Thomas Hehir's "Eliminating Ableism in Education"

Thomas Hehir from Harvard's Graduate School of Education wrote this indicative essay, painting a scene of what ableism looks like in the context of education and what we can (or have been done) do to combat it. Utilizing a real-world experience as an introductory device drops the reader into the shoes of those oppressed by this flawed system, providing a better lens through which to view the rest of the essay. I have pulled three important quotes that I believe are crucial in the moral of Hehir's messages.

"However, even though these laws were strong, existing practices were often difficult to change due to deeply held negative cultural assumptions about disability" (2)

Thoughts: Just like any other minority group, making headway in the journey to equity and equality in life and all its opportunities, legislation is just the first step. We see it in civil rights scenarios regarding minority ethnicities. Even after passing legislation like the Civil Rights Act, minority groups such as African Americans still faced racist prejudice, stalking them even to the present day.

"Some student's failure to learn to read may be due to poor instruction, thus compounding the impact of disability" (13)

Thoughts: Naturally, someone will pin any lack of development/skill on a person's disability, but is that always the truth behind the struggle? Likely not, we just assume the problem is the disability, but by confining all issues with a person's development (whether cognitive, behavioral, physical, etc.) we can increase the negative impact of the person's disability by curating a cultural/societal depression of that person's character.

"Fortunately, there is a foundation in both research and practice upon which to build a better future. Schools can take action now" (22).

Thoughts: Hehir, following this quote to explain the idea of including disability in more diversity efforts, is already being very impactful within schools. There are already activities furthering diversity appreciation and education, so if more schools can fit disabilities into this umbrella, many positives can come from it. The most important part of this quote, is the fact that schools can act now. With tons of legislation and political backup for these efforts, the school system can now act on their wishes to better education for the disabled more than ever.