Disability Snowball Activity (Continued)

When I first came to the United States I was treated differently because of my limited ability to speak English. I felt I had become a differently abled person.

Once in the summer after 9th grade, I had to retake Geometry. During the semester I had gotten a D so I was determined to earn an A this time around. I got perfect scores and felt privileged to have had the teacher separate me from the students who were unable to pass the exams.

A friend of mine was told he could not play basketball b/c he was missing an arm.

I was always seen at being "bad" at math by my family and teachers. I'm not bad at it, it just takes me longer to understand it. I'm actually good at it. I could have been better at it if I had been given the chance.

This semester, there is a guy that lives in my building who has autism. This is the first time I saw the effects of it as I watch him struggle with homework and social skills. I don't know how I feel about this.

At my elementary school, special ed students were separated from the rest of the students. They had different recess times and classes in a separate building disconnected from the main building. It was the lack of interaction and integration that influenced the misinformation towards students with disabilities. I am sorry for believing in the false stereotypes and misinformation and mistreatment they have experienced.

I feel very privileged. I was able to learn in class and never had to worry about if I could see the board, hear the teacher, read an article, or participate with other students. The system worked for me and benefited me.

Put on a low track because my teacher thought I had ADHD. I got tested and wasn't... She was just boring.

There were quite a few "disabled" students at my middle schools. My peers always give these students a hard time. I felt the same. But when I read about students with disabilities later on in my life, I learned that these "disabled" students were actually quite abled! I stand corrected.

In high school I was assigned to regular classes. During my freshman year, my teacher and I noticed that I progressed and learned the material much faster than the rest of the kids. My teacher decided that I should be placed in honors classes since I wasn't being challenged at all in these regular classes. They feared that these students in these regular classes would slow me down and I should therefore be separated.

It angers me that BART elevators are constantly broken and no one takes the time or priority to fix them. It reinforces the lack of awareness in society about this issue.

When I was a kid I made fun of those people who were acting weird and compared them with disabled people. And I shouldn't have done that and feel sorry for it.

My friend got into an accident before the semester started. She was on a wheel chair. She wasn't able to attend classes some days due to pain or doctor's appointments. Instructor failed her due to attendance. No compromise or sympathy, even on a matter she had no control of.