Christmas in Purgatory

I learned a great deal from watching the Willowbrook video and discussing the Christmas in Purgatory book. One of the most interesting things I discovered was how recent the events we saw and talked about actually happened. I had not realized that the kinds of inhumane images we saw had only happened less than 50 years ago. It was hard for me to believe that other people, who were not in the same position as those who had to give up their children and loved ones and send them away, could just turn their heads and look the other way. After seeing the video and receiving a glimpse into the lives of the people and families that had to live through the traumatic events that took place I completely agreed with the Christmas in Purgatory book that “there is a hell on earth.”
One of the main things I realized from the video and class discussion was that helping better the education and accommodations for students with disabilities is a job for every educator. The video helped me relate the information to my own life by making me realize one major flaw that I failed to see in myself was thinking that because I am not a special education major it is not as important for me to help take the necessary steps to better the educational need of those with disabilities. After watching the Willowbrook video I realized that much of the problem with what happened may have begun with people who looked the other way because they thought it was of no concern of theirs. The images and video really helped me grasp the realness of what happened. It was truly something I had to see to believe. I think it related to the course information by really opening students eyes and making us want to learn more and do more to make things better for those with disabilities. The information I learned has made me realize that my view on what role I should play in helping students with disabilities was incredibly off. This fact really made me like the video because it helped give me a better