Blog

Here is our a list of what SELF’s staff is reading for pleasure this summer:  The Talented Ribkins – Ladee Hubbard– A New Orleans author writes a fun and weaving fiction inspired by W. E. B. Du Bois' famous essay ''The Talented Tenth'' and fueled by Ladee Hubbard's marvelously original imagination Interior Chinatown- Charles Yu- A heartfelt and funny novel that tackles the stereotypes and perce...

A friend shared some videos from the Invictus Games of world-class athletes: archers using their mouths to draw their bows and, my favorite, rugby players with all the exuberance and physical contact in a scrum with wheelchairs. This got me thinking about possibilities and assumptions. A pillar of working with students with disabilities is least dangerous assumption, coined in 1984 by Anne Donnellan who wrote,” in the absence of conclusi...

If we repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. When we are working with students with disabilities, this aphorism can lead to disturbing consequences. Martin Pistorius, author of Ghost Boy, talks about his experiences being trapped in his body and hearing others talk about him in this short compelling interview.    The language we use when addressing our students and when discussing their education and care carries power. As a...

Our challenge as educators is to shift from a mindset of what our students with disabilities lack to one of supporting students in how they access and engage in not only life skills but academic content as well.  Adopting a least dangerous assumption mindset into daily interactions with students, families and colleagues can be started in your school today by following these suggestions:  Parents should receive feedback regarding stu...