VOICES: No matter how different specialized education looks, nothing should cause harm to a child

Shari Cooper

Shari Cooper

The recent event of a Dayton Public School paraprofessional who not only hit and knocked down a child, but then turned the child upside down and carried him off, got me feeling some type of way.

As a woman with a disability, I can only imagine the fear that must have been going through the child’s mind, who’s autistic and nonspeaking. And, just to make it clear, a disability of any sort doesn’t mean you don’t understand what’s going on, especially when you’re being physically harmed.

Many think just because a person can’t speak or speak well, they are not going to be able to tell anyone when they’ve been harmed. But if a child’s demeanor changes, causing him or her to act out, pay attention to it — something just may not be right.

I was in the Dayton Public School system up till the twelfth grade and had never heard of or seen such a horrific action done to a child. If I had, I would’ve told!

All disabilities are different. Education and care should be customized to a child’s need. No matter how different specialized education looks, nothing should cause harm to a child.

My fear is that situations such as this happen often, but few get reported. I’m happy this one was brought to light so if others were thinking about posing harmful intent against this vulnerable population, he or she will think again.

Can some disabilities be more challenging than others? Yes, but aren’t educators the ones who chose this profession, vowing to teach children with disabilities who need it? This profession requires patience.

Again, you don’t have to be a child with a disability to be challenging, as all children have their moments. The only difference is a child with a disability has a label.

If being a special education professional isn’t your cup of tea — quit! There are plenty of other jobs you can choose where you can be as physical as you want. Don’t take your frustrations out on an innocent child.

Going forward, I would like to see more training be a requirement for working with children with disabilities. No longer will a piece of paper do. There should be hands-on training for anyone who’s even thinking about working in the special education field.

I’m not talking about one or two trainings. There should be intensive training, and just to make sure you can get the gist of the work, bring in children with various disabilities to work with as a part of the training.

Also, it’s always good to have a generation of people with disabilities with lived experience serve as trainers. We bring a unique attribute to trainings that you just can’t learn by reading a textbook.

School is supposed to be a safe space. No child should be put in a predicament where he or she doesn’t feel safe while learning.

It’s my hope that no other child will have to go through this trauma. Instead, I wish all students received the education he or she deserves, without the risk of harm.

Shari Cooper is a public relations assistant at Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley and an advocate for disability inclusion.

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