Almost 7.5 million students receive services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but there is no federal or state policy enforcing the inclusion of disability awareness in the curriculum.

Schools, K-12, administrators and classmates use hearing aids, crutches, braces and mobility support, but students are rarely taught about disabilities. People interact with individuals with disabilities every day yet the topic is largely absent from the lessons that are supposed to prepare students for real life.

‘Unfortunately, until somebody is met with it, they don’t think about it; it’s not that anybody’s doing it on purpose,” Mr. Kevin Kuschel, Hazelwood West High teacher, said.

Hazelwood West High School is one of the few schools that has an optional elective class for students that teaches them about the essentials of disabilities. This lesson is featured during Social Justice, instructed by Mrs. Erin Sliva.

“I teach social justice to advocate for people, build empathy, reduce the stigma around disabilities, educate on daily struggles faced and practiced on, to prepare students for the real world,” Silva said. “We actually found out that two of our classmates were color blind while running our tests.” 

Disability can be seen as temporary, like a broken bone, knee replacement, pregnancy and childbirth, or long-term like mental and neurological conditions, hearing loss, sight loss, colorblindness and many other chronic illnesses. Whether students realize it or not, they interact with peers, teachers and administrators who live with disabilities daily. Some people are born with challenges, and others have to adapt to them throughout their lives.

“Being a handi-capable person with the use of a wheelchair 24-7, you do have to take more planned-out steps to ensure your safety in a moderately accessible world,” Kusher said

Disability is a broad word, not a hard word. It’s not always about what the eyes can or cannot see. There is a presumption under the law that children with disabilities will be educated with children without disabilities and will be removed from the classroom or placed in special classes only when necessary to meet their individual needs. 

Although mental health and multiple chronic illnesses like autoimmune disease, PTSD, and diabetes aren’t visible nor traditionally instantly seen as a disability, they are. All disabilities affect mental health in ways that aren’t always obvious to others. Individuals with disabilities often face higher rates of anxiety, depression, and chronic stress.

Teaching about disabilities is not to pity students and peers about their condition; it is to build education, understanding and respect.