Orthopedic Impairments are impairments where there is a physical limitation due to a medical condition. As with all disabilities, there must be an educational impact.
I haven't worked with many students with orthopedic impairments since my internship nearly 15 years ago. However, there was one student who I was glad to have had the opportunity to interact with that this post brings to mind. My understanding was that she went through school with an orthopedic impairment and due to her physical limitations, she had always received additional educational support in one of the most structured classrooms and with limited interaction with typically developing peers. However, I noticed that she had some capabilities that seemed to be more proficient than other students in the class she was in. Through luck, circumstance, and her hard work, we found that her intellectual and academic ability were significantly higher than previously determined. She graduated with a high school diploma.
That was one instance that reinforced the idea that just because people look different, it doesn't mean that their brains work differently than ours. Sometimes we get caught up by the appearance of a person in a wheelchair or a person who needs to use assistive devices and we don't realize that that limitation does not necessarily preclude them from being able to do things similarly to us.
I haven't worked with many students with orthopedic impairments since my internship nearly 15 years ago. However, there was one student who I was glad to have had the opportunity to interact with that this post brings to mind. My understanding was that she went through school with an orthopedic impairment and due to her physical limitations, she had always received additional educational support in one of the most structured classrooms and with limited interaction with typically developing peers. However, I noticed that she had some capabilities that seemed to be more proficient than other students in the class she was in. Through luck, circumstance, and her hard work, we found that her intellectual and academic ability were significantly higher than previously determined. She graduated with a high school diploma.
That was one instance that reinforced the idea that just because people look different, it doesn't mean that their brains work differently than ours. Sometimes we get caught up by the appearance of a person in a wheelchair or a person who needs to use assistive devices and we don't realize that that limitation does not necessarily preclude them from being able to do things similarly to us.
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