To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, the SJSU Lurie College of Education met with some of its students, alumni, and faculty from the Special Education department to learn more about their journeys into the field of special education.  Read about or listen to Devdutt Srivastava’s journey below!

“Hello everyone!  My name is Devdutt Srivastava.  The reason why I chose special education was because long ago when I was about 3 years and 10 months old I fell down from a second story terrace in India and hit myself on the right side.  If you know how the wiring of the brain works, the right side controls the left and the left controls the right. Because damaged the right side of my brain, I became hemiplegic, which means my left side is semi-paralyzed.  I went through 5 surgeries and intense therapies, but the one thing that influenced my decision to be a special ed teacher was because I went through special education because I had the accident at a very young age.  I went through it all. I went through early childhood, then I transitioned to a moderate-to-severe class where I was with physically challenged students, and then I transitioned eventually to a resources class. I went into monitor after the 9th grade.  I started my undergraduate studies at San Jose State and graduated in 2016. Then I started my MA and credential program in 2017. I want to inspire students because a lot of these times when I’m in these classes I see students lose hope. They’ll say, “I have a disability and there’s no scope for me” but I want to show them that I was in their place once, and if I can do it, so can you.”