Teachable, Not Impeachable: Why Teachers Need to Be Taught About Disabilities

It’s always disconcerting when public figures who are renowned for their progressive views and social awareness reveal their ignorance. Sadly, this is what happened during an acceptance speech by National Education Association (NEA) President Lily Eskelsen García, for a “Progressive Champion” award. At the beginning of a long list rattled off by García as she recounts the daily accomplishments of teachers, she says, “We diversify our curriculum and instruction to meet the personal and individual needs of all of our students: the blind, the hearing impaired, the physically challenged, the gifted and talented, the chronically ‘tarded and the medically annoying…”

Wait, what? It’s true that teachers do wonderful things, but the language García used is completely unacceptable. On Twitter, García defended herself by saying that she meant “chronically tardy,” and that she would never “disparage” any students with disabilities. Maybe this is actually true, but she definitely should have been more aware of the context – a list of varied abilities and disabilities. Freudian slip, perhaps?

I take much greater issue with García’s intentional use of “medically annoying.” Again, she defended herself on Twitter, but it was rather weak, as she claimed that she was referring to the “typically annoying students we all know & love.” I’m not sure what García teaches her students, but my teachers never taught me that “medically annoying” and “typically annoying” mean the same thing.

Was García was referring to the kid who asks to go to the nurse every single day with the obvious goal of getting out of class to roam the halls? Or was she talking about kids who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Section 504 disability accommodations? My guess, based on the larger picture, is that García absolutely was referring to kids with IEPs and 504s. In this case, although it may seem like I’m nitpicking over word choice, there’s a deeply personal reason as to why I have a problem with what García said. As a physically disabled student, I required Section 504 accommodations in order to attend my mainstream school. I was one of those “physically challenged, medically annoying” students.

The way García spoke so flippantly about disability, inclusion, and accommodations, and the way the audience laughed in response was disheartening. And yet, just a few sentences later in the speech, she addresses the importance of diversity and social justice by noting that teachers: “instill an understanding of civil rights,…challenge racism, [and] foster social tolerance and appreciation for cultural and religious diversity.” The message this sends is that while García clearly cares deeply about some social justice issues, disability seems to be nothing more than an inconvenience to account for in her lesson plans.

But here’s the thing. Disability issues are social justice issues. And disability is, for so many, a cultural identity. Disability history and culture desperately needs to be taught alongside other civil rights movements, but it unfortunately continues to be absent from mainstream curricula. García’s speech is key evidence of why this absolutely needs to change.

In the aftermath of García’s insensitivity, some people are calling for her to publicly apologize and step down from her role as NEA President. To be quite honest, I don’t think calling for García’s resignation is an effective or necessary course of action. Was what she said offensive? Yes. But rather than ask her to resign, let’s use this as a teachable moment about disability, because even teachers sometimes need teaching. Although García has much work left to do to be the best ally she can be to the disability community, I don’t at all believe that she is a malicious person. I believe she is the product of a society that generally does not understand and accept disability as more than just an inconvenience, a medical problem, or something to pity. Even as we rightfully criticize García’s word choice, we should more importantly take every opportunity to focus on how we, as a community of disability advocates, can positively reframe and reshape perspectives.

Emily Ladau is a writer and disability rights activist whose passion is to harness the powers of language and social media as tools for people to become informed and engaged social justice advocates. She is the owner of Social Justice Media Services, which provides communications, outreach, and social media management services for disability-related organizations. Emily also maintains a blog, Words I Wheel By, as a platform to address discrimination and to encourage people to understand the experience of having a disability in more positive, accepting, and supportive ways. You’re welcome to connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact: Emily Ladau