Expectations. School expectations. Job expectations. Clear expectations. Unwritten expectations. Expectations of others. Expectations of self. Whatever our place in life, there are always expectations. As a special education teacher, there were countless expectations. Expectations for me as a teacher by the school, families, and state. Expectations of myself for doing what was best for my students, their families, and my colleagues. I also held expectations for my students. A lesson I learned quickly is the higher you set your expectations, the more likely students meet those expectations. I expected my students to achieve success, find value and confidence in themselves, while also expecting myself and my team to individually support students to help them reach their goals. I would say that as a special education teacher, I held high expectations for students.
As a special education teacher in multiple settings, as well as a special education administrator, I found that not everyone is quick to discuss “high expectations” when supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Often, future planning options were discredited because goals were deemed “impossible” or “infeasible”. But, can adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities be gainfully employed? Yes. Can adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities pursue higher education? Yes. Can adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live independently in their communities? Yes. The answer is always yes, but the solution may require creative planning and interagency collaboration.
When I reflect on the field of special education, I think there is so much more to achieve. I don’t hold all the answers or solutions (some days I wonder if I hold any), but I do have high expectations that as a field we need to honor families, work collaboratively, and be responsive to students' preferences, strengths, goals and dreams. We need to allow students the opportunity to take learning risks, facilitate opportunities to develop meaningful relationships, and dream big, incredible dreams for adulthood. We need to advocate for inclusive practices, which in turn, may yield a more inclusive society. It sounds like a lot- because it can be a lot.
What kind of a teacher would I be if I didn’t share a tool to support others in this journey? 😉 A tool that I would love to share is a conceptual framework titled, “Universal Design for Transition.” It is an incredible tool to support the work of holding high expectations for students with disabilities to be exposed and engaged with grade-level standards, functional skills, and achieving their transition goals. Building off of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which emphasizes multiple means of expression, engagement, and representation, it also includes multiple means of assessment, multiple means of life domains, multiple resources/perspectives, and individual self-determination. A book that I would recommend to any (and every) secondary teacher supporting students with intellectual and developmental disabilities is titled, Universal Design for Transition: A Roadmap for Planning and Instruction. It provides tangible examples and excellent tools to support “doing it all” to help our students and their families achieve post-secondary goals and success. It supports raising the bar and setting those expectations high. I wish I had had it earlier in my career!
Expectations. We all have them, for others and ourselves. May our expectations be raised so that we can continue to work toward an inclusive society that values each individual, disabled or non-disabled.
