Disabling discrimination ends with ability education programs

The United States of America should implement disability awareness programs in every elementary, junior high, and high school, creating a more accepting environment for all. The following guidelines can be used as a template to create the program.

Objectives:

1. To familiarize all students with the different types of disabilities: physical and cognitive, etc. and their effects
2. To participate in role-playing scenarios, such as how to act when meeting a person with a disability. This would include asking for help, inclusion activities, sensitivity to needs, dealing with peer pressure. In a sense, this would be “sensitivity training.”
3. To allow students to gain more knowledge on disability history since it is essentially a “culture” of people that try to advocate for their rights.
4. To give students the opportunity to interact with people who have disabilities at a young age
5. To learn about successful people with disabilities through projects and guest speakers. This will help them see that people with disabilities can be successful like anyone else.
6. To understand the effects that their discriminatory actions have on a person with disabilities

Time Frame: Students in grades K-12 would participate, although the class would not run every year. The Center on Human Policy has outlined an outstanding plan for teachers to implement Disability Studies for teachers. However, their institution of such curricula is optional. This should not be the case. People with disabilities are a minority group. We cover many other minority groups in school, but we don’t talk about people with disabilities. They do encounter at least as much discrimination as other minority groups.

Outline for Reaching Objectives:

“Ability Studies” textbooks need to be created in order to unify the course and give students sources of reference. This book will be used each year that one participates in Ability Studies and will include information on the topics described below.

The curriculum of Ability Studies will advance with each grade level. It will be incorporated in many classes that already exist. In order to make time for this extra curriculum, each class will be taught for a full academic year, instead of the usual 18 weeks required for semester courses.

In kindergarten, the topic of disability will be introduced through songs and showing and teaching them about the common equipment used (wheelchairs, walkers, crutches etc.) to assist those with disabilities. One day a week, each school will partner with a local Easter Seals to have children who have a range of disabilities spend time playing in an “able-bodied” classroom. Unless children have a family member with a particular disability, children are often not exposed to disabilities until later in life, thus, sometimes causing a negative reaction. Also, this will begin to show young children that people with disabilities are very much like them.

During the 3rd grade Health requirement, students will learn about common childhood disabilities, such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Loss, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Learning Disabilities, Mental and Multiple Disabilities, Speech and Language Impairments, Spina Bifida, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Visual Impairments. Some basic role-playing will take place at this time as well about how to react when seeing one with a disability, and how to refer to a person with impairments. Additionally, a trip will be taken to a local Easter Seals for students to further understand the rehabilitation process. People with disabilities work very hard to become as independent as possible. Thus, they should not be ridiculed.

In the mandated 5th grade Health class, which would extend to a year in order to meet all requirements, an emphasis would be placed upon role playing, as this is the age when students start to become more aware of stereotypes and start to conform to their respective peer groups. They would also discuss the decision-making process and would be required to submit their concerns about people with disabilities. These concerns will then be discussed at length. Each student will also be required to complete an in-depth project on a successful person with a disability, and all projects will be presented to the class in order to emphasize the point that people with disabilities are essentially the same as anyone else. They have goals and the potential to carry them out.

As a part of the Social Studies curriculum in 7th grade, each class would learn about the U.S Constitution as it applies to Disability Laws, as well as hear several successful people with disabilities speak to them throughout the semester. These meetings would be spread out, so students would not become bored. Also, this would provide more of a “visual” aspect to what they learned through their project in grade 5. They would actually see successful adults with disabilities and have the chance to interact with them. These speakers would be from several areas of the professional fields to enforce the idea that people with disabilities can experience success in most any area of their choosing.

During a Sociology class in high school, which would need to be mandated to reach the Ability Studies curriculum goals, students will learn about “Freak Shows” in the 1800’s; abuse of people with disabilities in state mental hospitals; victimizations during World War II; Eugenics; IDEA and ADA -- the mental, physical, and emotional effects of discrimination on the individual and society-at-large and how this influences societal thought.