My fight as a Disable child to be included in a normal classroom and the fight it took to obtain my dream. My first stage was to find out why I didn’t know my ABC’s and the other kids did and that is when all the Educational Testing started for me. They finally Diagnosed me with ADHD, ADD, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, Comprehension Disorder, Cognitive Disorder, Partial Brain Damage and Short Term Memory Loss. From there on I was put in Language Program. I was being taught words, reading skills but no other academics.
After three years of me being in this program my family and friends thought that I shouldn’t be in a program classroom anymore. They felt that I needed to be put in a regular classroom with services. This was going to be a battle considering the school department and the elementary school felt they could not provide the services that was needed.
The battle first started at my individual education plan meeting. Presented were my Special ED teacher, the Head of Special ED Dr.Hurley, the third grade teacher, the principle from the elementary school and two schools Physiologists. In this meeting they were discussing if and when I should be in a regular classroom with services. The elementary school fought stating that they wouldn’t be able to help me in either which way or form. They kept making excuses of why I should stay in an In-Closed classroom. They also stated that they would not in any which way they could provide anything for me. Then finally my mother and DR. Hurley stated that they would try by tutoring me over the summer to help me catch up on the subjects I hadn’t learned. So the deal was made. The only problem was I had to learn subjects I had never seen before such as history, science, fractions, writing essays, any type of English. The only thing I had learned for three years was how to read and identify words. This was going to be tough for me but I was willing to try.
As my tutoring ended, the battle was still going on and still is unable to get into the grade level to keep our end of the bargin so private meeting occurred. No teachers just my mom and the Head of Special ED who was DR.Hurley. He gave my mother 2 options. An “A” option which was to keep me in the program for a few more years and delay me in other subjects longer, or a “B” option which was put me in another Special ED Program with less children but still doing the same thing I was doing. My mother didn’t agree. She asked what was the problem. Come to find out I was 2 years behind Academically and there was no way I will be able to keep up with regular classes, and most likely fail. So my mother stated, “You have, an A that I don’t like and a B I don’t like so how about a C”. The Head of Special ED stated what can we do there are no option for a C. I was going into the 4th grade the following year, so my mother came up with this idea. “Since Alexandria is 2 years behind academically why don’t we keep her back a year, so this means Alexandria will only be one year behind”. Dr.Hurley was shocked but also said it might work.
My mother came home and told me what happen at the meeting. I wasn’t too happy about staying back a year, but as my mother put it I will be able to fight my way and prove them all wrong. Everyone finally agreed. I started the new school year in a regular ED classroom with services provided. As the years went on I still felt a gap of all the education I missed for the first four years of my life. It was amazing that I graduated high school with honors but I had to fight for every grade due to my Disabilities. A lot of my teachers in high school couldn’t believe of all I went through and the fighting for me to have an education. This was my battle just to be in a normal classroom with all the Disabilities I have. This is a battle I will teach my children to never ever give up you can fight for what you want. I still have to struggle due to 4 years I lost so a lot of people don’t understand the struggles I have to do day by day but it was worth my fight.