FITCHBURG YOUR STORY: Education of Disability Services - Hannah Free

In this podcast episode, Hannah Free, a Fitchburg State University junior, talks about the adoption of disability services, looking at the the changes from Covid back to in person education and how as kids get older they continue to change.

Written and narrated by Hannah Free, a Business Administration major with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, "Education of Disability Services" is the next episode in the Fitchburg Your Story series, which will be published throughout the month. 

Episodes in this series were produced and edited by the students in Professor Kisha Tracy's Storytelling and the Oral Tradition course (ENGL 2890) in the Spring 2025 semester.  

"Saxifrage"  is the Fitchburg Your Story theme music.  Music by Prof. Robin Dinda, Text by Prof. DeMisty Bellinger-Delfeld.  Performed by Fitchburg State University Choirs with Alanna Rantala (piano) and Prof. Jonathan Harvey (conductor).

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Episode transcript here.

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Additional mixing and mastering by members of the Perseverantia staff.

Click here to learn more about Perseverantia. Join us for programming updates on Instagram. Or reach out with ideas or suggestions at podcasts@fitchburgstate.edu.

Transcript

[ “Saxifrage” choral music plays, performed by the Fitchburg State University Choirs ] 

Prof. Kisha Tracy (intro): Welcome to the Fitchburg State University Perseverantia Podcast network. This is the Fitchburg Your Story series in which Fitchburg State students tell the stories that make our city and university unique.

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Hannah Free: Today I will be talking about my script on education of disability services. I will be talking about how kids have adapted over time to a disability. How COVID-19 and other different changes around the school system and our lives have been affected. People have to make sure that everyone is treated the same and change with the times, with the understanding of different disabilities. 

“Pandemic Era”

The circumstances of COVID-19 kept kids with disabilities inside and away from their teachers that had the tools they needed to learn. Then there was the transition that was also impactful because the kids had to adjust and could come back to an unfamiliar educational system. There were many different circumstances that had changed how children learn and forever changed the education system. In jurisdictions with higher rates of COVID-19, workplace setting for people with intellectual disability, including day programs, vocational and recreational services, were closed. Everyone was cut off from each other and were facing a new type of isolation. The gatherings for most places were 10 people maximum.

And there was a case that all schools were closed. We entered the COVID Google Meet era. But for kids that were too young to have computers or didn't have them in school, it was much harder for them to learn.

During the pandemic era, it was very difficult for any kids to learn or interact with other students. Even if you did or didn't have a disability, it was hard to adapt. Students that were in middle school when it started didn't fully mature by the time they began high school. It was much harder for them to learn and socialize because they were isolated for so long. As time goes on, now we are getting closer to where we want to be and kids and young adults are relearning on how to focus and once again learning how to get through school and going on to their next chapter.

“Transition Period”

Students that decide that they want to learn other skills and pursue further education must go through a transition period. Students start to become more independent as they start to transition to college and learn that they have a lot of steps before going to college. Specifically, self-determined people set goals based on their students' interests, preferences, and experiences. They start to learn that setting a specific goal will help them get to the next step much quicker.

Young kids that transition into dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment and provide student access to college courses, internships, and employment as they get older. They can learn and adapt to new life skills after they choose to finish their education and have a better chance of getting a job. It helps that they are engaging with other kids and learning not only job skills but also life skills.

Environmental factors were optimized as student disability services related variable, including use of disability services, types of academic accommodations, and a semester during which each student registered with student disability services.

The students with disabilities needed a little extra help with educational and social circumstances, that it helps them to learn more about what to do when they are doing something on their own.

All the kids are growing into adulthood and are figuring out how to be more independent.

“Accommodations”

Disability service personnel offer to range of support services that include career counseling to make sure they are properly supported and have everything they need. While academic accommodations and school related activities are provided to all qualified students. These academic supports but also contribute to the development of social networks important to college success. The different range of services lead to many different opportunities that some kids don't get.

Going into different educational levels will help kids to start to learn that they can do much more than they originally thought, that the education system is very supportive of anyone that was to put in the work and continue their education, although disability services are intended to support college persistence and graduation. Little is known whether these supports as well as other factors actually contribute to academic performance and access to school related activities. The impact of disability services on academic achievement as well as factors that predict academic achievement: all the services continue to show an impact on students and could have multiple schools ready to continue onward with through college.

An early childhood or preschool program or a child's elementary school is often the first regular contact a family has with a professional child-serving system. When working on the effectiveness of specific special education services to improve students' achievement for important subgroup of students and connecting with other kids to improve skills in the classroom. As time goes on, educators can physically see and observe what is going on with their students so they can figure out how to help us. 

Working with students at this young age is still developing and they need to learn about their disability and how to handle it. Improving the system will require better ways of understanding and measuring both ends of the special education continuum, namely what services special education children need to receive and what academic outcomes these students achieve.

It opens our eyes on what kids need and don't need. The evidence is showing whether you have a disability or not and learning to adapt to different situations. Nowadays, both parents and teachers are well aware of when a child needs a little more help. It definitely has had a big impact on the education system, on the improvement of where the kids were to where they are now. That is more important because of how there are more resources available to kids now.

And in the future, we can help any kids struggling and show how the education system can help. 

“Independent Learning”

Students are learning to be more self-directed to manage their own learning and to work more independently, but we need to adjust on how we redirect kids who need more help. It is important we teach them to work by themselves a little at a time. As children start to grow up, they show where they are in need of help. They start to learn what they can do on their own as time goes on.

Behaviorally, students are expected to be more self-directed to manage their own learning and to work more independently are starting to interact with other students as they get older and starting to learn more. Being social with their peers is a great way to start to grow your independence because as kids get older, they want to do more for themselves, including improving their social skills. This is when adults have to let their kids figure out who they are and grow on their own with little assistance.

One enduring concern within the field of special education has centered on how best to support students with disabilities to receive the academic, social, and other benefits often attributed to inclusion in general education classes. When depending on yourself with day-to-day tasks that need to be done, independence is one of the most important things as you start to grow up.

Overall disabilities can be a great thing and a bad thing. That even if we live with them, they define what we do. We are the ones that can overcome any challenges and still move forward into a bright future.

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Prof. Kate Jewell: You’re listening to Perseverantia, the Fitchburg State University Podcast Network.

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