Comparing Sources Assignment

A – Emerson

B – Pasachoff

C – Ryan

D – Schutzki

E – Zosky

A and B (Emerson and Pasachoff)

Supports

“A” looks at how disabilities influence poverty transitions, which is linked to “B” because “B” focuses on the current shortcomings of I.D.E.A. and “A” highlights those shortcomings.

Challenges

They do not seem to challenge one another.

Helps Understand

The second full paragraph on page 3 of “B” offers an explanation of the poverty transitions of lower and upper income levels noticed by “A”.

Introduce One Another

“A” should appear earlier in the paper, so it would be mentioned again to introduce “B”.

A and C (Emerson and Ryan)

Supports

Both discuss the link between poverty and disabilities. They also discuss the struggles that policy makers face when attempting to improve the lives of those with disabilities.

Challenges

“A” offers a few possible causes in the link between poverty and learning disabilities, while “C” focuses specifically at how poverty leads to disabilities.

Helps Understand

“A” helps explain the problems discovered by “C”.

Introduce One Another

The “challenges” section could help discuss the different possible causes of the link between poverty and learning disabilities. The other two sections could be used to look at how we could go forward with fixing these problems in the future.

A and D (Emerson and Schutzki)

Supports

“A” mentions some problems with the current laws, and “D” further elaborates on some of those problems.

Challenges

They do not seem to conflict with one another.

Helps Understand

“D” helps understand “A” when it talks about the issues with the current laws.

Introduce One Another

“A” is introduced first, and then it is expanded upon by “D”.

A and E (Emerson and Zosky)

Supports

“A” mentions poverty as a potential cause for disabilities, and “E” shows that lower income students perform at lower academic levels than those with higher levels of income.

Challenges

They do not seem to conflict with one another.

Helps Understand

“A” seems to have difficulty deciding the best way to solve the problems of poverty causing disabilities, and “E” shows that intervention can help make a difference.

Introduce One Another

“A” says finding solutions is difficult, and then “E” shows part of a solution.

Paraphrasing Assignment

“Whether a distinction between internal and external causes of learning problems could be justified morally or even empirically, there was some initial logic to the notion that special education law should target students with inherent disabilities, not students in difficult--but perhaps changeable—circumstances” (Ryan 3).

1. While it is uncertain if one could morally or empirically justify a distinction between internal and external causes of learning problems, it is apparent that initially there was a notion that special education law should target students with inherent disabilities as opposed to those with difficult – but perhaps changeable – circumstances.
2. Despite the difficulty in justifying a split categorization of causes of learning problems, it is apparent that initial attempts at creating special education law have focused on targeting students with internal causes for their disabilities as opposed to external.
3. Initially, special education law was meant to target students with inherent disabilities as opposed to those in difficult – but perhaps changeable – circumstances, in spite of the difficulty in justifying such a split morally or empirically.

“It does not follow, of course, that all poor children are learning disabled. But the presumption that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled is increasingly difficult to justify, even if one takes IDEA on its own terms as reserving special education for students with internal disorders” (Ryan 3).

1. All poor children are not necessarily learning disabled. However, it is increasingly difficult to justify the notion that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled.
2. Of course, not all poor children have a learning disability. But even if one reserves special education for students with internal disorders, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to presume that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled.
3. While not all poor children are learning disabled, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify the belief that the poor children that are struggling academically are not learning disabled.

“When compared to families not supporting a child with disability, families supporting a child with intellectual disability or other disability were significantly more likely to be living in income poverty and hardship” (Emerson 7).

1. Families supporting a child with some disability were significantly more likely to be living in income poverty and hardship compared to families who were not supporting a child with a disability.
2. There is a link between a family supporting a child with intellectual disability or other disability and that family living in income poverty and hardship.
3. Studies show a correlation between a family supporting a child with a disability and that family living in income poverty.

“Consequently, the association between poverty and child disability represents a major challenge to social policies that seek to improve the life chances of, and address the disadvantage and discrimination faced by, people with disability” (Emerson 1).

1. The link between poverty and child disability represents a major challenge to social policies that seek to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
2. It is a great struggle to institute social policies that can effectively improve the lives of those with disabilities because of the link between poverty and child disability.
3. Due to the link between poverty and child disability, it is difficult to create social policies that could improve the lives of those with disabilities.

Paragraph:

The correlation between poverty and child disability is complex. It is difficult to say to what extent one of them influences the other. On one hand, families who have a child with a disability often face financial hardships. Families supporting a child with some disability were significantly more likely to be living in income poverty and hardship compared to families who were not supporting a child with a disability (Emerson 7). On the other hand, there has been evidence to support the notion that poverty is a cause of child disabilities. Of course, not all poor children have a learning disability. But even if one reserves special education for students with internal disorders, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to presume that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled (Ryan 3). However, when looking at how laws have been formed in order to help special education it is plain to see that they do not fully into account the role that poverty has to play in learning disabilities. Initially, special education law was meant to target students with inherent disabilities as opposed to those in difficult – but perhaps changeable – circumstances, such as poverty (Ryan 3). While it may have been feasible at first to ignore the connection, it has become obvious that poverty is a factor in learning disabilities. Although this identification of poverty as a factor is a step in the right direction, it actually creates a problem for those who would attempt to create social policies to help those with learning disabilities. It is a great struggle to institute social policies that can effectively improve the lives of those with disabilities because of the link between poverty and child disability (Emerson 1). Poverty is a major issue in its own right, and since it is a source of learning disabilities it makes it difficult to effectively prevent such disabilities. The ideal solution would be to end poverty so that it could not be considered a cause of disabilities. Until that solution can be reached, there needs to be another way to help those with learning disabilities.

Project Proposal

The topic I am choosing to focus on is the link between poverty and learning disabilities. In focusing on this topic, I will be searching for the answers to three questions:

1. What is the cause in the link between poverty and learning disabilities? Does one tend to cause the other or is there some outside force that influences both? Or are they independent of one another completely?
2. What is currently attempting to be done in education and policies to help those who suffer from learning disabilities?
3. What else can be done to help those with learning disabilities that is not currently being done?

I intend to answer the first question through the use of the articles by Emerson and Ryan. Emerson’s article focuses specifically on this question, so I feel that it will be quite insightful as to possible answers to that question. Ryan’s article also discusses the link between poverty and learning disabilities, so I feel that it will be able to provide me with some information to work with as well. I may also refer to the Zosky article if I feel that it has insights that the other two are unable to provide. As for the second question, I expect to pull most of my information from Pasachoff and Schutzki. Both articles have a lot to say about what the I.D.E.A. entails, and from what I have been able to find this is the main aid being currently given to those with learning disabilities. The last question I hope to answer through the use of Pasachoff, Schutzki, and Zosky. Each of these articles gives either some input as to how they would change the current policy if they could or how small local efforts are working now and should become more commonplace.