Scholarship Essay Entry – Joanie R.

My dream to change the world around me begins with children with disabilities. They are often the forgotten ones in our schools and programs today. I want to change this one classroom at a time, beginning in a special education classroom of my own. Children with disabilities will all grow up differently, some will be able to have jobs while others may not, some will be able to live on their own while it may not be possible for others. My dream is that each child will be able to live up to their full potential no matter how much or how little that may seem to people without disabilities.

I took a 2 year diploma program called Deafblind Support Services. This program trained us to work with both children and adults who were Deafblind. This means that the individuals are both deaf and blind at the same time, some have additional disabilities and others do not. One thing I really learned during the program is that early support and intervention is what will make a difference in their lives. However, there are not enough people who know enough about Deafblindness or who are willing to work closely with the children to allow them to live up to their potential. I have also noticed that this also happens to children with other disabilities. They are often pushed to the side so that those with more promising futures can be focused on.

I did my practicum for the Deafblind Support Services in a special education classroom and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me that there are people who care for children with disabilities and want to see them all reach there full potential. In this classroom each child was thought of as an individual and they were allowed to learn in the way they learned best. The staff in the classroom wanted each child to succeed and did their best to support them. This experience inspired me to want to do the same thing. I am now focusing on working towards this dream by continuing my education and becoming a Special Education Elementary school teacher. It is my dream to see each child I work with reach their full potential and make their world a better place.