Special Education has come a long way in the school system. About twenty or thirty years ago, these students wouldn’t be able to attend regular school. Now, it is not uncommon to see these students in the halls just like everyone else.

   “I think it’s good they are in the regular school,” said Bessie Newman. “They need to be acknowledged too.”

  Ms. Newman is among the staff of paraprofessionals who work daily with the disabled students. During the day at school, they work in their classroom and participate in extra classes such as chorus and physical education. But, unbeknownst to many, those students also contribute to the school. At sporting events they help give out tickets, and through their vocational studies program, they help shred paper and collect the attendance sheets every day.

  The two students in particular who work with attendance are Andy Peppers, who does the downstairs halls, and Stephanie Arsenault, who does the upstairs.

  “I love them, they work very hard for me,” said attendance secretary Michelle Clark. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do as well, without their help.”

  Peppers and Arsenault start collecting attendance sheets at about 9:25 a.m. with the help of a paraprofessional, and work until they are finished. Many teachers notice them working, and stop to say hello. But as previously mentioned, it wasn’t always this way – when Ms. Newman was in high school, it was a very different situation.

  “[Special Education students] were out there, but they were going somewhere else,” said Ms. Newman. “I would see a bus with the kids on it and wonder where they were going.”

  Nowadays they still take a bus somewhere, but not to a special school. Some of the students go to ECHOworks weekly. ECHO stands for Every Citizen Has Opportunities. The non-profit organization helps students and adults realize their potential and helps them transition into the regular world. In addition, they help some get jobs and provide accessible transportation.

  Aside from school and working, the students are often taken on field trips to places like IHOP and Walmart. Main Office secretary Lisa Wolfe, who used to be a paraprofessional for special education, would assist on these trips. Unfortunately, it was times like those that revealed the harsh realities of how disabled people are perceived.

  “A lot of times it’s fear,” said Mrs. Wolfe. “Some people ask the wrong questions. Some people would just stare.”

  Though these perceptions have changed a lot throughout the years, they still have a long way to go.

  “Autism and a lot of disabilities are becoming more prevalent,” said Mrs. Wolfe. “When [the kids] are in the school you understand that they’re just like you and me.”

  One of the main goals of the special education program is to give disabled students the opportunity to live a life more similar to “regular” kids. But an equally important goal is to change the misguided views that society has of the students.

  “We have a large population of special ed kids,” said Mrs. Wolfe. “If you get to know these students a little bit better, you’re more accepting of people with disabilities.”