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Ableism
Human rights activists have for a long time been advocating for ways in which all human
will be treated equally and with respect regardless of their age, background, or health status.
However, Georgia State has been found to be violating some of the human right codes by
segregating students with disabilities. This paper examines the rationale behind this segregation
and how students with disabilities may be affected now and in the future following this
segregation.
According to the video, investigation by the US Department of Justice has found that the
emotional disabilities. This has not only resulted to about 5,000 students getting inferior
education, but that this segregation limits the students from accessing resources available for
students in integrated settings. Many of these students are being kept in the same ill-conditioned
buildings that were used during the Jim Crow era for Black students.
Georgia’s rationale for this segregation practice is that keeping students with disabilities
separate from the main stream system is a form of psycho-education. This refers to an education
model applied to people living with emotional disturbances. The rationale behind the psycho-
educational system is that it allows the student to get a clear understanding of their mental
condition, knowledge of their own strengths, coping skills, resources thus better equipping the
student with methods of dealing with the problem and contributing to their own well-being. With
a better understanding of the problems, psycho-education widens the student’s perception and
ABLEISM
interpretation of the problem thus influencing positive emotions and behavior. Therefore,
according to the state of Georgia, this segregation system helps in enhancing psycho-educational
practices.
Damaging Segregation
The first horrific example given in the video was the case of Jonathan King, a 13 year old
boy who had been kept in an exclusionary room that had no windows, and no restrooms. He had
been kept there 15 times for an average of 94 minutes at a time. He threatened suicide twice and
yet at one time they allowed him to be in that room with a rope that he used as his belt. He
eventually hanged himself. Additionally, this type of segregation may leave students with
disabilities feeling isolated from the real world and it may lead to stress and even depression in
students which may last a life time (Strauss, 2015). Segregation may also lead to a sense of
unworthiness where the students with disabilities may feel unworthy of love or they may feel
useless. This may eventually interfere with their self-esteem and even identity and they may
become withdrawn and distant. Furthermore, other students may feel like they are in prison
because they are unable to interact with their normal peers and normally when one is placed in
the psycho-educational program, they are considered to be ‘bad kids’. This title may leave the
students feeling like the outcast and may affect their life even in the future (Strauss, 2015).
First, Georgia states can find ways to desegregate the system and can adopt other
intervention methods to help students with disabilities. They can emulate models from other
states that do not use the segregation approach (McLeskey, Landers, Williamson, and Hoppey,
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2016). The state can also develop and find private facilities that can take some of the students
with disabilities and educate them. It is also important for the state to let these children interact
with their peers in order to learn from them and to also give them an opportunity to feel a sense
of belonging and appreciation. The state can opt to train more teachers on special education as
this will help them be better prepared to deal with children with disabilities even in class
Conclusion
The video clearly shows that the state of Georgia is segregating students with disabilities
by keeping them in dilapidated building that were used during the Jim Crow times. Although the
department of justice show that this segregation has many effects on the kids such as suicide,
depression and anxiety, loneliness, and lack of a sense of belonging. It is therefore important for
the state to come up with other ways of providing education to these children without illegally
segregating them. Some of these ways include, finding private facilities to educate them, training
teachers on special Ed, and allowing them to interact with their peers.
ABLEISM
References
McLeskey, J., Landers, E., Williamson, P., & Hoppey, D. (2016). Are we moving toward
educating students with disabilities in less restrictive settings?. The Journal of Special
Education, 46(3), 131-140.
Georgia segregates kids with disabilities, behavior problems | PBS NewsHour. (2015). Retrieved
from https://www.pbs.org/video/georgia-segregates-kids-with-disabilities-behavior-
problems-1445556187/
Strauss, V. (2015). Georgia illegally segregating students with disabilities in inferior buildings
with inadequate instruction. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/29/u-s-georgia-
illegally-segregating-students-with-disabilities-in-inferior-buildings-with-inadequate-
instruction/