1. Craig Deken Vince Carroll Jennah Beilgard Alejandro Cubria Amina Simmons COUNSELING CLIENTS WITH DISABILITIES

2. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ALOUD  People who are blind live in a world of…  People who are deaf live in a world of…  **ADD Animation so these SLIDE in** "We make assumptions as a culture, and if you trace not far back in our culture you'll find a set of laws today referred to as the "Ugly Laws." Basically, these laws made it illegal for someone with a visible disability to be seen in public for the purpose of soliciting alms or sympathy, and these laws were on the books from the mid 1940's to the mid 1970's. We put our people with disabilities in separate places and told our children not to look or ask questions.” ACTIVITY!!!

3. What does the word disability mean?  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and People with Disabilities disability in three parts:  a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities  a record of such an impairment  having such an impairment  A physical impairment is defined by ADA as "any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine." DISABILITY?

4.  All people with disabilities need to be in special schools.  People who can’t talk are mentally retarded.  People with disabilities like being with other people with disabilities better than with people without disabilities.  Disabilities are a disease. They are contagious.  People who are blind have better hearing than most people  People who have mental retardation can learn to do many things.  People with disabilities don’t want people to feel sorry for them but want to be treated like everyone else.  It is not polite to ask people about their disabilities. They would rather not talk about the subject FACT OR FICTION

5.  Ask BEFORE you Help  Be Sensitive about Physical Contact  THINK before you Speak  Don’t Make Assumptions  Respond to Requests Graciously THE BASICS

6. Do Say:  A person with a disability  Wheelchair User  A person with Tourette’s Syndrome  A person with AIDS  Deaf Don’t Say  Disabled Person  Handicapped  Crippled  Physically Challenged  Special  AIDS Victim  “Hard of Hearing” PEOPLE FIRST LANGUAGE

7.  Let’s Play a Game  Tourette’s Simulation Activity  Video  ETC INTERACTIVE MOMENT

8. POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

9.  Counselors may overlook the impact of an unseen disability on a person’s functioning  Be aware of biases and feelings when working with clients with disabilities:  May experience guilt, pity or feel uncomfortable  May tend to focus solely on disability  May overlook environmental contributions COUNSELING INDIVIDUALS WIT DISABILITIES

10.  Ommission – Overlooking certain areas of a client’s life  Commission – Assuming certain areas should be important because of disability  Failing to address disability at all  Encouraging dependency and “sick” role  Low expectation of client’s capabilities  Countertransference in wanting to “rescue” the client  Emotive nature of disability - Watermeyer COMMON ERRORS MADE IN COUNSELING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

11.  It is generally appropriate to ask a client about disability and its nature  Avoid the “spread” phenomenon  Ask client if there are ways that the disability is part of the presenting problem ADDRESSING DISABILITY WITH CLIENT

12.  Moral Model – “defect” represents some form of sin or moral lapse  Medical Model – disability represents a defect or loss of function that resides in the individual  Minority Model – disability Is seen as an external problem involving failure of environment to accommodate needs and as having negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities MODELS OF DISABILITY

13.  Professional needs to identify the way the disability is viewed by the individual and family members  Moral Model – Focus on finding religious support, reduce guilt, give meaning to experience, develop problem solving approaches  Medical Model – assist in obtaining technology, resources, and training, develop independent living skills, advocate for accommodations in school and work environment  Minority Model – focus on changing environment to facilitate the potential of individuals with disabilities, inoculate them to societal prejudices and discrimination, self-empowerment and self advocacy TALKING MODELS OF DISABILITY

14.  Some people adjust well while others are chronically distressed  68 percent were somewhat or very satisfied with their lives  Compared to 90 percent of the general population  Those who perceived they were in control were most satisfied  Only 18 percent of mental health professionals said they would be glad to be alive with a sever spinal cord injury  Mental health professionals often underestimate quality of life and assume therapy will be useless because of the condition LIFE SATISFACTION AND DEPRESSION

15.  Increasing self efficacy and encouraging clients to direct their own assistance and make important decisions can be helpful  Some people support assisted suicide, but advocates say as an oppressed group, those with disabilities could be coerced WAYS TO ASSIST WITH DEPRESSION