We sit across from one another in the DUC. After catching up for a few minutes, I bring up my topic and ask if he's willing to speak about his arthritis. After Grant nods, I tell him, "I know this may be a touchy topic, so I really appreciate you speaking about it. I'm writing about students with disabilities, and I noticed that none of my research explicitly mentioned arthritis. Could you tell me a little about your experience with arthritis in the classroom?"He scrunches his face for a moment and smiles, "I mean, I haven't had too many issues in the classroom. When I'm learning, it's all about using my brain, not my body. Then again, it's a different story for those with serious arthritis in their hands. I personally have just as much pain there as everywhere else, so I get by. That's basically the only thing that can make arthritis a real struggle in the school." He puts another spoon full of cereal in his mouth, and I continue, "So I'm curious about people who are struggling with serious arthritis in their hands. Do teachers change the curriculum to help? What changes are made/work?" He swallows and starts, "I know a lot of the time students use computers. Many also need extra time. You'll work slower than others, since it obviously hurts to write for an extended period of time." | I nod, put a piece of watermelon in my mouth, and mumble, "So part of my research has looked at the impact of teachers being hands on. Working through my own speech disabilities, I found this aspect really valuable to my improvement. How important are teachers being hands on to you?" His eyes widen and he leans forward, "Oh, it's very important that teachers are aware of what's going on with their students. This isn't just for comings and goings in the classroom but also for situations that may come up when kids are at school in general. The teacher has to know what's going on with a student with arthritis, since this disability isn't visible." "What would you say is most important for a student with arthritis when they're outside of the classroom?" "Well, when I was first diagnosed with arthritis, physical therapy was invaluable. I couldn't walk, or really do much at all. Physical therapy made it so that I could live a regular, healthy life. Now, arthritis is one less thing to worry about in classroom." I look him in the eyes and grin, "That's awesome, man. Thanks so much for sharing your story. I'll try my best to make you sound as good as you were." He grins, I close the computer, and we talk about his next symphony. |
0 Comments
|