Introduction

Hello,

My name is Rose Wade, and I will be writing on the topics of racial inequity and socioeconomics within our country's special education system. I did not always understand what special education is or how it helps special needs students achieve the same opportunities that general education students do. But overtime, the significance of this system has been made clear to me.

From kindergarten to eighth grade, I attended Rooftop Alternative School in San Francisco, CA. We had music, we had daily art classes, we had a pretty sweet sports program. All these opportunities were great, but one that I was always curious about was Rooftop’s special education program. Every year, we saw new faces join the special education bungalow. These students would attend separate academic classes but would sometimes join us in activities such as garden class or PE. When those in special ed got to middle school, most would start to rejoin the general education classes, accompanied by a teacher’s aide who would help them stay calm and work on their assignments.

Group work was always a little rough. The class overachievers (I am very much included here) always wanted to be the first ones with all the answers. So, whenever one of us was paired with a special ed classmate, there was always a mental groan followed by an incessant dive into the work, ignoring the instructions of the teacher to work together, ignoring the requests of the aide to slow down. I chose not to question this status-quo as I was competitive and did not mind watching as I passed up my classmates in test scores, participation, and extracurriculars.

However, there were times where I wondered why I was able to thrive in the general education classroom environment while others had to be monitored and given extra help. There were some kids who were not taken into the special education bungalow but were provided a therapist (speech, occupational, etc), extra time on tests/assignments, and other in-class support. My elementary school self thought these services were crutches and that, if one just studied harder and chose to behave, they could be the student “everyone” wanted us to be. This was my problematic thinking based on the stigma that those with special needs were “dumb.” I did not know that there could be barriers in the way of my classmates’ learning experience, and I did not know that these barriers could be made less of a burden with the resources that special education provided.

In sixth grade, I joined Rooftop’s basketball team and started connecting with several of my special needs peers. Everyday, we could sweat, strategize, and cheer for each other on the court and chat during water breaks. It was here that I saw that my teammates were no different than me but also that they needed supplements to get through the same school work that I did. Even though the special education system has its issues, it is undoubtedly an essential service that makes a difference in students' lives. Hopefully, this series of essays will help enlighten those who, like me, did not initially get the point of special ed. Thank you, and enjoy reading on!