Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds | Video on TED.com

Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds | Video on TED.com

Inclusion

We need to open our arms and widen our acceptance of all people of varying degrees of skills and abilities. I count on more experienced teachers to support and coach and encourage me. I count on them to teach me what they know and what they have learned. I am not relegated to work side by side with new inexperienced teachers who are searching for answers too. We need to adopt this philosophy of the more skilled, helping the less skilled and each being the better for it, each learning and growing. As a society where ever possible we need to seek to include and assimilate as opposed to exclude and segregate all people regardless of age,race, sex, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, politics or ability.

Humility

Tonight I learned how far from the mark and my ideals I can stray without conscious thought of others. I made a hasty blunder trying to transfer a gentleman from his wheelchair to my car and we both ended up in an very vulnerable position after falling a few feet to rest on the parked wheelchair. Thankfully my friend was not hurt, although in my haste and complacency I robbed him of some personal dignity. I need to remember to slow down and be considerate of my fellow man's need for intelligent and thoughtful requested assistance which protects his dignity as opposed to a hurried and haphazard approach which discounts him as a human.

Different.

Why do we make a value judgment on difference? I am tired of the noted differences between students intellectual and physical ability excluding or altering participation when inclusive arrangements could be made. Seems like we are lazy and it is easier to passively exclude than fight for reasonable accommodations to make all students activity participation meaningful.

Respect