Seminar 8 Instructor: Bina Roginsky, Psy.D

What is a disability?  According to the ADA:  a person with a disability is generally defined as someone who: has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more "major life activity"; has a record of such impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment.  According to the United Nations:  Impairment: Any loss or abnormality of psychological or anatomical structure or function.  Disabil ity: Any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.  Handicap: A disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or disability, that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal, depending on age, sex, social and cultural factors, for that individual. Handicap is therefore a function of the relationship between disabled persons and their environment. It occurs when they encounter cultural, physical or social barriers, which prevent their access to the various systems of society that are available to other citizens. Thus, handicap is the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others

What are we striving for? “A healthy community is] one that is continually creating and improving those physical and so- cial environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and in developing to their maximum potential.” [World Health Organization] “Most of the common practices of society have a ‘non-disabled’ bias and the norms by which everyday life is perceived are based on the experiences of non-disabled people. This bias has the effect of marginalizing people with disabilities, who are prevented from enjoying equal opportu- nities in health care, education, employment and recreation” [M. Peat]

Learning Disabilities  Spoken language—problems in listening and speaking  Reading—difficulties decoding or recognizing words or understanding them  Written language—problems with writing, spelling, organizing ideas  Math—trouble doing arithmetic or understanding basic concepts  Reasoning—problems organizing and putting together thoughts  Memory—problems remembering facts and instructions  Social behavior—difficulties with social judgment, tolerating frustration and making friends  Physical coordination—problems with handwriting, manipulating small objects, running and jumping  Organization—trouble with managing time and belongings, carrying out a plan  Metacognition (thinking about thinking)—problems with knowing, using and monitoring the use of thinking and learning strategies, and learning from mistakes

Using Technology  What assistive technologies are you familiar with?  What have you noticed are “mainstream” peer reactions to these technologies?  Have you come across areas in which technologies were continued to be used for long periods of time?

Least Restrictive Environment  To the maximum extent appropriate, chil- dren with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.  What are some issues/questions that arise?  What are tough decisions faced by teachers/administrators?

This week Reading Two discussion board threads Research and document your experience- you will need it for DB and project Start thinking about the final week/project with any questions/ideas!

Additional resources Disability Disability ?article=1001&context=uchcgs_presentations ?article=1001&context=uchcgs_presentations