Page 22 - SEN115 - November/December 2021

Point of view
Point of view: teacher
22
The hidden challenges faced by disabled teachers
Determined to lift the lid on disability, teacher Valenee Gosine discusses the impact of her GNE Myopathy diagnosis upon her profession with Karen Olney.
There’s a resounding sense of calm in the classroom as the teacher moves from student to student to assist with their work. The after-school tuition group at Kip McGrath is quietly focused yet brimming with positive energy. The teacher, Valenee Gosine puts children at ease and cannot resist cracking the odd joke. ‘It is important’ she says, ‘that they are not in the same classroom set up as they have been all day. We want them to look forward to coming for the extra lessons without them feeling like they are back at school.’
It is apparent that Valenee has a great rapport with her students and that this is an environment that she thrives in. Yet there is something quite unique about this classroom. Valenee is, by all accounts, a rarity. She is a teacher with a disability. A 2016 government census implied that less than 1% of teachers, at the time, were disabled. Teaching with a disability is uncommon and it is imperative to ask why this is the case?
Valenee was diagnosed with a rare muscle-wasting disease called GNE Myopathy at the age of 26. The condition is genetic and debilitating and there is no known cure. She has a bilateral
“A rare muscle-wasting disease called GNE Myopathy”
foot drop and suffers from loss of muscle in her legs, meaning that she often uses a mobility walker for support. Valenee describes the muscle loss as similar to having ‘bags of flour’ tied around her ankles. Mobility is a struggle, and the condition has robbed her of the freedoms that others take for granted.
Children, she says, are much more accepting than adults. ‘Most children, when they first meet me, stare because they can’t understand why I walk the way I do.
Some ask, ‘what’s wrong with your legs?’
I have always been upfront with the children and tell them I have a muscle wasting condition. The muscles in my legs are
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