Having a Disability

If you have a disability, you will probably have to discuss the following questions with your Individual Education Program (IEP) team:

• What general education classes should you be taking and why?
• If no general education classes are suggested, why?
• Do you need to take any special education classes? What are they and why do you need these?
• What are your options for earning a diploma and graduating?
• What kinds of accommodations or supports will you need?
• What do you want to do with your future?

Sounds like tons of fun, doesn't it? But if you have a disability, it's important to think about these things very carefully. Here at Youthhood, those of us with disabilities definitely want to take as many general education classes as possible because these are the classes that everyone else is taking. We want to learn what everyone else is learning and be with our friends as much as we can.

But sometimes you might not be able to do this. Maybe you have a learning disability that makes it really, really hard to learn a certain subject. So maybe you can learn it through special education instead. No big deal. Or maybe there is some other reason why taking a special education class is the best way for you to learn something.

The main thing to remember is that whether it's a special education class or a general education class, make sure you are taking the class for a good reason. And the goal of taking the class - no matter where it is - is to learn the information you want to learn. Through your Individualized Education Program, or IEP, you can make sure your goals are written down, you know what you want to achieve, and you know how you can make it happen with the support of your IEP team.

You can also go to Your Life Map and write down some goals and steps to reach those goals after going through this section of Youthhood.