teacher, so throughout my whole life, I've been surrounded by her students and their different stories. Some of them try to excel, even if it's really difficult--but let me be clear, what makes it difficult is not their learning disability. Others have not even tried, but they have their reasons. To take it a step closer, in the sixth grade, I was one of the few chosen students that got to spend the day at SER, and even though it's been well over a decade since that experience, I can still feel how my heart's strings were tugged, nearly pulling my beating heart out of my chest, when I saw all those kids.
In Puerto Rico, based on the 2010 census, 28% of our population has some kind of disability. The problem is that this part of our population is mostly ignored. The fact is that they do not receive the help they warrant. I'm not saying these people are completely defenseless and we are their saviors here to help them; however, I am saying that the road to them being more educated and more independent shouldn't be filled with so many hardships. These hardships vary. One of them is the lack of equal treatment in schools--meaning that, the teachers who teach grade classes are supplied most of the materials by the school, however Special Ed does not; they get whatever is left. Another type of hardship is the lack of awareness most of our population has; from what I have heard and seen, people prefer to pity them instead of helping them.
This is why I would create a non-profit organization that would help, not only kids with disabilities and their parents, but also the adults. This would be a way to help them be aware of the rights they have and should enforce, when need be. This sort of counseling happens, but not as often as it should. Parents need to be aware of what they can ask of the school system and when to ask for it. The organization would also provide the means to help pay for what they need to improve their quality of life, be it a wheelchair, a costly operation and so on. It would also provide tutoring services for the kids, which they need since our school system seems to lack Special Ed teachers. Also, for the general public, it would provide the information on how to see the person instead of the disability; in other words, to empathize with them, but not pity them. All in all, the goal is to improve their quality of life in any humanely way possible. I recognize that it would be a huge undertaking, but if I could... I definitely would.
This is why I would create a non-profit organization that would help, not only kids with disabilities and their parents, but also the adults. This would be a way to help them be aware of the rights they have and should enforce, when need be. This sort of counseling happens, but not as often as it should. Parents need to be aware of what they can ask of the school system and when to ask for it. The organization would also provide the means to help pay for what they need to improve their quality of life, be it a wheelchair, a costly operation and so on. It would also provide tutoring services for the kids, which they need since our school system seems to lack Special Ed teachers. Also, for the general public, it would provide the information on how to see the person instead of the disability; in other words, to empathize with them, but not pity them. All in all, the goal is to improve their quality of life in any humanely way possible. I recognize that it would be a huge undertaking, but if I could... I definitely would.
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