4 Reasons to Celebrate National Special Education Day
National Special Education Day is December 2 of every year. It marks the anniversary of our nation’s first federal special education law, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, which President Gerald Ford signed on December 2, 1975.
National Special Education Day holds a special place in my heart because I was born with cerebral palsy, which caused me to be placed in special education when attending public school. Throughout my time in special education, I have come across some of the best teachers. They have truly positively impacted my life to this very day as a young adult. Thanks to their dedication to my needs, I am now attending college and am an author and advocate for the cerebral palsy community.
Here are four reasons why we need to celebrate National Special Education Day in honor of students, administration, and teachers who make special education classes possible for students with disabilities.
1. We need to end the misconceptions about disabilities.
People have many misconceptions about students with disabilities. Many people believe living with a disability prevents students from being able to achieve their academic goals. People have often stereotyped me based on my disability and automatically assumed I can’t do anything. However, once they get to know me, they see my strengths.
We also need to address the inappropriate labels students in these classes have. You don’t how many times my friends in mainstream classes would say, “Tylia, why are you in special education classes if you’re not ‘stupid?’”
2. We need to thank our teachers.
The teachers and staff who help students with different types of disabilities, ranging from spina bifida to autism and ADHD, are brave. They go through a lot on a day-to-day basis. They take the time to teach students like me so we can have a proper education.
3. We need to thank our fellow students.
The students who take special education classes are unique and amazing. Throughout my time in special education classes, I met some of my best friends, many of whom have multiple disabilities. One of my friends was from Haiti. I taught him how to read since he wasn’t able to read English due to his learning disabilities. We are close to this day. Students continue to shine a positive light in these classes by helping others and creating strong friendships.
4. We need to thank our advocates.
Advocates help and support parents through the journey of having a child in the special education program. It can be a difficult journey from both a student standpoint and a parent standpoint. From the IEP meetings to finding the right direction to go when it comes to your child’s education, disability life can be very confusing at times. So, kudos to all the advocates who have made a difference in our lives.
I would love to thank all special education teachers who serve our community and our schools every day. You all make our lives so much brighter and fuller, and I am truly thankful for the impact you have had on my life.
Getty image by Olesia Bilkai.
Tylia L. Flores is a twenty-eight-year-old born with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Despite her condition that affects her mobility, she does not allow it to affect her will and determination to make a difference in the world. Through her many life challenges and obstacles, she discovered her passion for writing. Tylia’s goal in life is to share her stories with the world. In doing so, she hopes to help others with disabilities realize that they, too, have the potential to make their dreams come true. Tylia is not only an author. She’s a radio show personality and a disability activist. Tylia has written about disability-related topics for Yahoo Life, Your Tango, The Mighty, ReadUnwritten.com, Words Between Coasts Project, Wednesday, Spilwords, and Goble Thrive. Worth Living Among her other appearances are Disability on the Spectrum and Why I was Afraid of Sexuality. Previously, Tylia was nominated to Diversabilities list of the most influential Disability Impacts of 2022. Additionally, Tylia holds the position of chairman in the creative director role for the North American Association Of Cerebral Palsy Advocates. She serves as a mentor for the Disability EmpowHer Network as well. Tylia also works for Write It Up Publishing as a sensitivity reader focusing on disability representation. Tylia has also been involved in many movie press releases for Samuel Goldwyn Films Come as you are Piece of me which was the short film directed and written by award winning filmmaker Bruna Cabral as well as the film adaptation of the book Calvin can’t fly by Jenifer Burnes Tylia is also a keynote speaker at 2020’s Cerebral Palsy Awareness conference. She has also been a guest speaker at Northeastern State University Broken Arrow where she talks to college students about disability and inclusion in education. She has also been a guest speaker at Plantation Middle School, where she discussed inclusion and disability with classmates. Tylia is fully certified in Education for All: Disability, Diversity, and Inclusion through Cape Town University. She’s also certified in Understanding Diversity and Inclusion through Purdue University. She’s also certified in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Tylia hosts the Stomping On cerebral Palsy radio show with DJ Ty on Asheville FM with DJ Mouse during the Come On In the Kitchen segment once a month she also helps the staff behind the scenes, help bring awareness to disability awareness and inclusion within the radio broadcasting industry .
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