Special education teachers work with students who have physical, mental, emotional and learning disabilities. They educate them and help them become more active members of the society. The root word of “education” is “educate”, which came from “educe”. To educe means to bring out potential, and I believe that is what special education teachers do more than anything.
The dictionary entry for the word “disabled” includes the following terms: crippled, helpless, wrecked, maimed, wounded, lame, mutilated, weakened, impotent, castrated, paralyzed, handicapped, hurt, useless, and weak. Indeed, persons with disabilities are marked by challenge, but being described by these definitions is more disabling to the individual than the pathology itself. It is the idea of normalcy that denies them of the opportunity to engage with the community. It is not right that they receive prejudice just because they do not fit the societal norms. We need to stop trying to achieve “normal”. In line with this, Aimee Mullins came up with a new definition of disability – “to crush a spirit, to withdraw hope, to deflate curiosity, to promote an inability to see beauty, to deprive of imagination, to make abject”. She wants to spread that there is no dishonor in having a disability. They do not need pity. What they need is acceptance.
I had the opportunity to interview Miss Lucy Jabungan, a SPED teacher in Silangan Elementary School in San Mateo, Rizal, and it broadened my knowledge of the field of SPED