Advocacy Group Project:

Disability Awareness Week

By: Julie Conroy, Lindsey Craft & Brittany Sill-Turner

SCED 512
Summer 2017
 According to the U.S. Department of Education (2016), 12.9% of children aged 3-21

receive services under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In order to qualify for

IDEA, a student must have a disability in one of these categories: hearing impairment, vision

impairment, autism, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, intellectual disability, specific

learning disability, traumatic brain injury, deaf-blind, developmental delay, emotional

disturbance, other health impairments, and speech or language impairments (Quigney & Studer,

2016). Despite representing almost 1 in 7 of our student population, students with disabilities

often have adverse experiences in the educational system, “​[they]... may occupy a secondary,

excluded position in the classroom, and could face issues with peer acceptance, classroom

attitudes, and teacher support” (Back, Keyes, McMahon & O’Neil, 2016). As a result of this

exclusionary attitude, students with disabilities are at a statistical disadvantage emotionally,

academically, and in regards to their future career.

Within the educational environment, studies have shown that children with disabilities

can experience negative peer interactions. These interactions impact students with disabilities by

increasing their risk for social discomfort, rejection, and potential adjustment problems

throughout their lifespan (Borys, n.d.). ​Students with disabilities also experience bullying 1.5

times more often than their able-bodied peers; they are even more susceptible to repeated

bullying (Benz, Blake, Kwok, Lund & Zhou, 2012). ​These negative experiences, along with any

physical or cognitive barrier, might exclude these children from being able to fully participate in

their educational environment. This leads to lower​ graduation rates and higher dropout rates for

students with disabilities. In addition, co​nsiderably fewer individuals with disabilities in the
working age range were employed in comparison with individuals without disabilities (Quigney

& Studer, 2016).

In the fall of 2004, Gina Semenza reflected on her past experience as a student with a

disability. Now, at the age of 23, she hopes to change the way teachers and able-bodied students

interact with and treat students with disabilities. Gina writes:

I believe everyone in education is there trying to do right by the students. However, there

are children with disabilities who are definitely being left behind. Maybe it can be

attributed to a lack of understanding about disability in our society. Even with great

public policies, people are still too often unaware of disabilities issues. Well-intentioned

people frequently use language (e.g., "handicapped" or "wheelchair-bound") that puts the

disability before the person. This suggests that disability awareness is lacking in our

schools. People in education are aware and understand that children from an ethnic

minority, for instance, should not be treated differently, and yet, that level of

understanding does not often translate naturally to people with disabilities. ​(Semenza,

2004)

Gina’s story is all too common, as Taub (2006) found that able-bodied peers of students with

disabilities may react in a number of negative ways to interactions with them, from curiosity to

fear to outright rejection. Taub went on to encourage school counselors to support general

disability awareness and targeted education around specific disabilities experienced by students

(2006). Increased awareness improves accuracy of information, which Sciarra (2004) stated, "is

one way of reducing bias in our schools and in the larger society."
 In addition to benefiting socially and emotionally from increased awareness by their

able-bodied educators and peers, students with disabilities benefit academically, as well. When

we take opportunities to educate a school community, able-bodied students and students with

disabilities are more likely to develop friendships (Taub, 2006). All students feel more connected

to their school when they feel like they belong and they have friends. ​When students feel more

connected to their school environment, they are more likely to experience positive, successful

social interactions with students, teachers, volunteers and visitors, and other staff members

(Borys, n.d.). ​Further, ​Quigney and Studer (2016) explain that ​with this connection comes

“higher grades and better attendance, higher self-esteem and self-concept, less anxiety and

depression, and reduced substance abuse.”

To help ​improve the overall experiences of students with disabilities​ within our school,

we are conducting a Disability Awareness Week during the month of October in an elementary

school. By introducing disabilities to students at a young age, our hope is that students will

become more accepting of people's differences, recognize the strengths of children with

disabilities and the ways they experience life differently, and encourage joint participation within

the social and educational environment. It is important to acknowledge that social awareness and

acceptance often starts in the home. However, students spend a large amount of their time within

the educational environment. The classroom is an excellent place to promote knowledge and

understanding of people with disabilities. The more we can successfully educate our students to

see similarities and not differences among able-bodied peers and students with disabilities, the

more likely they will be to understand different disabilities and empathize with students with

disabilities.
 It is imperative that the community of students with disabilities and their families support

the concept and all aspects of the Disability Awareness Week. Taub (2006) explained that

parents of children with disabilities often fear that information about the disability is not accurate

and that the way it is presented to teachers and able-bodied students is inappropriate. Disability

Awareness Week activities should focus on what students with disabilities can do and not what

they cannot (Taub, 2006). Parents and guardians should always be consulted, and better, they and

their students can and should be involved in the planning and implementation of the Disability

Awareness Week, if they so chose (Taub, 2006).

Teachers and staff engaging in this work must experience professional empowerment.

There are four aspects to professional empowerment which are important to keep in our minds

during these activities (Cordry Golden et al., 2017). First, in order for teachers to feel competent

teaching students about various disabilities, they need to have access to pertinent information.

Next, teachers need to be taught verbal and nonverbal communication skills for appropriate

interactions. This can include using person-first language, for example: “person with a disability”

instead of “disabled person” or leading by example to initiate interaction with all students. Also,

there are a great deal of variables associated with each disability. Therefore, the school counselor

will need to keep an open dialogue with the teacher to help problem-solve areas needing

additional support. Lastly, providing professional development for teachers will create a

sensitivity and awareness around situations that students with disabilities may view as stressful

or embarrassing. With all of these elements in place, teachers will feel more empowered to

successfully interact and teach all students.

Goals:

The goals of the Disability Awareness Week activities include (de Boer, Anke et al., 2013):

1. Instilling in our students a sensitivity for fellow students with disabilities, educating

able-bodied students around people first language, encouraging an educational culture

that nurtures a safe and inclusive environment for students with disabilities in which

bullying is discouraged and respect and appreciation for students with disabilities is

encouraged;

2. An understanding that disability is a natural part of the human experience; we are all

more alike than different; and regardless of disability, every citizen is afforded the same

rights and responsibilities as that of any other;

3. The creation of a more inclusive school community, where students with disabilities are

included in every aspect of society, and every student is acknowledged for their unique

gifts, talents, and contributions;

4. Reaffirmation of the local, state, and federal commitment to the full inclusion in society

of, and the equal opportunity for, all individuals with disabilities; and

5. An increase in empowerment and self-advocacy skills in students with disabilities

through one-on-one and small group counseling sessions.

Follow-up:

After the Disability Awareness Week, the counselors will send out a survey to every teacher to

gather data around the impact of the week. The survey questions will include:

● What was most helpful/useful about the disability awareness activities?

● What could be improved for next year?

 ● Have you noticed an increase in discussions around people with disabilities?

○ Are these discussions more positive than negative?

● Have you notice increased interaction among typically developing children and children

with disabilities?

● Have you noticed children with disabilities advocating for themselves or being leaders?

● Have you noticed children in your class teaching other children about disabilities?

Overview:

Our Disability Awareness Week will take place in the Month of October. Throughout the

week TAB students will be involved in various activities that promote understanding, empathy,

and inclusion around people with disabilities. This endeavor will be school-wide with all

students participating. Prior to this week, the counselor will provide teachers with information

and training around professional empowerment so they will create engaging and focused

activities. They will also provide teachers with a parent notification letter, a schedule of

activities, and lesson plans.

On the first day, classroom teachers will introduce the Disability Awareness Week. The

school counselor will assist the teachers in choosing a disability affirming book to read to their

class. The counselor will check in with every teacher to make sure that the books selected are

from the perspective of people within the disability community. With the help of the counselor,

teachers will prepare discussion questions to facilitate a class conversation about the book.

Following, there will be numerous stations with activities. These stations will highlight

what it can feel like living with autism/communication impairment, intellectual disabilities, and

specific learning disabilities. They will also provide able-bodied peers with the opportunity to
see how students with these disabilities participate in life in their own ways, thus seeing a

disability as a difference and not as a roadblock. At the conclusion of the activities, students will

reflect on ways they can include and support people with disabilities in their daily lives.

The music and physical education classes will also participate in Disability Awareness

Week. The music teacher will devoted a class to vision and hearing impairment activities. The

PE teacher will pick one day where they will host activities that educate students about having a

physical impairment. These activities will be used to cultivate empathy and focus discussions

around the strengths of people will disabilities.

At the culmination of this week, students will participate in a closing activity that

includes a video, discussion, and art project. All art projects will be displayed publically for the

remainder of the month to encourage continued discussions around inclusion and disability

awareness.
 Product: Disability Awareness Week- October

(Bender, 2017)

Age​: Elementary

Duration​: One Week - Each lesson will be 20 minutes

Day One Activity: ​Introduction to Disabilities

a. Teachers will pick from the listed options below, based on grade, as an introductory

activity for their class about disabilities.

i. Grades: K-3rd ​ - Disability Affirming Book and class discussion

1. Sample Books and attached book list:

Title:​ I Love Being My Own Autistic Self: A thAutoons Book

Author:​ Landon Bryce

Title: ​Adam and the Magic Marble: A Magical Adventure

Author: ​Adam Buehrens

Title: ​Ethan’s Story:​ ​My Life with Autism

Author: ​Ethan Rice

Title: ​Just Because

Author: ​Rebecca Elliott
 ii. Grades: 4th and 5th ​ - Disability awareness research and whole class discussion

1. Well known people with disabilities (Adcock, B., & Remus, M. L., 2006).

Name Occupation Disability

Agatha Christie Mystery Writer Epilepsy

Abraham Lincoln 16​th​ President of the US Depression

Albert Einstein Scientist Autism

Christopher Reeve Actor Quadriplegia

Emily Dickinson Poet Mood Disorder

Franklin D. Roosevelt 32​nd​ President of the US Polio

Harriet Tubman Led the Underground Seizures/Blindness

Railroad

Hellen Keller Teacher Blind and deaf

Henry Ford Engineer – Ford Motor ADHD

Company

Louis Braille Inventor Vision Impairment

Ray Charles Singer Blind

Tom Cruise Actor Dyslexia

2. Example Discussion Questions:

a. Were you aware of the person’s disability prior to this activity?

b. What effect did the disability have on these people and their way

of life?

c. Do you personally know anyone with a disability?

i. Does it keep them from doing what they want to do?

Day Two Activity: Communication Impairment

a. Autism/Communication Impairment: Goal: Understand that some kids have sensory and

communication differences

i. Sandpaper on back

ii. Static noise through headphones while trying to talk with friends

iii. Talk only through communication boards and devices

b. Intellectual/ Specific Learning Disability: Goal: Understand that some kid’s brains learn

in a different way and at a different pace

i. Communicate with peers using no words: Tell about your day

ii. Read a jumbled passage to convey the experience of dyslexia

iii. Brain scatter

Days Three and Four Activities: Music and PE Lessons

Music

a. Vision Impairment Activity: Goal: Understand that some kids read and write differently

i. Students try to copy a blurred passage

ii. Students learn about braille and create a name tag using the braille alphabet

iii. Students pick a drawing task, are blindfolded, and attempt to draw blindly

b. Hearing Impairment Activity: Goal: Understand that some kids communicate differently

i. Students listen to song lyrics with cotton balls in their ears and practice signing

c. Discussion Questions

i. How did these activities make you feel?

ii. What was different from your own experience?

iii. What strengths do you see in people with vision/hearing impairment?

iv. What could able-bodied friends do to support students with these disabilities?

PE

a. Physical Impairment: Goal: Understand that some kids participate, move and do things

differently, but that all kids can participate in some way

i. Students attempt to walk up and down steps with a yardstick taped to their leg

ii. Students attempt to open and close containers using only one hand

iii. Video: Man opening a container with one hand: ​https://youtu.be/N4e1CFBfiBY

 b. Discussion Questions

i. How did these activities make you feel?

ii. What was different from your own experience?

iii. What strengths do you see in people with vision/hearing impairment?

iv. What could able-bodied friends do to support students with these disabilities?

Day 5 Activity: Closing Activity

At the end of the week, teachers will close the unit with a short video and in class

activity. The short video portrays how students with disabilities want their able-bodied peers to

focus on who they are as a person, not solely on their disability. Teachers will play the video

and stop at 0:57 and then continue the video at 1:40. As a class students will discuss the main

themes of the clip. Teachers will facilitate the discussion to ensure that students recognize that

while each student is unique in their own way, there is a common human experience that is

shared.

Each student will receive the “i am...” activity handout. This activity provides students

with the opportunity to tell people about themselves. When we provide students the opportunity

to recognize and nurture their positive characteristics and strengths, we help promote confidence

and self-assurance in their daily lives. This activity will encourage students to see the positive

traits they exhibit. See examples:

a. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FshFb7oncew

b. I am... handout
 References

Adcock, B., & Remus, M. L. (2006). Disability awareness activity packet. Retrieved from

https://www.dvusd.org/docs/edservices/Disability_Awareness.pdf

Back, L.T., Keys, C.B., McMahon, S.D., & O’Neil, K. (2016). ​How we label students with

disabilities: A framework of language use in an urban school district in the United

States​. Disability Studies Quarterly, 36, 4, 1-1.

Bender, T. (2017, April 12). How to host a successful disability awareness day. [Web log].

Retrieved from ​http://www.thebenderbunch.com/2017/04/how-to-host-successful-

Disability.html

Benz, M.R., Blake, J.J., Kwok, O., Lund, E.M., & Zhou, Q. (2012) ​National prevalence rates of

bullying victimization among students with disabilities in the United States. ​School

Psychology Quarterly, 27, 210-222.

Borys, A. (n.d.). Promoting disability awareness and acceptance in childhood. Retrieved From

http://www.dsnetworkaz.org/PDF/13Promoting%20Disability%20Awareness%20

and%20Acceptance.pdf

Cordry Golden, Diane et al. "Disability history and awareness: A resource guide for

Missouri". Missouri Department of Education. N.p., 2017. Web. 10 May 2017.

de Boer, Anke et al. “Peer acceptance and friendships of students with disabilities in general

education: The role of child, peer, and classroom variables". Social Development 22.4

(2013): 831-844. Web.

Quigney, T.A., & Studer, J.R. (2016). ​Working with students with disabilities: A guide for
 school counselors. ​New York, NY: Routledge.

Sciarra, D.T. (2004).​ School counseling: Foundations and contemporary issues. ​Belmont, CA:

Thompson/Brooks/Cole.

Semenza, G. (2004, Autumn). A student voice: “Expect the most from us”. ​The Special EDge​,

18, 1.

Taub, D. J. (2006). Understanding the concerns of parents of students with disabilities:

challenges and roles for school counselors. ​Professional School Counseling​, ​10​(1),

51-57.

U.S. Department of Education. (2016). National center for education statistics. Retrieved on

May 10, 2017 from ​https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=64