Interview with Kent Shiner, History 150 Honors Spring 2020, Conducted by Caroline Smith, March 10, 2020.
Biography:
I am interviewing my uncle, Kent Shiner.
He was born in 1973. He works as an instructional assistant at Hidden Valley High School in the Roanoke County school district. He has worked at Hidden Valley for 17 years. This is the same county he went to school in. He also went to Roanoke College, so he has lived in the same area his whole life. He received a degree in Physical Education Teaching and Coaching in 1998. He has spina bifida and has been in a wheelchair since he was a child. Spina bifida is a birth defect that results in the spine and spinal cord not forming properly. There are three types with varying severity. My uncle is paralyzed from about the belly button down. He is the third of four kids. His parents worked in the medical field as a nurse and doctor and are now both retired .
Note: My uncle’s cat jumped on the table during the interview. I also edited for clarity and deleted irrelevant information from the transcription.
Research:
The American Disabilities Act of 1990 applies to people with a disability or people in relation to someone with a disability. Businesses with more than 15 employees are prohibited from discrimination of any kind against someone with a disability. State and local governments are required to make accommodations in buildings and in all programs, services, and activities so people with disabilities benefit as much from them as other citizens. This act makes it possible for individuals with disabilities to live somewhat normal lives. It bans discrimination and promotes making accommodations so there is an equal playing field.
Sources:
“Employment Rights.” DisABILITY Law Center of Virginia, DisABILITY Law Center of Virginia, dlcv.org/employment-rights.
“Spina Bifida.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 17 Dec. 2019, ww
w.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spina-bifida/symptoms-causes/syc-20377860.
Transcription:
Caroline Smith 0:00
So can you state your name for the record?
Kent Shiner 0:02
Kent Shiner
Caroline Smith 0:04
And I’m Caroline Smith. Okay.How would you say spina bifida has shaped your life?
Kent Shiner 0:17
One thing for sure that it’s done, typically career wise, is it’s made me choose a career based on how I was, how I was treated growing up and how much help I was given I’m a better person and become more of more of a person that wants to give back. And I feel that choosing a career education is my way of giving back for all those people that have helped me through my life, particularly in education because that’s one of the aspects that needed the best assistance with.
Caroline Smith 1:01
Are there ways that it affects you that you think people wouldn’t consider? Like you can you can drive so like, figuring out how to get in a car. I feel like people wouldn’t consider stuff like that.
Kent Shiner 1:27
You mean as far as they would think that my disability would affect that?
Caroline Smith 1:32
Yeah.
Kent Shiner 1:41
I guess one thing that handful of comments I’ve gotten from from younger people in particular, is the surprise that I can drive in my situation. They think they think oh, I’m driving for my chair, which I’m not. They kind of, they kind of think that I’m always in my chair. So I’m going to be driving from my chair.
Caroline Smith 2:24
So, can you explain like, what your job is?
Kent Shiner 2:30
My job title is an instructional assistant and in simpler terms, it’s a teacher’s aide. And what I do is assist the students with their, with their instructional needs, as far as some of more specific tasks are reading tests, if students have a processing disability. I will assist periodically and taking notes for students. One of the one of the things that I do that helps with the instruction is behavior management, keeping the students that are that have more attention issues, keeping them on task and keeping their behavior monitored. So it so it’s not a disruption to the class. But it’s basically kind of a bridge between the teacher and the students. Because a lot of times what I’ll do is I’ll simplify the instructions of an assignment or I’ll clarify instructions of an assignment or not necessarily instructions, but I’ll clarify a question. If they’re given a list of questions based on reading or based on notes that I will clarify, sometimes I’ll clarify what that question is saying. And sometimes I can do that more on test time and sometimes they don’t want us to give any assistance. But then there’s other times, I feel like they need to understand the question before they can answer it to kind of level that playing the playing field for the students.
Caroline Smith 4:37
So, can you describe why you chose a career in education?
Kent Shiner 4:42
Uh, well, basically based on a point I made about wanting to give back. I had thought about other careers, particularly sports broadcasting because I’ve always loved sports. But then I realized I’ve always been a person that wanted to help others. I volunteered a lot when I was in middle school at the hospital and I did a service fraternity in college. So I’ve always been someone that wanted to help others. And in particular, because growing up in schools, I was given so much help. And so I feel that’s my indirect or direct way of giving back to the community for all the help that I was given. So that’s, that’s kind of one of the big reasons I chose education. One of the other aspects that I like about the job is it fits my personality as someone that enjoys working with other people. That’s one thing about the other job that I thought about I realized how much time I spent by myself. And I realized I need to be working with people. And and I’ve been working in the school systems ever since. So I’ve been working in the school system since 2001, which is almost 20 years now.
Caroline Smith 6:23
How have you seen access change in the school system?
Kent Shiner 6:31
Well, one thing that’s that’s changed is the physical aspects of access. One personal kind of change looking back on history is my elementary school did not have ramps when I was a school. We had another student that was in a wheelchair, two or three years behind me. And within two or three years of me being in middle school, they started putting in ramps. And that’s goes along with education, but also with the idea of just with the American with Disabilities Act. Most buildings or all buildings now have to have some sort of equal access. Some are more accessible than others based on their historical background. They’re not allowed to change them.
One thing that I’ve noticed as well, I remember having and then I remember there being aids in the school where there were extra helpers in the classroom to help students but one thing that’s that’s been different is the idea of co-teachers, which is a special ed teacher working with a specific curriculum teacher, like a math teacher or an English teacher. That helps again, bridge that gap from the curriculum to the student, help them understand it in their in their way because everybody learns differently. That’s one thing that we try to promote with a lot of students, particularly those with learning disabilities with learning disabilities.
It’s not their inability to learn, it’s the fact that they work differently than than most people, which everybody does no matter what your ability level is. And so the big change that I’ve noticed is having those specialized teachers find ways to, to make adaptions to how the students are tested and then how the students are presented the material in particular, and how the assignments are adjusted for their specific disability.
Caroline Smith 9:39
You mentioned the Americans with Disabilities Act. Do you remember like when it passed, do you remember it like anything changing?
Kent Shiner 10:12
Not necessarily right away, but I have no, but I have noticed through the years, of course, that’s been 30 years now. They again, having access and making things easier for those with disability, one of the things that’s changed is a lot of electronic doors. So individuals that are in wheelchairs or individuals that are on on crutches, whatever, don’t have to struggle with the door, they just push a button and the door opens up for them. That’s one big change.
The other thing that I’ve noticed is seeing aspects in the public were they’re finding ways to assist those with hearing disabilities. They’ve got devices where you can can listen to movies better. They’ve got devices to help people be read better that have visual disabilities. There’s more and more, not that these didn’t exist but I think there’s more and more like sign language interpreters at events than you used to see. I’m guessing the philosophy used to be ‘Oh, I’m deaf. I can’t I can’t hear what’s going on so I’m not going to go to the event.’ Well now with the ADA they’re promoting the access more and hiring those people to to do those to those jobs particularly like at like higher education graduations when people give speeches, or call a name, they have the sign language interpretersat the at the graduations, in particular. One of the other things that’s progress and I’m sure it’s based on ADA is the ability for people with physical disabilities to have access to driving like the development of hand controls and the development of lifts in vehicles and the development of more access to public transportation. That’s a big thing as our family’s been traveling that’s one thing that we’ve noticed there’s been a lot easier access to to traveling and traveling around not necessarily going to the places but once you get there getting around and in the public places there’s there’s been more awareness and more access for those it wheelchairs in particular.
Caroline Smith 13:53
Do you think having a doctor and nurse as parents made it any easier growing up?
Kent Shiner 13:59
Oh, yeah. Absolutely they have been obvious advocates for me. First of all that they are parents but then also they have professional connections, social connections that become professional connections for me. They know more people in the medical community making it easier for me to find the doctors that I need for the different for the different aspects of needing physical therapy, neurology appointments for my shunt, even just knowing pediatricians that might have an interest or a specialization in working with people with disabilities. So yeah, I would say that that’s definitely made it easier to find and have access to those resources to keep me as healthy as possible.
Caroline Smith 15:36
Is there any thing you wish had been different when you were in school like reforms you wish were there?
Kent Shiner 15:51
One thing I wish a little bit I guess is having more access to activities, particularly in sports. I was active as I could be in sports growing up, but the only sport that I physically played was was a rec sports in T-ball. Part of the wishes that I could have had more access to play other sports that I enjoy like basketball in particular having more opportunities in the community even if it’s not in the schools but particularly the schools so I can havethe connection with the schools. Even from elementary school all through college, the school that I’ve been affiliated with have been very willing to help and very resourceful, very easy to talk to, and request, things that we feel that we need. Like I said all the way from the elementary school principal that helped us with finding the right kind of aid for me to work with helping figure out the desks that I needed. And then going all the way up to college, where we worked with the college to help structure my classes to make them as accessible as possible because the campus wasn’t completely user friendly. Almost 200 years old, not as many buildings have the access that I would need and so they would switch switch my classes.
In fact, it’s somewhat funny story about having access is that joke with people that they sometimes were a little bit too accomodating. One semesester I was in the same classroom back to back for three hours. Thankfully, I had a break in between classes. But other than that, I was ready to get out of the classroom, because they were a little bit too accommodating. But the fact that they did that for me was really good. The other nice thing that they did that they’re still using is they developed a ramp that I could get up to the stage for my college graduation and come to find out they realized that not only is it nice for those in wheelchairs to have that ramp, it’s also nice for those that are walking because the long gowns make people trip up steps. And so having a ramp makes it smoother and easier for everybody.
Caroline Smith 21:00
What change that you’ve experienced or witnessed are you most proud of for our society or just like access change, like in society or in schools or just like people’s like, mindset or anything like that?
Kent Shiner 21:46
One thing that I’ve that I’m proud of I guess as far as people’s attitudes is, particularly in college, having feelings like I was just another students, that I wasn’t anything special that I was in a wheelchair. They saw me for my personality. I was a physical education major, which you would one would think someone with a physical disability would be able to be successful in that in that curriculum. One of my classmates made that comment that she initially had that idea when I came in the class, like how is he going to be successful, but she quickly though, after getting to know me and seeing who I was in the determination I had she saw me as a person and didn’t see my wheelchair anymore. And that’s one thing that I’ve appreciated about every most everybody that I’ve been acquainted with is that they see me as the person and not someone with disabilities. Sometimes in polite ways, they will ask if I need help but they don’t exclude me in activities or situations because they know me for who I am and know that I’ve found a way to to adapt so they follow through with with invitations or whatever. Yeah. So I guess that’s something that for the most part the attitudes that people have about me is about me as a person and as someone in a wheelchair.
Caroline Smith 24:14
I used to think that everyone had an uncle with a wheelchair. I was like, Oh, that’s not what everyone has. It’s like they’re missing out because they don’t get to go on rides. Okay, that’s all my questions if you have anything you want to add?
Kent Shiner 24:46
One thing that’s helped me through the years is having different rehabilitation experiences. When I was in elementary school, there was a rehab center at UVA that I went to for several summers to work on some of my physical skills. When I was when I was growing up, I actually used a walker and they tried working with me on my walking with a walker. I would have braces. And that was one thing that they that they worked with me and then even locally, I had a physical therapist that helped me do some walking and get some exercise that way. And then the summer between my ninth grade and 10th grade year in high school, I spent a month in Pittsburgh and learned self help skills. Like, like dressing and transferring in and out of beds and transferring in and out of cars, life skills that I would need. And so those were the experiences that I’ve taken with me throughout my life. That was really nice to have those those opportunities to learn skills with the combination of having other people in a similar situation that I that got could relate to. The Pittsburgh clinic, in particular, it was specifically a spina bifida clinic so all the patients were individuals with spina bifida so we could share share stories. And so that was kind of a neat and I’ve stayed connected with a handful of them, including one of the volunteers, we became pen pals. And that was 30 years ago. I had that opportunity to get to know people that were like me and share our experiences.
Caroline Smith 27:54
Thank you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai