Parents of children with special needs are capable of producing societal change in their communities and all over the country through heartfelt action. The voice of a parent has the ability to initiate a chain reaction of societal acceptance and educational improvement. Parental involvement in a child’s life has the ability to improve a child’s self esteem due to improved respect from that child’s surrounding community and school. Additionally, parental involvement can result in their child receiving a substantially improved education within an their child’s school. Parents have the power and means to positively and significantly improve their child’s learning experience within special needs education.
By taking the initiate, parents of a special needs daughter, Rosa, were able to change the official terminology of “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability.” The revisal of formal terminology was initiated by the Marcellino family in Maryland in response to their daughter, Rosa, being placed in a program specifically for children dubbed as “mentally retarded.”[1] The Marcellino family decided that in a world with a society enthralled in labels and identities, progress needed to be made in labeling those with special needs as “mentally retarded.” Rosa’s 14 year old brother perfected articulated the importance of labels impacting a person’s identity: “What you call people is how you treat them.”[2]
Upon recognizing the importance of shifting the labels associated with “mentally retarded” individuals, in 1992 The Arc, an advocacy group that assists individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, assisted the Marcellino family in passing the Rosa Law.[3] The law required the term “mental retardation” to be replaced with “intellectual disability” on a federal health, education and labor levels.[4] Actions made by the Marcellino family resulted in countrywide change in how people with intellectual disability’s were treated and respected.
Parental involvement within schools has proven to improve their child’s academic performance. Parents of children with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be engaged in their child’s academic career by attending parent-teacher conferences, meeting with guidance counselors, and assisting their children with schoolwork.[5] There is also a direct correlation between parental satisfaction with their child’s school in relation to how involved the parent is in their child’s education. Additionally, students with intellectual disabilities are four times more likely than other students to obtain education and school-based services.[6] Parental involvement has the ability to substantially and positively impact their child’s educational opportunities and success.
Special needs education can be improved through parental support and active engagement in their child’s educational experience. A child’s parents tend to be the most influential person in their life. If a parent is a proactive member in their child’s life, the child is bound to socially and academically overcome the societal boundaries put in front of them.
[1] Ford, M., Acosta, A., & Sutcliffe, T. J. (2013). Beyond Terminology: The Policy Impact of a Grassroots Movement. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(2), 109. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-51.2.108
[2] Ford, M., Acosta, A., & Sutcliffe, T. J. (2013). Beyond Terminology: The Policy Impact of a Grassroots Movement. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(2), 109. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-51.2.108
[3] Ford, M., Acosta, A., & Sutcliffe, T. J. (2013). Beyond Terminology: The Policy Impact of a Grassroots Movement. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(2), 108. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-51.2.108
[4] Ford, M., Acosta, A., & Sutcliffe, T. J. (2013). Beyond Terminology: The Policy Impact of a Grassroots Movement. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(2), 109. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-51.2.108
[5] Zablotsky, B., Boswell, K., & Smith, C. (2012). An Evaluation of School Involvement and Satisfaction of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117(4), 323. doi:10.1352/1944-7558-117.4.316
[6] Zablotsky, B., Boswell, K., & Smith, C. (2012). An Evaluation of School Involvement and Satisfaction of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117(4), 327. doi:10.1352/1944-7558-117.4.316
People for Education (Producer). (2014, November 7). Special Education Support[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR0V8rbMYFY
Beyond Terminology: The Policy Impact of a Grassroots Movement