UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Special education is an immensely rewarding yet challenging profession that requires a certain type of passion as well as empathy for children with disabilities. Several graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education (EPCSE) in the College of Education decided to pursue special education careers largely due to personal experiences that inspired them to strive to make a difference in the lives of students with disabilities.
Defying expectations
Doctoral candidate Gwen Deger, who is originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, found her calling early in life in rather dramatic fashion.
At age 10, she accompanied her pregnant mother on a doctor’s appointment and after an amniocentesis was completed, the doctor informed her mother that the unborn baby boy had Down syndrome. He then recommended that she end the pregnancy because “he wouldn’t live past the first day.”
“I said, ‘How dare you decide whether my brother deserves to live or die? You don’t know him. It’s my mom’s choice whether she wants to have this baby or not. No recommendation you make is going to change that.’”
According to Deger, making that bold declaration was a defining moment in her life as well as the initial step of a lifelong vocation as a special education advocate.
Deger, who is one of 11 children, said she got the best birthday present ever when her brother, Samuel Peers was born on her 11th birthday and validated her assertion that he would defy the doctor’s grim prognosis. Sam is now 22.
“He surpassed all the doctor’s expectations, even from that first day,” she said.
Nonetheless, as someone with Down syndrome, Sam has limitations that required occupational, physical and speech therapy. For Deger, observing her brother’s treatments and seeing the positive impact on him helped to solidify her career path.
“I got to see very early on the intervention side of special education and just loved getting to work with Sam and seeing the different kinds of things he could do,” she said. ”I learned very quickly that I wanted to be a special ed teacher and learn about Sam’s needs.”