This week, our class had the opportunity to engage in discussions about technology and inclusion with guest speakers Kaori and Neesha. One of the most impactful moments for me was an activity at the beginning of the session. Each of us received a piece of paper in one of three colours green, blue, or yellow without any explanation. When the activity began, Kaori asked those with blue papers to raise their hands and announced that they would only be able to listen to half of the presentation before leaving. Then, she had the students with yellow papers raise theirs and told them they were fortunate to stay for the entire session. Finally, those with green papers were told they would not be allowed to participate at all. At first, I was confused and even a little relieved when I realized I had a yellow paper, meaning I was part of the “lucky” group. However, my relief quickly turned to discomfort when I noticed that many of my peers were being excluded through no fault of their own. Kaori then explained that this was meant to simulate what discrimination and exclusion feel like.
What stood out to me most was how easy it was to detach from those I didn’t know personally. However, as soon as I saw my friends being excluded, the reality of the situation hit harder. It made me realize how important it is to foster empathy in students by allowing them to experience, even in small ways, what exclusion feels like. This activity could be a great tool in the classroom to introduce discussions about discrimination, privilege, and fairness. It also highlighted how people do not choose to be excluded just like we didn’t choose our paper color, many individuals don’t choose the circumstances that lead to their marginalization.
I found this presentation very meaningful from BCEdAccess, which focused on inclusive and accessible education. This discussion resonated with me because I have firsthand experience with the IEP process. As someone with dyslexia, I went through the process of being assessed and receiving accommodations but was not formally informed that I had dyslexia until I was in grade 12. Looking back, I realize how confusing it was to receive extra support without fully understanding why. I believe teachers should consider checking in with families to ensure students are aware of their learning needs and the purpose of their accommodations. I was always paired with the students who had EA’s instead of getting to choose my partners. I went through reading programs all through elementary but never understood why I had to but no one else in my class did. These kinds of situations kept happening till about grade 9 when my parents and I started the process of getting me assessed. There is such a negative stigma behind the acknowledgement of learning difficulties or disabilities that even my parents were in the dark about my situation until we went outside of the school for help. In all my years of school no one ever suggested to my parents that this could be a possibility until I started seeing a counselor in high school.
One challenge for many students with IEPs is the social stigma associated with receiving accommodations. I remember struggling to explain why I got extra time on tests when my peers questioned me about it. It felt disheartening that most of my teachers never hinted at it or supported me and even after being diagnosed a lot of teachers still struggled to understand my accomodations or how to shift their lesson plans to support them. Additionally I feel that if teachers helped students develop simple explanations for their accommodations, it might reduce some of the anxiety and resistance around using them. I also find there is often a misconception that students with IEPs are less capable academically. Some of my high school teachers questioned why I had accommodations since I seemed to understand the content but was at most receiving around a B, but as the BCEdAccess speakers pointed out, accommodations don’t mean a student is less intelligent they simply provide the necessary support to help them succeed. This point really resonated with me because as my school became aware of the efforts we were taking outside of school, and started implementing them in school there was a noticeable difference. I went from around a C+ average to honor roll and honorary distinction in several subjects.
A new concept I learned during the presentation was intersectional identity. It was eye opening to consider how different aspects of a student’s identity such as race, gender, and disability can overlap to create unique experiences of privilege or marginalization. This is something I want to be more mindful of as a future educator, ensuring that my approach to inclusion acknowledges the complexities of each student’s background.
I found this discussion reinforced the importance of fostering inclusive classrooms where all students feel valued and supported. Through activities that build empathy and by ensuring students understand their own learning needs, we can create a learning environment that not only accommodates differences but celebrates them.