“Executional” Guest

This is a guest post from a future educator from Dublin Ohio, She was asked to share any story from her life in which someone overcame an exceptionality.

While in high school I witnessed many exceptionalities, most are described on this blog. However, I will talk specifically about someone who was in the marching band with me and who was the younger sister of one of my best friends.

She had Aspergers. Autism Speaks describes Aspergers as one of the spectrums on the autism scale. Some behaviors of having autism are the lack of knowing what is appropriate within society and having an awkward body or hand movements. They also will direct their conversations towards a topic of their deep interest, and for my friend’s sister, she could talk about the band and her trombone all day.

I did not know that she suffered from this because seemed like a normal, socially awkward teenager. When my friend told me her sister had Aspergers, I was surprised, but in my mind, it made sense because of how she would act and respond in certain situations. When having a conversation with her, she would never look you in the eyes and would act reserved or squeamish towards the person she was conversing with.

She did not let her condition stop her from doing everything though. She would volunteer to play anything as a solo and was later named a squad leader in the band. During her day, she acts as any other sophomore would and gladly interacts with her peers. Although she may come off as shy, once she becomes comfortable with you she will talk about whatever you want for forever.

Exceptional Me

This post is little different than all the others, this post is more person. I am Cole Hilderbrant, a 22 year old student University of Rio Grande. This can be read in the about page of the blog but this is my personal exceptional story.
I’m in the 4th grade I was struggling to pass my reading proficiency test, I failed my first attempt and had to take Summers School. At school I had to work with an intervention specialist who noticed I was not a typical student. She taught me many tricks and we discovered that I was dyslexic. She taught to take my time while reading and to annotate my texts. She told me if I ever struggled to reread the word or read the next word until I understood. The tools she gave me allowed me to pass the test and advanced to the fifth grade. English quickly became my favorite subject rather than my worst, and I gained a passion for reading and writing. This passion for the written word helped me finish High School and allowed me to follow my dreams. I am now one semester away from a degree in Adolescent and young adult language arts education.
I hope that I can be this person of change in someone else’s life.

Importance of “#ITakeMyPillsBecause”

One of the most common labeled exceptionalities is ADHD, large populations of the world are diagnosed with it. No matter age sex or race people everywhere have to deal with the effects of ADHD. Recently on Twitter a campaign using the hashtag ITakeMyPillsBecause has been circulating the web.The point of the hashtag to educate the general public by having people share their stories on why they take their ADHD medication and other medications to treat other exceptionalities are a necessity for many. This hashtag is an amazing tool because it help disarm some of the arguments and stigmas agents medications and help inform the public.

On the other hand the stigmas and debate can be dismantled by facts just as well as individual story. A scientific study done by Dr. Russell Barkley in 2009 shows that people with ADHD who are not correctly medicated can meet issues in many areas. Two most important and most noticed he shares in his lectures being education and driving. Those who go without treatment in a school system are often held back or behind other students. They also are 1/3 more likely to drop out and 5 to 10% never finish college.  On the driving aspect many of those with untreated ADHD have more speeding tickets, more frequent accidents, and more license suspensions than the average person.

It is important that if you diagnosed with any exceptionality you should talk to professionals and receive the medication and/or treatment needed. This being said it is important to be aware of medications and understand if and how they are necessary.

Exceptional Opportunity

There are countless job opportunities in this world, and many people believe someone with an exceptionality is unable to do many of these jobs. This is an idea that is completely false, many people with exceptionalities disabilities are completely able to do these jobs and some are even better suited for certain careers.

For example one with an intellectual disability is normally a creative thinker and has no problem thinking out of the box. They also don’t limit the possibilities around them. An artistic free-thinking individual is perfectly fitted for jobs that use this time of thinking like culinary arts, such as baking food prep and restaurant cooks which make from  25000 to 50 thousand a year. They are also best suited for other creative positions and careers like design, art (painting, drawing and, sculpting), photography, and fashion. All of these careers can produce a living wage, and many people with an ID can perfectly fulfill these roles.

Another great example is often someone with a specific learning, visual, or hearing disability make for excellent teachers. They often understand the struggles of students who fit their situations and are typically more patient. This patience allows them to reach their students and also give them the tools they need to function both academically and physically.

Now how about if you were bound to a wheelchair or have another physical disability? The options may seem limited to what you can do but there are plenty of fields open for one to explore. Accounting, marketing, Pharmacy positions, and any job like Riders, graphic designers, and web designers and developers that allows you to work for home and don’t demand a lot of Mobility perfect careers for someone with a physical disability.

These careers and depictions are wonderful ideas from for 2014 Forbes article entitled “the best jobs for people with disabilities” and the website http://www.trade-schools.net that can give someone a start on where they want to go or professionally. On the other hand, I would like everyone to understand that your limitations are not restrictions! If you push for that dream career, anyone no matter exceptionality can reach that goal with enough effort and courage.

 

 

“Exceptional” NFL Hopeful

The whole point of this blog is to allow people to see success stories and reveal to the general public that just because you have an exceptionality you are not restricted in your achievements, you can still achieve greatness and success. One of these

stories in making headlines at the 2018 NFL combine. One man is a more than the perfect example of how one with a disability or an exceptionality is perfectly capable of achieving their dreams.

Shaquem Griffin is a 6 2” to 185-pound former college linebacker, who has aspirations to play on the professional level. His brother is already there and he wishes to join but he is missing one thing. He is missing his hand! The hand was amputated at a young age due to a medical condition that made them painful to even touch. Most of us can imagine living life missing a finger let alone one of their head but this didn’t stop Griffin. He played at the Collegiate level and many great things. a list if a few being eighteen and a half sacks in only two years, being the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, and playing in the peach bowl.

This year Griffin has gotten even closer to his dreams of playing professional football.  He was invited to the NFL combine invited to the NFL combine where he showed that missing a hand was only one part of who he was. He impressed everyone with outlandish feats a physical fitness, including running the fastest 40 for a linebacker in more than 10 years. He also benches press 225 pounds twenty times. with his Performance at the Carbine, next with the opinions are many analysts and other professional athletes like Richard Sherman, is not unheard of that we will see Griffin in the NFL next season.

I would like to say congratulations, even if you do not get drafted into the NFL Mr. Griffin has shown in the world that a disability does not mean a limitation, that with hard work and determination you can reach your dreams.

Fictional “Exceptional” Stories

When discussing the success stories of those with exceptionalities we love to think of the real life heroes and leaders of the world. On the the hand, fictional figures are just as important; there are pop culture figures that also depict that handicapped doesn’t necessarily mean limited. These characters are in all form fiction from the pages of comics, literature, and Film and all mean alot to audience members who live with exceptionalities.

Marvel might be the the best at this, many of their ionic comic book heroes have disabilities, but they still save the day. For example, Daredevil is completely blind, but still completes larger than life acts in Hell Kitchen New York; Fighting crime in both the streets and the courtroom using all his other senses. Another one of Marvel’s most iconic is Professor X, He is confined to a wheelchair. Although he has no use of his legs, his mind allows him to run a school for the gifted and read the minds of villains and threats.

One of the other examples is the Film Forrest Gump, he has an intellectual disability. Although he is not as “smart” as other he accomplishes a great deal of exciting adventures like serving in war, owning a successful business, meeting several Presidents, and fathering a son. His heart and determination make his life just as exciting as anyone else’s

Percy Jackson of the novels of the same is a hero who save his friends and the world from creatures of Greek mythology. He happens to also have ADD and Dyslexia, that actually become helpful tools of his. His “disabilities” allow his combat training and other qualities.

These characters allow children to see themselves as the hero in their favorite fictional stories. This is amazing and is exciting because it makes it shows that disabilities are just a unique part of your story and not a limitation or something that holds you back

Mandy Ree, MVP

So living with exceptionalities/disabilities is not a easy for anyone,but many individuals live with multiple.While tasks are more of a challenge in most cases, many of these individuals do not let themselves be held back. These people live lives that are just as interesting, fulfilling, and adventurous as the next person. These are the people that this blog is trying to highlight and show off, but I found that some people do this on their own. People like Mandy Ree of Orlando Florida, a legally blind individual who also suffers from PTSD. She has a blog entitled Legally Blind Bagged in which she shares her experiences and life’s adventures. For example her blog post Mandy Eats at the Monster’s Cafe from September she shares an analysis of the cafes style and design in detail and express her feelings. Her Blog is a perfect example of what I want this blog to do, share the stories of those who live perfectly normal and successful lives with disabilities. This blog is a way for others like Mandy to share their stories with the world that often limits them,but not feel the need to start their own blog. Mandy is not limited by any means and shows the world what her life consists of, and I hope this blog becomes a place for others to do the same.

Here is a link to here blog

https://legallyblindbagged.wordpress.com/

The More You Know

There is no limit for what people with exceptionalities can do in this crazy world we live in today. While they might meet more challenges and struggles in certain situations along their journey, they can accomplish the same if not more as atypical students. Many people in history who have exceptionalities have been great thinkers, inventors, athletes, musicians, personalities, and leaders who have changed the world; Here are just a few famous examples of people with exceptionalities and their accomplishments.

• ASD/Autism-Albert Einstein theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity , 50 Tyson rapper and activist, Hikari Oe Japaneses composer.
• Cerebral Palsy- Chris Nolan Irish author, Josh Blue American comedian and athlete, Thomas Ritter attorney.
• Dyslexic- Orlando Bloom actor (Pirates of the Cribaina, Lord of the Rings) , Jay Leno T.V. host, Walt Disney founder of Disney and Disney parks,Magic Johnson former NBA and commentator, Alexander Graham Bell inventor of the telephone .
• Hearing Impairments- Helen Keller, Cliff Bastin soccer player,Thomas Edison inventor of the light bulb and phonograph.
• Mood Disorders- Abraham Lincoln 16th U.S. President, Buzz Aldrin astronaut, Britney Spears musician, DMX rapper, Winston Churchill World leader
• Speech Disorders- Adrian Peterson NFL player, Bo Jackson former Football and baseball star, Charles Darwin scientist responsible for the theory of evolution, Jorge Luis Borges Argentinian author and poet , Samuel L. Jackson actor (Pulp Fiction, The Avengers).
• Epilepsy- Edgar Allen Poe poet, Lil Wayne rapper, Sir Isaac Newton mathematician and physicist.

The Story Begins

Howdy, Thanks for your time and attention!

In the United States, around thirteen percent of students 3-21 in public schools have some exceptionality such as Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, SLD ( Specific Learning Disabilities) and many others. All of these exceptionalities create many challenges and make learning more difficult for substantial populous students. These students are often viewed as troublesome in the classroom, and many think they are limited in what they can do for society. This is untrue and unfair to assume, and many of these students can and have achieved significant, and world-changing things. The purpose of my blog would be to advocate for these students by sharing what they are capable of doing. Sharing can be done by dividing real-life stories and accomplishments of everyday students, celebrities, and even fictional pop culture characters with exceptionalities. For example, I have dyslexia and have a 3.5 GPA and am one semester away from being a high school teacher, and Forrest Gump had a low I.Q. but still became a war hero and a successful shrimp boat captain. It is also important to share real statistics of how prevalent exceptionalities are. I believe if others hear stories of others success and how many of these students there are, they may be encouraged not to give up and some people might look at students with exceptionalities a little differently.

Everybody’s got one killer story. It doesn’t take talent to tell that story, it just takes experience. — Kevin Smith
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/kevin_smith_484011