“DISABILITY AWARENESS IN SCHOOLS”

“The only true disability is the inability to accept and respect differences”-UpJourney

Everyone, Everyday is being developed to promote awareness throughout the Canberra community about people with disability and their capabilities and contributions, and to foster respect for their rights and dignity. It is intended that the program will positively influence attitudes and behaviours within the community by raising awareness amongst the next generation of decision-makers (those currently in the 4-17 age bracket).

Everyone, Everyday is a curriculum resource for ACT teachers to raise student awareness about including people with disability. The resource will include a set of classroom activities that are evidence based and align with the new Australian Curriculum and the ACT Schools Curriculum Framework – Every Chance to Learn.

The curriculum resource will initially be developed and trialled for primary school teachers of students in years 3 to 5. It is intended that the resource will be trialled in 2012.

While the primary audience for the curriculum resource is teachers, it can also be used by staff in after school care, holiday programs and community clubs and groups to foster awareness about inclusion in children and young people in those settings.

We know that nationally and internationally children and young people with disability experience greater levels of bullying and isolation from peer groups, and lower levels of participation in sports and community life than children and young people without disability.

The literature indicates that successful inclusion of children and young people with disability is more than just the presence of children with disability in mainstream schools. By raising the awareness of all students about disability, it is intended that Everyone, Everyday will help schools to enhance the quality of interactions and friendships between students with and without disability.

In addition to day to day interactions, it is also intended that Everyone, Everyday will foster long term positive attitudes towards people with disability amongst the next generation of decision makers as employers, service providers, business owners, advocates, policy makers, teachers, colleagues, neighbours and friends.

The Everyone, Everyday resource seeks to do more than foster positive attitudes. There are many small actions that we can all take to include people with disability in our community. Over time, many small actions undertaken by lots of people will lead to a more welcoming and inclusive community for people with disability. It is intended that Everyone, Everyday will equip students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to take personal and collective action to enhance the inclusion of people with disability in community life.

Considerable international evidence supports that students with disability are bullied and harassed more often than students without disability, with students with learning disabilities more highly represented as victims. Bullying and harassment may come in the form of teasing, physical aggression, spreading rumours, social exclusion, taking belongings, imitating and being made fun of.

Attending special classes, requiring extra help, being seen to be different, being treated differently by teachers or having a lack of social awareness can increase the risk of being bullied and harassment. Bullying is a problem of international significance for all students. Its impacts can include decreased academic performance, absenteeism, anxiety, depression, poor esteem, impaired concentration, self harm and suicide.

Activities and lesson plans contained within these resources focus on understanding disability and its effects, understanding the exclusion and inclusion of people with disability and equipping students with the skills to take inclusive action in their own lives and communities.

Activities relating to understanding disability and its effects include:

? Looking at the progression of disability issues over history

? Exploring myths about disability and stereotypes

? Examining personal attitudes towards disability

? Factual information about particular disabilities

? Communicating with people with disability, including Braille, Auslan and though non verbal

methods

? Attending sports games that include people with disability

? Understanding the effects of disability in everyday activities such as cooking, shopping and moving around

? Exploring artists with disability

? Famous people with disability

? Learning about assistive technologies

Activities regarding the exclusion and inclusion of people with disability include:

? Understanding similarities and differences between everyone

? Making friends – inclusive play and games

? Inclusive clubs and programs for young people

? Accessibility and universal design – at school, in the community and local businesses

? Positive and respectful language and positive portrayal of people with disability in the media.

? Inclusive events

? Identifying barriers and challenges in every day living, the school and the community

? Inclusive schooling

? Rights and responsibilities, including UN Human rights

? Access to work

? Accessible web design

? Inclusive recreation and sport

Activities that support students to take personal or collective action include:

? Organising joint inclusive activities in schools with integrated environments as well as activities between mainstream schools and specialist schools.

? Letter writing to raise awareness

? Inventing equipment, solutions and adaptations

? Surveying the local environment (school, community, businesses) and raising awareness of findings

? Fundraising to address access barriers at their school

? Awards to recognise Primary and Secondary schools that have improved access and inclusion for students

There are 7 proposed student learning outcomes for the Everyone, Everyday Curriculum Resource:

1. The student can describe different disabilities and the effects of disability on everyday living, using language that is positive and respectful of people with disability.

2. The student can identify stereotypes and myths about people with disability and recognises that not all people with disability are the same.

3. The student can explain how language and images are used to portray people with disability in the media and film, positively or negatively.

4. The student participates in activities that celebrate the capabilities and contributions of people with disability.

5. The student can demonstrate the different ways people with disability may communicate, including through braille, sign language, non-verbally and communication aids.

6. The student can identify access barriers in their local environment and suggest, invent or create solutions for easier access. This might include barriers at school, school events, playground, the home or in sports, recreation and arts activities.

7. The student can identify scenarios where someone with disability is being treated unkindly or unfairly and suggest ways to rectify this.