By Jamal McLaurin

“They’re not a priority, and they need to be.”

Azizu McLaurin

“They’re not a priority, and they need to be” (McLaurin). Ganesha, the revered elephant-headed god symbolizing wisdom, success, and the removal of obstacles, embodies the spirit of children with disabilities. Although support for disabled children may seem minimal, many have learned to adapt and persevere with or without it. Today, disability is more common and recognized. An article on opa.hhs.gov titled “Trends in Prevalence of Disabilities among Youth” indicates that disability is relatively prevalent across America:

The National Survey of Children’s Health identified 1 in 4 children ages 12 to 17 as having special health care needs in 2019, and the American Community Survey estimates that more than 1.3 million U.S. young people ages 16 to 20 have a disability. Many young people have more than one condition: 17 percent of children ages 12 to 17 have two or three chronic conditions and 10 percent have four or more chronic conditions. (para. 1)

Unfortunately, the concept of disability is common and so is the lack of support. For the Stories of Newark Oral History Project, I had the opportunity to interview Azizu McLaurin, a teacher at Peshine Avenue School, who understands how essential it is to be a positive force in the lives of the youth. The Newark, NJ native, sat down with me to express what is needed for the progression of our youth and what he wishes the public understood about being an educator.

The prominent themes from the interview highlighted the necessity for outreach and guidance, increased individual support, and assistance from external sources such as the community. Every identified element act as a foundational guide for Azizu’s strategy in supporting and advocating for children with disabilities. Too often, the responsibility is solely placed on families to navigate and help acclimate said individuals in civilization, but it requires the collective if the end goal is success.  It takes hard, dedicated individuals like Azizu, who put the needs of his students first while making a lasting impression.

Children Simply Require Social Engagement and Guidance

Social engagement and advice was stressed upon by Azizu; aside from providing the educational aspect of his job description, he also serves as an ally to most of his students. Children frequently find comfort and solace when they have an instructor who acts as a mentor, aiding in their development and nurturing their social skills. Azizu states, “I give them the male advice. I give them the real. I give them the social skills that they need to take with them when they leave Peshine Avenue. So, I’m doing things as a father should do.” As a father, Azizu revealed the driving force behind the passion he brings to his students and profession, “Once I became a father, It made me gravitate to kids just that much more because I realized if my children needed help or if my children were disabled and were in an environment where they needed someone like me and I wasn’t around, I would want someone to be like how I am and treat them the same way with love, with respect, and with care to care for their future.” Many children are raised in a single parent household. Studies show nearly 16 million children—about 21%—live only with single mothers, compared to 8% in 1960. In an article published by psychologytoday.com, entitled “The Effects of Absent Fathering on Children’s Well-Being”:

One study hypothesized that a child’s contact with his or her nonresident father would decrease the child’s behavior problems when conflict between the father and mother was low but increase behavior problems when the interparental conflict was high. Fascinatingly, although the hypothesis was supported among boys from divorced families, no support was found among girls (Amato and Rezac, 1994).

Ensuring a child’s well-being can be a daunting task, particularly for a single mother. The complexity increases when the child has a medical condition and depends entirely on the mother for support while adjusting to new life challenges. The attention that is required often gets dismissed due to lack of assistance. Azizu proves by his efforts that going the extra mile can make a difference. 

Further research conducted by the National Library of Medicine indicates that father absence has negative consequences for children’s behavior.  In the article published by ncbi.nlm.nih.gov entitled “The cross‐lagged relationship between father absence and child problem behaviour in the early years”, indicated that a “father absence at age 3 predicted a higher probability of the child scoring above cut‐off for total difficulties at age 5, as did father absence at age 5 for total difficulties at age 7 (para. 3).” As an 8^th grade ERI (emotional regulation impairment) math teacher, Azizu daily task as an educator is to nurture and help repair the fundamental foundation of his students who might find fault in the structure of the discipline. He sees beyond their disadvantages and attempts to strengthen their assets, which in return boosts their self-esteem and self-worth. When asked if he thinks students appreciate and value him as a male figure, Azizu replied: 

My kids are forever grateful, man. I have kids who graduated last year from the 8th grade. They’re currently in high school, but they still reach out to me, come to see me, and call me for advice. If they’re hitting a speed bump in the road, they call me to say, hey, I need to vent and figure certain things out. I’m that person they call, and I’m grateful for it.

The data and feedback from this interview appear to confirm that children recall the teachers who played a pivotal role in their developmental stages. This reinforces the idea that it is crucial for us as a society to be more aware of the way we interact with the youth, particularly those with disabilities. Even a small contribution can have a profound effect, ensuring that every young person is empowered to shape their own future with the support of the community. Children today can stand to benefit from someone taking the time to concern themselves with their emotional, physical, and mental well-being—like Azizu.

More One-on-One

The typical learning environment requires a level of independence on behalf of the student. They are expected to complete tasks set forth by their instructor with minimal guidance. For body-able individuals, this challenge is doable, but for a member of the disabled community, this challenge is daunting and overwhelming. Providing more one-on-one support in various educational institutions on multiple levels would ensure classroom success rates. According to spectrumlife.org, in an article entitled “One-to-One Support in the Classroom”:

Sometimes an aide is appropriate if a student is unable to participate in class without constant prompting. For instance, does the student need adults in close proximity constantly to stay on task? If so, an aide might make sense! The aide could help the student access instructions, transitions, or even social interactions. (para. 5)

The article stresses the significance of one-on-ones like Azizu who states:

One-on-one is the biggest thing because a kid can succeed. A disabled kid can succeed further with a one-on-one than without it. Because when they have that one-on-one, the times that they feel like giving up, or feel like this is not it, or the times that they feel like I don’t know this, that’s where the one-on-one comes in. They will always have someone to say, look, hey, this is how you do this, or this is how it’s done, or this is what you should be doing, as opposed to them trying to figure it out themselves. They’re disabled; they should never be left alone to figure it out by themselves.

If society cares to bear witness to the greatness of individuals who have a disability, then a community effort needs to be put in place that uplifts them, not hold them back or obstruct their path. Far too often there is a bit of resistance to seeking higher education by those who have had a rough start in the education system. The lack of one-on-one support and attention to individual needs has been matched with a reluctance to go beyond the government-mandated school level. According to an article published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.gov entitled “Access and Participation of Students with Disabilities: The Challenge for Higher Education,” it indicated:

 In this sense, access to university for people with disabilities is a legally recognized right […] We are aware that there is gradually a greater commitment on the part of universities to move towards this objective; despite this, works and studies that give students a voice conclude that universities become an obstacle course that, on many occasions, generates a premature abandonment of university studies. (para. 3)

While individuals with disabilities legally have the right to pursue higher education, the discouragement they face is widespread due to the disparities encountered when attempting to do so. Efforts towards inclusivity have been recognized, and progress has been achieved, but for some, these efforts alone are insufficient. Personalized attention may be the missing piece of the puzzle, potentially creating an environment conducive to enabling all students to pursue their dreams. Often there is progress in the form of accommodation available for those in need, Azizu expressed a desire for more:

Everybody knows colleges are a grown person’s atmosphere. It’s up to you to do what you must do. Nobody’s babying you. Because of that, many kids feel like I can’t even go to college. So, I feel like the support aspect needs to be much more, especially for disabled kids. Not to mention, there should be more disability programs.

In this segment of the interview, Azizu highlighted the critical need for additional support, likening it to survival skills. He argued that college prep programs are essential for adequately preparing students for future challenges and advocated for an abundance of such programs throughout their college tenure. The story’s moral is that when children from various backgrounds have the essential tools for success and opportunities to showcase their strengths, their potential is boundless.

Who is Without Help?

Assistance can manifest in various ways; for some, it may be a shoulder to lean on or guidance through a challenging task. Regrettably, for individuals with special needs, particularly children, such assistance may be scarce. During this portion of the interview, Azizu spoke passionately regarding the younger generation of kids overcoming adversity and what we could do to help.

I would say the majority of kids have been dealing with challenges since they were labeled disabled. Once you have the title of disabled, people automatically start treating you differently and less than others. A lot of kids who are disabled are brilliant, intelligent, and have a bright future ahead of them. But they will never reach that full potential because people always shoot them down because of their disabilities.

In the above statement, Azizu is highlighting the target placed on the backs of our future doctors, lawyers, and educators. The unrealistic standards placed on an already marginalized group of people need to be dismantled and replaced with advocacy. Educators can take a page out of Azizu’s book on how they should conduct themselves going forward regarding leadership. Azizu feels strongly that educators and the rest of humanity should:

Learn to deal with disabled kids and learn to have patience. Patience is a virtue; patience is a priority. You must have patience; if you don’t, you don’t need to work with those kids. There are times when you’re going to be frustrated; there are times when you’re going to be tired. Sometimes, you’ll get fed up with the student, but you must have patience at the end of the day. So, I will tell the whole world if you’re going to deal with any disabled kid ─ have patience.

From an educator’s perspective, a lot can be said about his call and response for inclusivity, but one must remember it takes a village, and he can only do so much. Society needs to join Aziz’s crusade and pledge an oath to be a positive, motivated force in the lives of all children, but especially children with disabilities. Just like all lives can’t matter until Black Lives Matter, we can’t push the notion that everyone deserves an equal opportunity if we don’t make disabilities a priority. Social engagement and guidance, enhanced personal support, and assistance from external entities such as the community are all elements that we, as a society, must rally behind to ensure a sustained and flourishing future for our youth. Ganesha, known as the remover of obstacles, serves as a timely reminder that we should embrace the principles of this Hindu deity to remove barriers hindering the progress of children with disabilities.

Works Cited:

Batanero, J. M. F., Rueda, M. M., & Fernández‐Cerero, J. (2022). Access and Participation of Students with Disabilities: The Challenge for Higher Education. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 11918. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911918 

Flouri, E., Narayanan, M. K., & Midouhas, E. (2015). The cross‐lagged relationship between father absence and child problem behaviour in the early years. Child: Care, Health and Development, 41(6), 1090–1097. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12236 

McLaurin, Azizu. Interview. Conducted by Jamal McLaurin. 18 February 2024.

Lmft, B. G. E. (2020, April 11). Nearly 16 million children—about 21%—live without fathers. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/progress-notes/202004/the-effects-absent-fathering-childrens-well-being 

One-to-One support in the classroom. (n.d.). Spectrum Life Magazine. https://www.spectrumlife.org/blog/one-to-one-support-in-the-classroom-678 

Trends in Prevalence of Disabilities among Youth. (n.d.). HHS Office of Population Affairs. https://opa.hhs.gov/adolescent-health/physical-health-developing-adolescents/introduction-chronic-conditions/trends-disabilities-youth