Currently, Poly’s intensive studies program and Best Buddies club are making changes to the terminology and protesting against current government policies in special education. Tonia Schwichtenberg, an intensive studies teacher, explained that the new Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, has revealed plans to repeal bills and programs that place a large importance on least restrictive environments.
As Schwichtenberg explained, least restrictive environments are climates where students are “able to participate in general ed classes and being able to be with their typically developing peers.” Potential policy is threatening these rights and opportunities.
In special education, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA, guarantees the rights Schwichtenberg stated and protects schoolchildren with any kind of disability. Thus with more researching, it was found that current President Trump and Devos, do not realize the importance of IDEA and are willing to repeal it, replacing it with something else, possibly for personal gain. Poly’s special education programs are making it a priority to speak out against these potential repeals.
As for the Poly community, special education classes are standing up for all students with disabilities in the “spread the word to end the word” movement. Schwichtenberg explained, “We don’t want to use the word ‘retarded.’ ‘Special needs’ or ‘intellectual disabilities’ is what we say to spread the word to end the word.”
The main purpose of the movement, explained the Best Buddies club vice president and senior Zephyr Zimmerman, is to “raise awareness of our societies’ use of the r-word and educate people that it is an offensive term used to label people with IDD, or intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
In the future, Poly’s RSP teacher of strategies for success, Mr. Smith said, “When we hear students saying the ‘r-word,’ we say ‘hey we don’t say that, it’s not nice to say,’ and just keep preaching that message.”
Overall, the inspiring triumph of the “spread the word to end the word” movement is successfully impacting and leading the fight for Poly’s special education community.
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