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276 • Joan M. Karp, Rona/;) J. AmJerdon, aM Clayton E. Keller pie to set unrealistic goals. It is important for educators with disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to be able to experience both the successes and failures that all other, otherwise qualified, students experience (Jastram and McCombs 1981). The judgments of education professionals about whether or not a person with disabilities can become a successful educator must be informed by a wide conception of what is possible in the field and how teachers can accomplish their jobs in a variety of ways. Too often we focus narrowly on particular behaviors we think teachers should exhibit or on a specific task they must perform. These may be difficult if not impossible for some individuals with disabilities to complete. Then, if they cannot, we determine that they cannot be a teacher. We do not often consider the competencies required of the profession in making decisions about who is competent and who is not. Competencies that, although representing aims and standards for the practice of the profession, do not prescribe specific, observable events in educational settings. For example, the widely used Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) has a standard that says, "The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social and physical development of the learner." This competency does not describe how the teacher must accomplish the task, only that it is an expectation for a successful teacher. Any teacher and a teacher with a disability, in particular , may use many different means to complete this competency. Focusing more on the competencies of the education profession will expand the possibilities for individuals with disabilities. The perceptions about the place of a disability in a person's life need to be reexamined . For some individuals with disabilities, the disability is an accepted and valued part of that person's identity, playing a role similar to factors such as gender, ethnicity, and religion (Abberley 1987). We know that many teachers and counselors of individuals with disabilities have widely divergent attitudes toward the person's disability. Abberley suggests "an attitude of ambivalence towards impairment," saying, Impairment must be identified as a bad thing, insofar as it is an undesirable consequence of distorted social development, at the same time as it is held to be a positive attribute ofthe individual who is impaired. An analogy may be drawn here with the feminist treatment of so-called "women's troubles ." The key distinction that must be made is between the prevention of impairment, on the one hand, and attitudes to and treatment ofpeople who are already impaired on the other. (9) Rather, if we view disability as a dynamic dimension in which the person is able to view the world differently, then we can accept the individual's solutions as new and different alternatives to dilemmas and problems. As we work with individuals with disabilities, it is important to ask about each individual's conception of his or her disability rather than making assumptions. By expanding our ideas about the place of the disability in the person's life and learning about it from each individual's perspective, we may better begin to see the capabilities, rather than just the difficulties, in that person's life. This may then change our view of them as possible candidates for educational professions. It is important to not make assumptions about the individual's needs when it comes to things such as field placements . Just as we encourage the individual to disclose a personal perspective on his or her disability, it is important to allow the person to communicate preferences about such crucial factors as the most appropriate placements for field-based practice, accommodations , and alternatives needed as they practice the profession (Reeser 1992). A Guide for Decision Making and Action • 277 Specific actions faculty can take are: 1. Recognize that standardized testing may not accurately reflect the knowledge and skills of a person with disabilities (Coryell, Mobley, Holcomb, and Katz, chap. 12) 2. Learn to identify characteristics that help individuals understand who they are, what they value and how to set and reach realistic goals (Obiakor, Karr, Utley, and Algozzine, chapter 7) 3. Ask about each individual's conception of him- or herself and his or her disability (Keller, chap. 5; Anderson, chap. 9) 4. Create campus environments where individuals feel accepted (Obiakor, Karr, Utley, and Algozzine, chap. 7) 5. Emphasize that failure is not the end of...