talking points 9

“Gardner’s work… has effectively broadened our interpretation of what it means to be smart. In doing so, he has transformed the school notion of intellect from a rigid, intrinsic commodity to a cultural construction widely shared by individuals traditionally devalued in the educational arena.”

In this day and age there are many areas in which children can excel and be considered intelligent or smart. The school cannot be considered just an institute for education, because many children have natural causes that allow them to be more successful in other fields than just classroom testing. Some children really excel in activities such as drama or band where it takes a lot of courage and practice to perform in front of large audiences. Some children excel in areas like atheletics which also require lots of practice and conditioning.

"How absurd to be judged by others at all, especially by those who have never experienced a disability or who are unwillingly providing us with support or who don't listen to the voices we have."

This statement is completely true. No one should ever be judged, and no one should ever feel that they have any right to judge others. People who don't suffer from disabilities, people that have problems supporting disabilities, and people who ignore people with disabilities especially should not be judging others. It is not only inhumane and in bad taste, but causes great amounts of pain and sadness in those suffering from disabilities and those close to them.

"Now we know that people with disabilities can learn and have a full,rich life. The challenge is to erase negative attitudes about people with developmental disabilities, get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with disabilities"

There is a major difference between people with disabilities and people with developmental disabilities. For people to even assume that they're the same thing is totally ignorant of them. Barries between these should not exist, and people should take the time to learn the differences between them.