How Special Education Professional Development Programs Help Those With Special Needs

Professional Development

For many special education students, the transition from high school to the next step in life is a challenging one, with many new skills to learn in a short amount of time. Each student is different, with their own unique set of needs and their own learning style, so it can be difficult to know what is best for your student. However, a number of different activities can be beneficial for a wide variety of students, due to their multi-faceted character. These are activities that have social, personal, and active components, although no single person needs to address each component to play a part in the activity. For many, the best way to access these activities is through community service. That’s why many professional development programs include a community service portion.

Community Engagement

A number of civic and religious organizations are open to special education professional development volunteers. Volunteers can fill a wide variety of roles, depending on their proficiencies and abilities. Some volunteers might excel at interpersonal communication, so they might play the role of a spokesperson for a community movement. Others might excel at detail work, so their job assignment might be on-the-ground, perhaps crafting promotional materials or cleaning community spaces. And, due to the sense of purpose that comes with working for a larger community, and the helpfulness of volunteers, programs that support community involvement often act as an important bridge between special needs and mainstream culture.

Awareness

For many special needs communities, awareness is a constant issue. Professional development programs, as a result, often include campaigns to increase awareness of special needs communities within cities and counties. Special education programs that include community involvement are a huge part of any move towards awareness. Volunteer positions are often highly visible, and they expose community members of all ages to people with special needs acting altruistically. More importantly, many programs foster interactions between youth volunteers and special ed volunteers. These situations often catalyze powerful and engaging experiences that allow for learning to leap across whatever societal barriers normally separate the two camps. Children who have positive experiences with special ed students are more likely to include special needs interests in their visions of the society the create.

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