Cioe-Peña's video highlighted a lot of points when it comes to students with disabilities and ableism. The main point emphasized is to understand that the student's disability manifests from society's judgment on disabled bodies and from society's failure to accommodate and be inclusive. A student's disability is not the problem but the real disability is ableism itself and how embedded it is in education institutions and in society. All of this made me think a lot about accessibility and how often disability needs are labeled as “special” when in reality they are just different needs just as everybody else has other needs. This also comes to point out that labeling these as “special” justifies the institution's acts of being ableist and exclusive. Inclusion is a deliberate choice and everyone has the choice to make this world accessible.
Furthermore, the video and Cioè-Peña reading of “Not Just a “Mother,” Not Just One Child: Untangling “Parental Engagement” for Mothers of Emergent Bilinguals With Disabilities” highlighted the crucial role of mothers' involvement have in their student's education. The text especially emphasizes how the mother's involvement in their student's education is often not visible because it happens outside of schools. Often when we think of ESL programs, the English language is the only one reinforced but the mothers of bilingual children are the one who often feel responsible for educating their children in their home language because schools lack the resources and accessible programs to reinforce their home language too. Moreover, it was interesting to read about the programs that are supposed to include these mothers to be more active in their children's school because it completely ignores the complex situation that these mothers have to manage such as the being the income earners, not having the ability to communicate with them in the same language which overall highlights that the desire of the mother to be more present is not really related to not being interested but it is the lack availability and resources in these programs that exclude them from participating and getting more involved. Lastly, another point that really affects mother's involvement in their children's schools is immigration and deportation policies that connect to Gallo's and Link's reading. Some mothers can't even show up to these programs because maybe the schools do not provide support towards the parents and their documentation status which also marginalizes the child for not having a safe space to learn. All of this emphasizes the need of having support policies and programs that acknowledge and take into account these mother’s complex realities.