Education 415 M U L T I C U L T U R A L EDUCATION

1. Education 415MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION Dr. Pauline Leonard Class 6

2. Class 6 Overview • Exceptionalities • Disabilities • Presentation, Discussion, Co-operative Learning Activity • Graphic Organizer • Giftedness (Group 4 Presentation) • Online Reading: Assessing Your Readiness for teaching in a culturally diverse classroom • Autobiographical Writing

3. EXCEPTIONALITY

4. Chapter 13: Educational Equality for Students with Disabilities (William L. Heward & Rodney A. Cavanaugh)

5. EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS • Who are considered exceptional students? • Learning or behavioral characteristics differing substantially from most other students • Require special attention in instruction • Includes • students with disabilities • gifted and talented students

6. Define • Handicap • Disability

7. What is a disability? A loss or reduced function of a certain body part or organ

8. A child with a disability cannot perform certain tasks (e.g., walking, speaking, seeing) in the same way in which nondisabled children do

9. What is the difference between the terms disability and handicap? A disability does not constitute a handicap unless the disability leads to educational, personal, social, vocational, or other difficulties for the individual

10. A physical, behavioral, or cognitive disability is considered a handicap when it adversely affects the educational performance of a student.

11. Students with disabilities are entitled to special education and related services because their physical or behavioral attributes conform to one or more categories of disability.

12. Disability as a Social Construct The establishment of membership criteria in any group is, by definition, socially constructed because the criteria have been created by human beings.

13. 10 Categories (Labels) of Disability • Mental retardation or development disabilities • Learning disabilities • Behavior disorders or emotional disturbance • Communication (speech and language) disorders • Hearing impairments • Visual impairments • Physical and other health impairments • Severe and multiple disabilities • Autism • Traumatic brain injury

14. Eligibility for Special Education Under current law, to receive an individualized program of special education services a student must first be identified as having a disability, that is must be labeled, and then further classified into one of the categories, such as learning disabilities or visual impairment.

15. What are advantages and disadvantages of labeling and classifying students with disabilities?

16. Some believe it serves to stigmatize and exclude them from the mainstream of educational opportunities Others argue that a classification is necessary to obtain the special educational services and programs that are prerequisite to educational equality for exceptional students See Chapter 13 for list of advantages and disadvantages.

17. What is Public-Law 94-142? • Public Law 94-142 (1975) • Originally titled “The Education for All Handicapped Children Act” • Later changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) • Landmark legislation: • requires free public education for all children with disabilities, nondiscriminatory evaluation, and individualized education program (IEP) for each student with a disability • Each student with a disability should be educated in the least restricted environment (LRE)

18. Six main principles of IDEA 1. Zero Reject 2. Nondiscriminatory Identification and Evaluation 3. Free, Appropriate Public Education 4. Least Restrictive Environment 5. Due Process Safeguards 6. Parent and Student Participation and Shared Decision Making

19. Special Education in a Diverse Society • Asian Pacific Students generally underrepresented in disability categories and overrepresented in gifted and talented programs • African American students overrepresented in mild mental retardation and severe emotional disturbance • Latinos overrepresented in programs with learning disabilities and speech language impairments • Native Americans overrepresented in learning disabilities and underrepresented in gifted

20. Why are students of color and low-income students overrepresented in special education?

21. Possible reasons…. • Culturally biased IQ tests • Cultural differences in behavior equated with learning disabilities • Socially acceptable racial segregation (Dunn, 1968)

22. Educations must adopt an “inclusive pedagogy”: • Pay attention to the adequacy of assessment and placement procedures • Provide appropriate support services responsive to cultural and linguistic needs • Understand, respect, and appreciate a child’s culture; be culturally inclusive in teaching in terms of addressing learning styles

23. Handicap Disability Physical, Behavioral, or Cognitive Characteristic

24. Handicap Disability Theresa travels to the museum with her mother because the bus is not wheelchair accessible. When she arrives, debris must be moved from the wheelchair accessible entrance before she can enter. Once in, she is able to observe the displays in the downstairs section of the museum only. Theresa goes on a field trip to the local museum with her classmates. She is able to board the bus and enter and move around in the museum without constant assistance. All are wheelchair accessible. Physical Characteristic: Theresa is paraplegic.

25. Myth 1 A person with a disability is sick, or has something wrong with them.

26. Myth 2 People with disabilities have a poor quality of life. 

27. Myth 3 People with disabilities are inspirational, brave, and courageous for living successfully with their disability.

28. Myth 4 People with disabilities always need expensive and high-tech assistive devices or services.

29. Myth 5 People with severe disabilities need to live in nursing homes or rehabilitation hospitals or under constant supervision so that they do not hurt themselves.

30. Myth 6 Myth: People with disabilities are a small segment of the U.S. population.

31. Attitudinal Barriers • People with disabilities encounter many different forms of attitudinal barriers. Attitudinal barriers can be much more difficult to remove than architectural barriers. Ramps and elevators can be installed, but to alter a person's way of thinking is far more complicated. Different types of attitudes toward people exist, some more dangerous than others. Those negative attitudes that result in discrimination are prohibited by law. Do you have any of the attitudes that serve as barriers to persons who are disabled?

32. Attitudinal Barriers: Group Activity • You will examine a specific attitudinal barrier with your group. You will role play a situation which depicts this attitudinal barrier. The audience will attempt to identify the barrier evident in your role play.

33. Inferiority • Because a person may be impaired in one of life's major functions, some people believe that individual is a "second-class citizen." However, most people with disabilities have skills that make the impairment moot in the workplace.

34. Pity • People feel sorry for the person with a disability, which tends to lead to patronizing attitudes. People with disabilities generally don't want pity and charity, just equal opportunity to earn their own way and live independently.

35. Hero worship • People consider someone with a disability who lives independently or pursues a profession to be brave or "special" for overcoming a disability. But most people with disabilities do not want accolades for performing day-to-day tasks. The disability is there; the individual has simply learned to adapt by using his or her skills and knowledge, just as everybody adapts to being tall, short, strong, fast, easy-going, bald, blonde, etc.

36. Ignorance • People with disabilities are often dismissed as incapable of accomplishing a task without the opportunity to display their skills. In fact, people with quadriplegia can drive cars and have children. People who are blind can tell time on a watch and visit museums. People who are deaf can play baseball and enjoy music. People with developmental disabilities can be creative and maintain strong work ethics.

37. The Spread Effect • People assume that an individual's disability negatively affects other senses, abilities or personality traits, or that the total person is impaired. For example, many people shout at people who are blind or don't expect people using wheelchairs to have the intelligence to speak for themselves. Focusing on the person's abilities rather than his or her disability counters this type of prejudice.

38. Stereotypes • The other side of the spread effect is the positive and negative generalizations people form about disabilities. For example, many believe that all people who are blind are great musicians or have a keener sense of smell and hearing, that all people who use wheelchairs are docile or compete in paralympics, that all people with developmental disabilities are innocent and sweet-natured, that all people with disabilities are sad and bitter. Aside from diminishing the individual and his or her abilities, such prejudice can set too high or too low a standard for individuals who are merely human.

39. Backlash • Many people believe individuals with disabilities are given unfair advantages, such as easier work requirements. Employers need to hold people with disabilities to the same job standards as co-workers, though the means of accomplishing the tasks may differ from person to person. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require special privileges for people with disabilities, just equal opportunities.

40. Denial • Many disabilities are "hidden," such as learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, epilepsy, cancer, arthritis and heart conditions. People tend to believe these are not bona fide disabilities needing accommodation. The ADA defines "disability" as an impairment that "substantially limits one or more of the major life activities." Accommodating "hidden" disabilities which meet the above definition can keep valued employees on the job and open doors for new employees.

41. Fear Many people are afraid that they will "do or say the wrong thing" around someone with a disability. They therefore avert their own discomfort by avoiding the individual with a disability. As with meeting a person from a different culture, frequent encounters can raise the comfort level.

42. Graphic Organizer • Myth(s) about Disabilities Or • Attitudinal Barrier(s)