Special Needs: An Insider’s Perspective

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By Meagan Gillmore

Dear teacher,

You’ve been teaching us about types of writing: the difference between fiction and non-fiction; procedural writing; business letters and personal letters—like thank-you letters. I thought I’d practise and write a letter to you about teaching me. And “me” is a student who has a disability.

That makes writing this hard—not because it sometimes takes me longer to write things, or to figure out what I want to say. It’s hard because I don’t know how to describe this letter. My disability is part of my life, and it is not the worst thing to ever happen to me. It is not the worst thing to happen to our classroom. I don’t think I’m amazing because I live with one. I’m not a superhero; I don’t expect you to be one, either.

I know disability makes some things in my life—and in our classroom—different, and difficult. I want to help you understand this so you can teach all your students better. This isn’t a “how-to” piece of procedural writing, though. It can’t be. Each student with a disability is different—even students with the same diagnosis.

To teach me well, get to know me, not just my diagnosis. Learn how I learn and what causes me trouble. Physical disabilities don’t all come with learning disabilities. Someone who doesn’t have a physical disability may have a learning disability. The trickiest part about having a learning disability may be that it makes it hard to know why learning is hard.

But I have some general tips to help you.

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Meagan Gillmore is a freelance writer in Toronto, ON.

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Meagan Gillmore
Meagan Gillmore
Meagan Gillmore is a freelance writer in Toronto, ON.

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