Letter to Editor

Another assignment for special education class.

To whom it may concern:

It is phenomenal to see how people have been able to work together throughout time to assist those who are less fortunate than others. Your article U Highlights Students with Disabilites, which concerns the “Faces” campaign that was launched by the diasabilities services at the University of Minnesota, is very informative about the process and how it is helping the students that attend that university. After reading the article many would be convinced that the program would be very successful.

According to the information provided in the article, the campaign has benefited people with disabilities in many different ways. Unfortunately, there is one flaw that could come across as a major disadvantage for that campaign. Everyone needs to keep in mind that those who require more accommodations or more attention at school or college are just humans like the rest of us. We need to be careful about how we label people, even those with disabilities. This is something that many people are unaware of unless they are working or learning how to work with special needs students.

If we should not label people by what kind of disability they have, what race they are, what ethnic origin they have, then how should refer to them? It seems that the best thing to do is call them by their name. You stated that “people like Quinn have been able to overcome challenges that accompany their disabilities thanks to the University of Minnesota’s Disability Services”. Instead you should have said that Quinn has been able to overcome many challenges due to the opportunities that the campaign offers to its students. In the future, it would be better for you to become more empathetic towards people and the dilemmas they are facing. It is my hope that in the future you will be more considerate towards your interviewees and those involved in the topic you wish to address.

Sincerely,

Joey Whitman