Iris+Module

Isabel Garcia Assignment: IRIS Module Collaboration

1. Describe the range of emotions associated with being the parent of a child with special needs. Select two emotional states and describe how you as a teacher would you work with a parent experiencing these emotions.

Parents of students with disabilities can experience a wide range of different emotions, such as, denial, anxiety, fear, depression, guilt, and anger. I have seen these emotion first hand, not as a teacher but as a friend. When one of my coworkers found out that her granddaughter was going to be born with Down’s Syndrome, she was devastated! At first she was angry and scared, she was not sure how her granddaughter was going to learn and function in society. She immediately started reading more about Down’s Syndrome and educated herself about it. This helped her to have a better understanding about down’s syndrome and disabilities in general. Working as a Spanish interpreter at the hospital, I get to work with families and children with disabilities. I get to see how the medical aspect of disabilities can affect families. Teachers need to be aware of the different stressors that families with children with disabilities experience on a daily basis. On the IRIS module, we were able to listen to parents’ points of view of the different aspects of their daily life. One of the segments that really made me reflect on the topic, was Shane Nuremberg, a parent of a child with Autism. He suggests that teachers need to be more understanding of the families’ emotions. If parents are experiencing fear, as a teacher I would listen to them about their concerns. I would show my support but more importantly I would help them become more empowered to help themselves and their child. If parents are experiencing anger, parents may direct their anger towards the teacher. As a teacher I would not take it personally. I understand the challenges that parents with children with disabilities are facing. I would provided resources (e.g suggest support groups) to the parents that would help them learn more about the disability.

2. Identify and describe three roles that a parent of a child who has a disability might undertake that are unlike the roles typically associated with parenting. Parents take on different roles when taking care of their child with disabilities. For example, many students with disabilities have also medical problems, then the parents take the role of **medical experts**. Parents have to understand the medical issues surrounding their child’s disabilities. I have seen how parents have to learn about the different aspects of their child’s medical condition and how to communicate the child’s need to others. Parents also have to take the role of **case manager,** parents have to oversee all educational, health, and relate services for the purpose of communication and coordinating the care of the child.For example, parents having to explain to the school administration about the feeding schedule for a child with a GI tube or feeding tube. Moreover, parents take the role of **advocates.** Parents speak out in the best interest of not only their child but also of all children with disabilities.

3. Describe ways that teachers can go about building positive relationships with families Teachers can built positive relationships with families by -Encouraging family involvement: parent involvement is defined in the No Child Left Behind law as the participation of parents in a two way and meaningful communication about student academic learning and other school activities. The IRIS module suggests six ways schools can categorized parents involvement; parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making and collaborating with the community.
 * Respecting families: Teachers begin showing respect for families by asking how they would like to be addressed as (e.g Mr., Mrs, Mr, or first name) and second how they prefer to communicate (e.g email, phone call, meetings, notes home). Moreover, teachers can also show respect by recognizing that parents are the ultimate decision makers. Teachers can also show respect by recognizing and understanding how different cultures see and refers to disabilities.
 * Acknowledging strengths of families: Another way teachers can build a positive relationship with families is to not only recognize the students strengths but also to communicate those strengths with their families. Therefore, parents and teachers can use the child’s strengths to help meet other goals. When both parents and teacher have a common goal they are working towards it creates a better environment for a positive relationship.


 * 1) Describe the South Carolina Red Carpet Initiative.

The South Carolina Red Carpet Initiative was created by the The South Carolina Department of Education to recognize schools for being family-friendly and for offering excellent customer service. Schools design a variety of activities with the purpose to make parents and other visitors feel welcome. The module provides with different examples of how schools have activities that are family-friendly. My favorite example is the “elementary school located near the local fire station opens its cafeteria to the firefighters, who regularly eat lunch with the students. Students, in return, visit the fire station for lessons in character education, careers, and fire safety.” I think this is such a great idea because it brings the community together, creating a positive community environment.