The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Recently, I sadly experienced an incident of bias and prejudice aimed at one of the children that I was working with. I had completed an assessment of a child who was almost 3 with a diagnosis of William's Syndrome. The evaluation/IEP team recommended that the little boy attend a specialized preschool classroom through our Intermediate Unit, run by a special education teacher, speech therapist and occupational therapist. I took the family to the classroom so that they could visit and meet the staff prior to their son beginning services. When we entered the classroom, the teacher took one look at the child and turned to me and said he should be in a different class and that he wouldn't fit in with the group. I was stunned and appalled by her statement and instant judgement based on what the child looked like. After all we work in special education, we are specially trained to work with children who have a multitude of different delays and disabilities. She had not received the child's IEP nor did she have the opportunity to read his evaluation report. To say that I was angry, would be an understatement. I'm sure that I turned bright red (because that is just what my fair Welsh skin does at any sign of emotion) and I could not overt my glare from this teacher. I spoke to the family and reassured them that it was an appropriate placement for their son and that I thought he would make progress there. The teacher and I had a few back and forth exchanges and I did my best to keep it professional. The teacher finally said that she would talk to our supervisor and get the placement changed…..to which I responded….that the supervisor was the one who gave me this placement in the first place. After I escorted the family out of the building, I promptly called our supervisor and explained what happened and she followed up appropriately with the teacher in the classroom regarding her inappropriate and judgmental comments.

This child's needed a program which would provide him with a structured predictable routine that would offer frequent repetitions of skills. He needed an environment with substantial communication support and opportunities to be with children who are verbal. The teacher in this situation wanted him moved to a morning session, where verbal models would not be present. By making a recommendation solely based on looking at this child, the teacher instantly diminished the parents hope that their child would attend a school that accepted him for exactly who he is. To talk/write about the incident still gets me very upset, not only for the injustice which occurred toward the child, but also for how hurt the parents were because of this teacher's carelessness and insensitivity. I was also extremely embarrassed, as I had built a rapport with the family and reassured them that he will be in good hands while in one of our classrooms… and in one sentence this teacher washed away the trusting relationship our team had established with this family. If I were this family I would not have sent my child to that classroom (a point I made clear to my supervisor). However, I am happy to report, that the family did agree to start the child in that classroom and he is making steady progress there.