Transcript of Assuming Competence:

Student 1 [using speech device]: When you are a kid, having adults believe in you and what you can do makes a big difference. 

Student 2 [using speech device]: This is even more important for kids with disabilities like me because sometimes people who don't even know me think that they know what I can and can't do just because I use an assistive speech device. 

Student 3: All kids with disabilities want to be treated like we can do things the same as everybody else. I shouldn't have to prove that I'm ready before being given a chance. 

Student 1: When teachers assume I can't do something or don't give me the support I need, it makes me feel ignored and left out. 

Student 2: When the kids in my class see our teacher treating me differently than everybody else, then they think it's okay to treat me differently too. 

Student 3: If my teacher tells my parents I can't do something, they might listen and might not let me try either. [Student 1]: It makes me feel really awful. 

Student 2: I want adults to believe I can do things and talk to me like I can. 

Student 3: When a teacher helps me find a new way to solve a problem instead of making me feel like I'm the problem, it makes me want to do more things in the future. 

Student 1: Whenever kids see my teacher give me credit for the assignment, even when I do it differently, they see that I'm a part of the class too. 

Student 2: When my parents hear that I did something at school that they didn't know I could do, then it shows them that I can do new things. 

Student 3: If you want every student to be successful, the first thing you have to do is believe in us. 

Student 2: That's why I think teachers should always assume we can. 

Student 1: Because we love how it feels to prove you right.

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