Lorain City Schools Educators Engage in Disability Simulation to Build Classroom Empathy

It's one thing to read about a disability. It's another thing to live it even for a few minutes.

Lorain City Schools intervention specialists recently participated in a professional development session called Decoding Disabilities, hosted by the Educational Service Center of Lorain County. The full-day training immersed educators in simulations designed to help them experience what life can feel like for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

By the end of the day, participants had walked through simulated experiences of visual, hearing and speech impairments, as well as emotional, cognitive and developmental disabilities — 12 of the 13 IDEA-recognized categories.

"Our goal with this simulation is to help professionals really get a feel for what students might be feeling in the classroom who have one of our 13 disability categories, and make sure they have a clear definition of those 13 disability categories," said Dr. Elizabeth Striegl, educational audiologist with the ESC of Lorain County.

A Lesson in Frustration and Understanding

One exercise mirrored what a student with an emotional disability might experience during class. Participants were asked to complete a jigsaw puzzle as the instructor gave seemingly simple directions and plenty of encouragement. But she also carried around a small speaker that whispered a steady stream of self-doubt as she walked from each "student."

"I'm useless."

"Nothing I try ever works." 

"I'm not capable of change."

The words were jarring. Moreso, because they are likely an echo of the thoughts some students may internalize about themselves every day. As the phrases filled the room, the group worked feverishly to piece together bright, cheerful puzzles while the clock ticked down to zero.

"You were doing really well, and then I came over with those voices—what happened?" asked Danielle Holztrager, the ESC's director of Special Education Services.

"It was so obnoxious," one participant admitted, shaking her head.

Garfield Elementary School Intervention Specialist Andrea Ryder said the experience left her rattled.

"Even when we were getting encouragement, I still felt like I was struggling," she said. "I'm already not good at puzzles, and I couldn't finish. The praise almost made it worse, and my brain kept saying, Why can't I do this?"

That realization hit home for many educators who pride themselves on motivating students with positive reinforcement, but left the session questioning how that encouragement lands with children already battling internal noise.

Seeing the Unseen

For veteran teacher Cheryl Bansek of Stevan Dohanos Elementary, the visual impairment simulation was

especially moving. Wearing goggles that allowed her to see only light-colored images, Bansek struggled to navigate even simple tasks.

"That disability only allowed me to see light colored images, like white colored images," she said. "That made me very sad to know that a person with dark skin can't see their own image or the images of their dark-skinned family members. They can only see white images in the world."

After 36 years in education, Bansek said she's constantly learning new ways to serve students with dignity and care. 

"Verbal cues aren't always the go-to," she said. "I think we really try to encourage kids verbally, and maybe that's not always a positive thing. Maybe we can use more tangible items to encourage students."

Building Empathy Through Experience

Hillary Rios, Lorain's Associate Director of Special Education, said the training is one she thinks every educator should experience. 

"What it does is it allows you to feel what the student is feeling in that moment," she said. "It allows you to feel that frustration. I think a lot of times if you are not able to empathize in a real way, and it's hard for you to understand what they are going through."

That kind of perspective, she said, transforms classrooms, especially for students with cognitive disabilities, which are often not as evident because of their invisibility.

'It allows them to see and feel what a student who has a cognitive deficit might feel in a classroom, and it allows them to feel all of the extra pressure they may have to try to perform well," she said.

Seeing Every Student

Striegl said the ESC's goal is to give educators not just information, but insight. 

"Every educator needs to understand that each student is an individual and every student needs something different to be as successful as possible," she said. "We want all of our students to succeed, and our students want to succeed. We need to understand how to get them there."

Bansek agreed. 

"Honestly, when I look back over my career, I feel like I always had good intentions, and I was being intentional with planning," she said. "Now, with just getting more information and education, I feel like there were probably some things I missed along the way that I will absolutely be better with intention in the future."