Citizenship in School, Kliewer Response

In my experience in grade school, they, the school system, had a place specifically for those with disabilities and tempers, the were sent to a building separate from the main one where all of the "normal" students reside. If you had a disability you were sent to this building. If you were disrespectful to the extreme and were viewed as violent, you were sent to this building. The only time either students interacted with each other was during a fire drill. Neither the "normal" students or special needs students saw each other, some not at all. In my time at my highschool I had no interaction with special needs students and may have benefited through interaction, expanding my view of the world. Unfortunately this did not happen and thus I remained blind until College where I met a handicapped man with one leg, though he was not mentally handicapped we did share a few interests and became friends. If he were at my highschool we may never have met. Even when we transferred to RIC we remained friends to this day. Because of the walls put forth by the school enlightenment is difficult to achieve for both sides. This only serves to enforce the stigma between special needs people and the "normal" people. A Stigma that still resonates today, though steps have been taken to break this metaphorical wall.