What does it means to be human
(Below s the assignment prompt for my essay; My position on this debate is that the only prerequisite to be worthy of human value and human right is to be human.. this essay is for a class in inclusive education program where we have learned to appreciate the value in ALL human difference, able or disable bodies are valuable and important. Nothing makes a human more worth than other, no IQ, gender, race, sexual orientation or preference, or abilities. and all this knowledge I take with me to my classroom and to my personal life)
“Not all autistic people meet the philosophical criteria for personhood.” –William Simkulet, from a paper titled “Neurodiversity and Personhood,” 04-28-2012.
Please read the provided brief excerpt from:
Young, S. R. (2011). Real people, regular lives: Autism, communication, and quality of life. The Autism National Committee.
Young (2011) argues that:
Assumptions about personhood are often so unexamined that we are unaware of the degree to which they determine our thoughts and actions. Yet they are infused in the day-to-day work of teachers, clergy, parents and health care workers, and they permeate our relationships with each other and with all living things….In schools, disputes over funding, allocation of resources, inclusion and teaching practices often can be traced to fundamental beliefs about personhood. (p. 241)
Additionally, Young (2011) briefly explores 5 different “indicators” of personhood: consciousness, language and communication, agency, intelligence and IQ, and relationships with others. I have tried to structure this course in a way that takes us through a critical examination of many of the indicators by which we judge people’s “personhood” or “humanness,” specifically the ways in which people move, think, communicate, relate, etc..
In 5-7 pages, please write a reflective essay synthesizing your most powerful or meaningful “learnings” from this course about the relationship between “significant disability” and humanness. Please reflect upon what this learning means for you as a teacher, and also what it means for you as a human being.
