During a class, we went around the room talking about our experiences with people with disabilities in public education. All of us, figure Special Education Teacher, recall the lack of representation of people with disabilities within our classrooms growing up. Special Education was that place was “Special Education” students, somewhere out of view from the rest of the school.

In retrospect, I realize that the isolation of students with disabilities in schools was a disservice for both general education and special education students. After all, how are we supposed to break the social standards of normalcy and stereotypes about people with disabilities?

As I continue in my journey to become an educator, I’m thinking about ways in which I can provide equity to students. I’m also thinking about ways to break stereotypes about people with disabilities and to make sure that we are creating a more inclusive world.

Not to mention, teachers hold a lot of power, and it is our responsibility to advocate for our students and to learn from them.