Rachel
Nelson
I am in my fourth year of
teaching as a special educator in Washington State. I am very passionate about
providing instruction to prepare all students for their futures—with a special
emphasis on the word “all.” Through research and personal experience I’ve
learned that there is widespread misconception that special education is a cure
for struggling students when in fact many students are illegitimately
referred only to be deprived of appropriate instruction that should be received
within the core instruction. I have thought very critically about special
education referral and placement decisions as both directly and dramatically
relate to the quality of each student’s education. My interest in the special
education referral process has been compounded as I’ve recently analyzed how it
is a systematic process enabling institutional racism.
Jessica Wada
I am a first year student at Seattle University in the School Psychology program. I am currently working as a Residential Counselor at an inpatient residential facility for children with mental illness. In my current position I am providing daily guidance, counseling and behavior support to teens with mental illnesses. It is an in patient residential facility, so they clients live at the facility. Working with a wide variety of clients with a broad range of ability and needs has helped me to realized the desperate need for proper guidance for these youth. Special Education is an amazing tool that we can use to help many students, but it needs to be used appropriately and for the right students. When the classrooms are overpopulated with students that do not need to be there it leaves the students that may need the serves are left behind. The overrepresentation of minorities in special education is not only an injustices to the students that are put wrongly and the students that do need to be there.
