Citizenship in schools: Reconceptualizing Down syndrome

Conceptualizing is to develop a replacement concept of something.

          We need to rethink the way we see people with disabilities. We need to first identify them as what they really are people that deserve to have the same opportunities as you and I have. In my high school the students with disabilities were in their own class’ separate from the rest of the “regular” students. They went to lunch at a different time, had PE at a different time, and were presented to us as students that were unable to really do much of anything. When in reality they could do just as much as us.

Inclusion would allow students with disabilities to grow and allow students without disabilities to gain knowledge of what these students have to deal with. Also the students without disabilities could benefit academically. With inclusion students without disabilities would be able to help the other students and when students help their fellow students they actually are further embedding their knowledge into their own brains.