Personal Narrative: My Personal Perspective

1946 Words8 Pages
My Personal Perspective: Society is Harsh to Those Who Are Different I grew up in a “Barbie” world with all the expected privileges a girl like that could have. You see, I am a white girl living in the OC (Orange County California) with two college graduates and high paying careers. My early life would be considered perfect by most looking at it through the prism of a window. It is far from reality. The tragedy that befell me at 15 months old would be like an ever-persistent tumor living inside me, unseen by the eye, but causing social acceptance issues that a Barbie should never expect to experience. I contracted bacterial meningitis leaving me with severe neurological deficits, including limited motor skills (or dexterity), learning disabilities,…show more content…
The social status is also a contributing factor to dealing with disability issues. Upon evaluating my own upbringing, I would conclude based on information presented by Perrucci and Wysong’s, “The Global Economy, the Privileged Class, and the Working Class,” I am from the “working class” but more specifically from the “comfort class” (p. 59-68). My parents being in that “comfort class” and having a solid net worth has afforded me the ability to have access to a good education as well as offering support for my transition from college to career unlike many in specific racial homes since the disparity of personal wealth between races is a substantial contributor to persistent poverty with minorities (Shapiro, p. 71). All the social status things considered, I am among a limited privileged class and have access to more than those living at or below the poverty line. This income level allowed my parents the ability to help me deal with my disabilities with more options than those in a more difficult financial situation although living with a disability is different than most “normal”…show more content…
I have been tested and retested and placed in a box by the educators. They say there are options, and there are, but are they the “best” options? No! The education system is definitely flawed. In 2001 a bill passed called “No Child Left Behind (NCLB),” which “seeks to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged students and close the achievement gap between various subgroups of students, including those with disabilities, by imposing new requirements for standards, assessments, accountability, and parental involvement” (Great Schools, 2010). While that sounds good, I can tell you that there are only accommodations in place to aid in the test taking process. NCLB also stipulates that parents have the ability to choose another school if the educational components don’t fit the needs of the student. But who makes that decision? The educators at the school districts make the decisions through testing. Basically, you need a lawyer to get involved to make any significant changes and most people cannot afford that. So I was left with limited educational options to help me improve my education unless my parents could afford private school and unlimited
Open Document