Student recommends that the Illinois House pass the Inclusive Education Act

The Senate Bill 3249 is also known as the Inclusion Bill. This bill makes it mandatory to teach LGBTQ history curriculum for public schools. State Senator Heather Steans sponsored this bill. It passed the Illinois Senate in March of 2018. Now the bill has to pass the Illinois House, where it is House Bill 5596. This curriculum will be limited to the public schools; it will not apply to private or religious schools. The superintendent of the school district will be required to monitor and enforce compliance with this new curriculum. The program requires all kindergarten-12^th grades to include this curriculum in their unit studying. 

Schools can still control the school environment and curriculum, but this law will require that there be some specific coverage of the contributions of LGBTQ persons. Learning about the history of LGBTQ persons teaches the importance of not discriminating against others. If this bill passes Illinois will be the second state to swap out textbooks for LGBTQ inclusive texts. California adopted similar measures in 2011; however, California just approved the LGBTQ textbooks for elementary schools in November. California was the first state to approve this bill. This idea was mainly brought on by suicides among LGBTQ youth. In the upcoming year, California students will gain an understanding of the past and present of LGBTQ community. 

This bill will have no fiscal impact. Textbooks would be purchased through the textbook block grant program whether or not the selections are restricted to textbooks that have LGBTQ content. This textbook block grant program gives annual funding to school districts. School districts can look into online textbooks, which are cheaper. California approved 10 textbooks for elementary and middle school students, so the same ten would presumably be approved for use in Illinois if the Inclusion Bill is passed into law here in Illinois

Change needs to happen. The LGBTQ community is not going to go away. Their history is just as import for students to learn about as is the African Americans, war history, the Holocaust, etc. It is time to stop erasing LGBTQ identities. It is time to acknowledge LGBTQ roles in history. It is time to acknowledge that someone like James Baldwin was an openly gay writer. LGBTQ students need to feel the support from their peers and teachers. It is important for our students to learn about role models of the LGBTQ communities. Of course changing the textbooks will be a slow process, but it something that needs to be done. It is time for Illinois to follow California and approve the Inclusive Curriculum Bill. Our youth need to know about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community. This community is a now a part of history. 

There are several historical figures whose sexuality and sexual orientation are ambiguous, and I hope the presentation of these figures will be nuanced, and help students understand that in historical work, we cannot always be sure of our conclusions.  Also, the ideas we now have about sexual identity and orientation, and the words we use, were not prevalent in the past, so there is an interesting debate about whether our modern terms and ideas about LGBTQ apply in past times and other cultures.  All that sort of information will help students move away from the faith in categories and labels that so many of us rely upon these days.  And I think it's very healthy for children and students in our public schools to learn about different critiques of how gender and sexuality have been expressed or understood at different times and places.  Give the many disappointing aspects of mainstream heterosexuality in 21st Century North American culture (such as the high rates of domestic violence and the high incidence of rape and sexual abuse of children), I think our schools will be doing a great benefit to our society if they open up children to some critical ideas about assumptions and values prevalent in our culture.  It is especially good to know that there have always been eccentrics, misfits, and persons who rebelled against conformity, and among these people were some of the great geniuses and heroes of history, and also some of the villains. 

Student urges State Rep to support funding for Safe Schools (alternative schools)

To the Honorable Representative Avery Bourne,

207 North State Street

P.O. Box 38

Litchfield, IL  62056

Dear Representative Bourne,

I’m writing to you as your constituent and also because you serve on the House Appropriations Committee for Elementary & Secondary Education.  I’m mainly writing to ask you to be aware of issues that are arising after the 99th General Assembly passed (in August of 2015) the “Senate Bill 100”) changing student discipline policies and eliminating zero tolerance in our schools. This bill restricted the use of out-of-school suspensions and imposed rules about how school districts could use such expulsions or suspensions.  Now that schools must do more to establish discipline without the use of suspensions, we may need to spend more money on interventions that keep schools safe and maintain good order in schools without the use of zero tolerance.  Please be aware of this and look for opportunities to fund any school spending that can efficiently provide good discipline and safety in our public schools. Please look out for opportunities to fund interventions that are likely to work and are cost-effective. 

I have lived in this district all my life. I am beginning to have more interest in things going on in my community and the state of Illinois. I have never written to you before, but I have seen you in parades, and heard about you from my family and on television. I am not loyal to the Republican or Democratic parties. I vote for the candidate themselves rather than their party. Your support for policies and funding for public schools that would make our schools safe and orderly places for students to learn would impress and please me. 

Today I am writing you to let you know about a policy that I am for, but I think there should be some changes made. I’m referring to the new Illinois law (Senate Bill 100, from the 99th General Assembly) to prompt changes in discipline policies. This policy pushes to make suspension and expulsions a disciplinary last resort.

I agree with part of this policy. I agree with making suspension and explosion a last resort. I disagree with zero tolerance policies in which school administrators too easily rely on suspending or expelling students because most children do not like to go to school. It is almost like rewarding children for bad behavior by sending them home. When they are at home they can play video games or watch television as a pleasure. Some parents do not discipline their child for being suspended or expelled. I think in-school suspension or sending the child to a safe school would be more beneficial.

I especially want you to consider the benefits of safe schools. The school in my town sends disruptive students to a safe school called ChrisMont. Other schools in Montgomery County send their at-risk students there as well. Chrismont provides at-risk students with ways to cope with their problems along with providing them an education. I think Chrismont is a great alternative for disciplining students. Some students go there for a couple months, a year, or for the rest of their education. It all depends on how the child reacts to the program.  You or your staffers can become informed about safe schools by looking at information provided by the Illinois Coalition for Educating At-Risk Youth (ICEAR). 

We need to find alternative ways to help discipline child in school. Children learn from people around them. If we can discipline the students better maybe we won’t have as many school shootings. It doesn’t hurt to try something new. We don’t know if it works until it is tried. I know the students who go to Chrismont and come back to the public school have a lot more respect for the teachers and other students. We have to do everything possible to keep our children safe.  There is some good evidence and testimony about the quality of the Safe Schools (alternative schools) in Illinois, that I hope you know about.

Of course, there is going to be a worry about funding safe schools. Chrismont offers non-profit educational services under the Special Education Services along with transportation.  Since you are on the appropriations committee for schools, I hope you will keep an eye out for the funding that goes to safe schools. They seem to be doing a good job, and they provide a necessary service for students who aren’t thriving in the mainstream public schools of Illinois. 

Thank you for your time,

[Student in the SWK-355 Policy Course]

Student reacts to decline in unemployment among persons with disabilities

Recently, I listened to “Disability in Decline” by NPR’s The Indicator. This podcast talked about how there a rise in the number of people who have left the work force because of a disability. In 1994, the number of 25-54 year olds unemployed because of disability was less than 5 million. In 2014, that number was 7.3 million. Since then, that number went down by 600,000 people. That is nearly a 7 percent decline in those unemployed because of disability. Economists are saying half of that 7 percent is due to people changing the reason they are unemployed, now saying they are home taking care of their families. The other half is due to job finding.

This has led to questions because the number of unemployed has normally grown, not only during recessions, but also in times of recovery. We are in recovery now, so why are there so many less disabled people unemployed? One of the reasons may be our stronger labor market, and employers are more willing to hire disabled workers. Businesses may likely be more comfortable hiring disabled workers because they do not have to raise wages. This is both good and bad. It’s good because people who are disabled or formerly disabled can get jobs more easily than they used to. It’s bad because they are likely not being payed as much as other employees. In the end, it is always good seeing the number of unemployed go down. It means there are more opportunities in our economy, which is how we grow and prosper.

On a side note, my cousin who is highly disabled—she is 25 and acts like a 7-year-old—has two jobs. She bags at a local grocery store, and she works at this new bakery called “No Label at the Table”. The owner created it with her autistic son in mind, and only hires young adults with disabilities to help bake and run her bakery. Isn’t it great that we are becoming a place where people like my cousin are more accepted and given opportunities that they never had in the past? 

That is great news.  A gain of 300,000 positions (or opportunities to fill existing positions) for persons who were at least to some degree disabled shows that the economy is performing reasonably well. Everyone really does want to see the unemployment numbers go down, and the current 4.1% official rate (in the spring of 2018) is a reasonable level, although 3% would be better.  As social workers we are especially interested in rising wages for low-income workers and opportunities for meaningful employment roles that persons with disabilities can enter. In times of low unemployment it is usual to see declines in poverty and increases in wages, along with gains made by persons against whom many employers are more likely to discriminate in times of high unemployment.  The employment indicator is one of the most important indicators we can examine, and I am glad you found this good podcast episode to bring our attention to this good news.

Transgender Military Service, a Letter to President Trump

Letter to the Commander in Chief, President Donald Trump,

Dear Mr. President:

By March 23, 2018, you have a plan to no longer allow transgender individuals to serve in the military forces. I believe this idea is severely flawed and will negatively affect not only your presidency, but also the lives of many Americans. 

Transgender people have just as much right to defend the United States as all other Americans. A study commissioned by the Department of Defense from the Rand Corporation (Source 1) found that, “there are no readiness implications that prevent transgender people from serving openly and that numerous foreign militaries have successfully permitted upon service” (Source 2). One of your major arguments is about the cost of medical care for the transgender troop members. This study also proved that the medical cost would be very small. Transgender troop members can be held to the same standards as their respective counterparts. They can keep up and be successful in the military. For a very long time, people were not even allowed to be openly gay in the military. That has become such an outdated idea. 

I believe I was the most alarmed by the comments in support of your tweet about not allowing transgender people into the service. Many people had very vividly cruel language to describe the people in the LGBTQ+ community. Dear Mr. President, you are the President for all Americans. We all need your help to encourage feelings that we can all love and respect each other based on our moral strength and our contributions, and we need you to discourage the hatred and hostility shown against people in the LGBTQ+ community.

 The men and women fighting for the protection of our nation should be able to be comfortable in their own skin. I do not see any threat to our country or the effectiveness of our soldiers, sailors, and aviators by having a transgender member of the military. I see more benefit than anything else. Allowing a diverse group of people to serve in any capacity will allow more perspectives. More perspectives offer a greater ability to problem solve and create innovative new solutions. This idea can work especially in the military sector. If women and men are both allowed to serve in the military, so should transgender people. 

President Trump, I sincerely ask that you reconsider, if for nothing else, I believe this to be a very basic right. You have many things to gain, and the country will gain, if you do not follow through with your idea to restrict Transgender persons out of the military.  I wish you the best in making an educated and well-informed decision about the troops. 

Best,

[A student in the SWK-355 class]

P.S. the rest of the study can be found at http://www.hrc.org/resources/transgender-military-service

Source 1: Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly .
Source 2: Transgender Military Service

Student reacts to a blog post about living as a Deaf Asian Hindu in the United Kingdom

A social justice issue that I am interested in is the disadvantages of the disabled in everyday endeavors, specifically the workforce. Last weekend, I found a blog titled The Limping Chicken, a news site in the UK that shares news of interest to the deaf community. An article by Reema Patel named Growing up Deaf in a Hearing World was posted on March 28, 2012. Patel discusses her struggles as someone with minor hearing loss but also reflects on some solutions for such behaviors.  

Patel’s parents were really conscious of people judging her because she was deaf, so they did not really tell anyone she was deaf unless they it was absolutely necessary. Patel shares with us the three key reasons that she believes deafness is stigmatized in her culture. Born in a British Asian Hindu family, she explains that it is an environment that stigmatizes disability, deafness included. Here is a list of the three reasons and my reaction to her given statement:

1. The cultural bonds that tie people together in her culture are mostly visual and aural. Many rituals and practices consolidate around music, dance, recitation, and other arts.

She shares a story about a blind girl that picked up a minuscule sculpture of a Hindu God and felt around it so she could recognize what she’s touching. Someone immediately snatched it away from her, informing her that it’s a sin to touch a statue in such a way. The young girl only wanted to know what she was touching, she did not mean to offend anyone. The blind and the deaf share these instances of miscommunication across language barriers every day, making them feel excommunicated from the hearing world at times. 

2.  Generally, progressive attitudes towards disability come with greater awareness, education, and more time to reflect/think – the sort of education that many migrant communities don’t often have access to. 

I believe that what she is talking about here is that when someone is disabled in your community or home, it takes awareness, education, and time for reflecting to truly understand and help encourage and lift them to their greatest potential. It seems that people in her community don’t have access to time for this. I’m thinking that maybe in a British Asian Hindu family/community, things can be pretty hectic and some important topics and people can get put on the back burner. 

3. In Patel’s personal opinion, Hinduism has in practice rarely concerned itself with isonomy, social change, and liberalism. The teachings about the caste-system bolster attitudes of ‘knowing one’s place’ in society. They accept the hand life has dealt one as punishment for sins in your previous life.

Not only does her family/community’s culture not support Patel’s disability economically but religiously as well. In /Hinduism, what goes around comes around so if someone was rotten in a previous life, they could be disabled in another. That could make people think that being disabled is just this unbelievably horrible thing that no one can survive because it is marked as punishment for the rotten-spirited. People are surviving and thriving through their disabilities every day and being fabulous while doing so. 

Patel’s perspective on the stigmatization of disabilities in her community reminds me a lot of how the world does the same. One topic she did not cover that I thought would be an amazing addition to her article is assimilation. Social norms and institutions try to create things to help the disabled become “more like us” instead of creating things to help them be a better THEM. Patel offers three solutions for obliterating the perception that disabled persons, especially the deaf, are less likely to be successful. One, to provide the support to children that lets them challenge the perception themselves. Two, to provide a supportive environment that encourages self-worth and confidence. And three, to provide the right funding to open doors and opportunities. She believes that if these things are given, as they deserve to be, then they will be able to show and prove that they can be just as successful as anyone else, even more so. 

Works Cited

Patel, R. (2012, March 28). Reema Patel: Growing up deaf in a hearing world [Web log post]. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://limpingchicken.com/2012/03/28/reema-patel-growing-up-deaf-in-a-hearing-world/