Workshop Materials

The purpose of this book study is to provide background knowledge and information about  inclusion, disability studies, laws, and challenging the norm. Providing spaces for thinking and  discussing experiences and views to move towards inclusion and acceptance in the classroom,  we (faculty, classroom aids, and administration) participate in a book study of Rethinking  Disability (2019) with a focus on chapters one, two and three. These chapters outline the basics  of what teachers need to know in today's classroom.

This presentation is for educators who want to bring a disability studies approach to disability awareness efforts, but need some structured, foundational resources to get started. If you plan to do disability awareness and you want your efforts to result in positive societal changes, this presentation will get you moving in the right direction.

This module contextualizes disability within the social sphere by highlighting some deficit model attitudes towards people with disabilities, a form of ableism, often depicted in media. Focusing on children’s literature as a genre of media, it challenges common stereotypes, presenting examples of negative and positive portrayals of people with disabilities, both overt and subtle. It presents an adapted version of Nasatir & Horn’s (2003) guidelines for evaluating children’s books, as a tool for teachers to use when choosing books for their classroom.

This module focuses on enhancing an understanding of disability from a social model perspective. It seeks to reduce some of the social inequities that occur in classrooms with students from culturally diverse backgrounds by presenting research illustrating the influence of culture on behavior that will enable teachers to assume competence and reject deficit models of disability. It describes the process of cultural reciprocity as a means of privileging the interests and voices of culturally diverse families towards building more effective parent-professional relationships.

This presentation focuses on how we view disability and why it matters at school. Seldom do teachers have the opportunity to think deeply about the way they have come to think about disability, to examine their assumptions, and reflect on their experiences with disability and how that impacts the way they teach. Having time and space for conversation about disability can positively impact our practice and the learning environments we create.