Joanne R. Pompano
In recent years, disabled persons have fought for their right to equal access to facilities, experiences, and opportunities in American society. Much progress has been made in the effort to ensure that disabled citizens have equal and appropriate opportunities in schools, communities and workplaces. Often this progress was made possible by the rulings of the Supreme Court and by State and Federal legislation.
However, disabled people may have lost some of their privacy in the process. Are there issues of privacy that are unique to the disabled? What protection is provided to disabled persons? Have some of the laws that were developed to assist them also created privacy issues for them? This unit addresses the privacy issues faced by the handicapped populations in our country. It will provide students with the opportunity to discuss and understand these issues and the protection or lack of protection provided by the laws of the United States.
Although, the unit was developed to explore issues of privacy as they pertain to the disabled, it should also be of value to the non-handicapped student wishing to understand the problems and concerns of disabled peers. In addition, classroom teachers will also gain insight into the problems that are of concern to their disabled students.
