Joanne R. Pompano
Developed for use with students in grades 9-12, this curriculum unit will allow students to understand the complex issues faced by individuals with disabilities as they fought to secure their civil rights in America.
The issues covered in this curriculum unit include issues that are very important to people who are disabled. This unit, designed for students who are visually impaired or legally blind, will become part of a course called "Life Skills for Blind and Partially Sighted." This unit will be used the summer school program and in the Extended Day Academy for visually impaired students. The unit, however, should be of interest not only to visually impaired students but also to students with other special needs as well as their non-disabled peers. Teachers in elementary and middle school can also modify it for use in their classrooms.
This curriculum will assist students in understanding the problems faced by disabled persons throughout history by providing a timeline of events and milestones highlighting the appalling treatment of people with disabilities as well as the support and aid that helped foster change. The students will expand their understanding of the problems faced by persons with disabilities before the American with Disabilities Act became law. The knowledge gained will help them to appreciate and demand their own rights or the rights of others.
This curriculum will allow students to explore the court cases and disability right movements that sought to end the discrimination and prejudice that trapped millions of disabled Americans in poverty, confined them to nursing homes, and prevented them from enjoying all freedoms and participation in society fully.
This curriculum will allow visually impaired students the opportunity to:
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· understand the issues in the Disability Rights Movement
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· discuss issues of importance to individuals with disabilities
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· provide background information on the history of disability movement
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· familiarize students with the protection provided by laws such as ADA and the penalties and remedies for violations
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· promote self-advocacy by providing students with a solid understanding of their rights as spelled out in the ADA
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· examine court cases that dealt with issues on disability rights
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· learns about the pioneers that helped gain access and equality for disabled people
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· gain information on famous people with disabilities and learn how they dealt with the challenges they faced
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· to learn about the advances in post-war medical and rehabilitation treatment
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· study the history of how society treated handicapped individuals
Students will be encouraged to use a variety of resources to conduct research on disability issues including books, Internet websites, journals, newspaper, and magazine articles, and interviews. However, in order for this unit to have a personal influence on students, it will emphasize the use of narratives, essays, and journal writings by disabled persons sharing their stories of living with a disability before the American with Disabilities Act became law.
Students will work together to develop a news magazine that will focus on the topics they selected. This news magazine will include reviews of books and journals, interviews with disabled individuals in the community, articles on historical issues and current topics, etc.
This unit will utilize skills from a wide variety of disciplines including reading, writing, editing, listening, speaking, note taking, interviewing, word processing, researching, working cooperatively, and use of the Internet.
This curriculum will begin with a short overview of the treatment of persons with disabilities by society. A short narrative of this history accompanied by a timeline will allow students an understanding of the basic facts and highlights on this subject. The history will concentrate on the post-World War II period but will also include information on the America to the passage of the ADA in 1990.
