Disability Awareness/Sensitivity for Secondary Students Developed by: FDLRS/Gateway 4256 SW County Road 152 Jasper, FL

Purpose…. To expand knowledge, understanding, and awareness of individuals with disabilities

Disability Awareness Quiz

Please answer True or False ____1. A person with a learning disability has a lower than average IQ. ____2. A person who can't hear can use the telephone. ____3. A disability could be contagious. ____4.A person who has cerebral palsy always has an intellectual disability. ____5. A person who uses a wheelchair can't play basketball. ____6. A person who is blind cannot read. ____7. A person who has an intellectual disability cannot get a job. ____8. A person who has a disability cannot live alone. ____9. A person who has a disability cannot vote.

There are many types of disabilities. Some disabilities can be seen, others cannot. Disabilities might include: Vision, hearing, or speech Physical disabilities Mental disabilities Emotional disabilities Health disabilities

People with disabilities are like everyone else, they : Share many of the same values, interests, hopes and dreams They desire to: Be independent Earn a living Enjoy recreation and leisure activities Live their dreams

People First Language…… Put the person before the disability

“People-First” Language Instead of …… The disabled; handicapped; crippled; suffers from a disability The blind The deaf; deaf and dumb; suffers a hearing loss Say … Person with a disability Person who is blind; person with a visual impairment Person who is deaf; person with a hearing impairment

“People-First” Language Instead of…. Crazy; psycho; lunatic Retarded; mentally defective Confined or restricted to a wheelchair; wheelchair bound Cripple; lame; handicapped; deformed Say…… Person with mental illness Person with an intellectual disability Person who uses a wheelchair Person with a physical disability

The first activity is…. Paragraph Written by a Student with a Disability

I suspect that the child with a learning disability must frequently experience an Alice in Wonderland existence. Often we find that he must cope with an unstable world, inconsistent adults and haphazard perceptions. He’s confused by the crazy symbols we give him, pressured by the length of time to do it and frustrated by his repeated failures. He does not learn the traditional way and so we must teach him differently.

Visual Perception Activities These activities demonstrate that things are not always what they seem to be. Our thoughts/opinions/feelings about things are influenced by our perception.

Visual Perception Activity #1

Visual Perception Activity # 2

The next Activity….. A Drawing Challenge

The last activity is………… Follow the Leader an activity designed to show what the school experience might be like for some students with disabilities

Closing Discussion Other ideas on how to promote better communication with people with disabilities