Final Writing Prompt

How have your perceptions of disability and inclusion changed since completing the independent study on inclusive education and the field experience in Belize? 

Before my experience in Belize I wasn't sure if I had the skill set or the ability to fully include a student with disabilities. My beliefs fully aligned with full inclusion, but I had never interacted with a student who needed special services and was unsure of my ability to give those services and meet those needs. During my time in Belize I worked with a student who was visually impaired and focused hard to fully include her in all of the activities. I found myself including her with little difficulty by the end of the trip because it is something that Karla prepared me for and something that I slowly got adjusted to. After working with Dayanara I am confident that I can fully include any student with disabilities with a little work and a lot of dedication. My perceptions also changed of students with disabilities after seeing how happy Dayanara was during her time in the classroom. Although she was not fully included she was always happy to be at school and to learn. She also had amazing potential that was untapped because she had never been included before. I learned to never under estimate a student with disabilities because you never know what they are capable of. If you underestimate a student you are automatically limiting their success and who are you to put that cap on their potential.