Beyond Affliction - Disabilities in America

Probably on of the most dramatic changes in the last several decades concerns to how we have changed our views, treatment, and acceptance of persons with disabilities. To understand how our society treats persons with mild disabilities today, especially as this relates to education, it is important to have a clear picture of how we have viewed disabilities throughout our recent history. With a firm grasp of the history of disabilities, you can appreciate why we continue to hold certain expectations and beliefs about people with disabilities.

In this online lesson , you will visit a web site to learn about the history of disabilities in America. You will both read about and see photos that depict how we have regarded people with disabilities across different time periods in our nation's history. The content in the site is organized by themes and shows. You will need to explore each of the following areas of this site.

Themes:

• community
• education
• evidence
• charity
• policy
  
  

Shows:

• Inventing the poster child
• What's work got to do with it?
• The overdue revolution
• Tomorrow's children

Before I send you to this site for the first time, you will need some directions. If you follow these carefully, you should not experience too much difficulty using this site for this and subsequent units.

1. When you reach the site, you will need to click on "Site Map" located on the menu bar at the top of the page.
2. On the site map page, you will see two columns of links. The second column contains the links to the themes and shows. Find the theme or show you want and click on it to begin the lesson.
3. This site contains many linked items. Should you become confused about where you are, use the menu bar at the top of the page to return to the Site Map.
4. If you do not have a sound card you will not be able to hear the RealAudio files contained in the site. Fortunately, NPR has provided you with text copies of most of these files. If a text copy is not available, let me know.
5. This pattern will be repeated for each of the remaining online lessons.

Once you are on the site be sure to completely review each theme and show. In the assignment that follows this lesson, you will be asked to respond to questions about the following information will be discussed throughout the lesson.

1. The types of disabilities mentioned in the unit.
2. How our view of the "disabilities community" has changed across time.
3. The terms that have been used to describe persons with disabilities.
4. The expectations that we have held for persons with disabilities (jobs, roles, etc.).

Be sure to think about these points as your reveiw the site.

When you are ready click on the hyperlink below to go to the "Beyond Affliction" web site.

Beyond Affliction

E-mail the instructor at Larry.Gallagher@nau.edu

Once you have completed all assignments in these topics, you should:

Go on to Activity 1: Reaction
or
Go back to The Class Page

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