Equity Matters

January Issue, 2010

	Social Construction of Dis/Ability

Disability is not a brave struggle or ‘courage in the face of adversity.’ Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live.

- Neil Marcus

Most people think they know what a disability is. Yet, there are questions that remain difficult to answer. Are some disabilities only a disability in the context of school and learning environments? How do we decide what is a disability and what is not? What is normal? Am I reacting on the basis of my own discomfort about difference?

These questions are important and too often neglected considerations. Some view dis/ability as a “problem” an individual has or acquires. This individual view of functional or psychological limitations ignores the social meanings attached to ability, the bias, and the moral evaluations of the social context in which we live. If an individual has a disadvantage, then there is a public obligation to “help” and improve their circumstance. Yet, it may be the very actions of society, the barriers and exclusion of some people and not others, that

decides who has a dis/ability and who does not. The question is not whether difference exists, but what attitudes, social supports, physical structures, resources, and information preserve notions of difference as disadvantaged and how we might use our resources to reverse marginalization.

In schools, this means restructuring the way teachers are supported to work with differences rather than standardize based on normative assumptions. The role of teachers is central to the construction of dis/ability. What behaviors and kinds of academic achievement teachers expect in their classroom can lead to individualizing and personalizing instruction based on student need. Although there is an emphasis on evidence-based practices, it is likely that many research-based

practices are evidence-based for specific learning schemas, instructional preferences, and instructional norms. Special education can focus on what students bring to learning and then supplementing that with individualized approaches to learning and achievement. . This is especially important because when a person carries a disability label, they become an “other.” That is, the unequal status of the person with the disability is legitimized.

These issues are being explored in a new book series being published by Teachers College Press, called Dis/Ability, Culture, and Equity, edited by Alfredo Artiles and Elizabeth Kozleski. In this issue of Equity Matters, we examine conceptualizations of “disability” within American culture and provide resources to advocate with and for people with disabilities.

Equity in Action

FLAME is a group from upstate New York whose 11 members have been diagnosed with various developmental and physical disabilities including autism, Down’s syndrome, mental retardation and blindness. The band is taking steps towards challenging people’s assumptions about people with disabilities and has inspired people across the country. Started in 2003 at a recreation program at the Lexington Center in Johnstown, the group members cover over 100 songs across musical genres and have already released three CDs. Capturing the world’s attention, the band was interviewed on “Good Morning America” and have signed up to be involved in a documentary film.

Tools You Can Use

Books

The Ragged Edge: The Disability Experience from the Pages of the First Fifteen Years of The Disability Rag Edited by Barrett Shaw Collecting stories of people’s experiences with their disabilities, this book helps to present voices seldom heard or understood. Joseph P. Shapiro from U.S. News & World Report described the anthology: "The Disability Rag is the voice of a mighty revolution, and this stunning collection from its first 15 years will become an invaluable primer for anyone who wants to understand the new thinking of the disability rights movement. Here are the urgent, spirited and provocative stories that have changed the way people -- disabled and nondisabled -- have come to view what it means to have a disability." Amazon.com provides a captivating excerpt from the first chapter here.

Screening Disability: Essays on Cinema and Disability Edited by Christopher R. Smit and Anthony W. Enns.This book explores the cinematic portrayals of people with disabilities and how they have changed over time. Topics covered include: Disability as Monstrosity in Classical Hollywood Cinema, Disabling the Viewer: Perceptions of Disability, The Changing Faces of Disability in the Film Adaptations of Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris: 1842, Disability as Trauma, Mental Illness, and Dysfunction in Post-Vietnam Cinema and many others. The publisher further describes: “This book not only shows where the study of cinema and disability began, but it also marks a potentially new phase in the study of cinema and disability by incorporating elements of Film Studies that emphasize the priority of reception and the complexity of texts.”

The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability by Karen Rosenblum and Toni-Michelle Travis. This collection of essays focuses on the social construction of difference in American culture in multiple arenas including; race and ethnicity, sex and gender, social class, sexual orientation, and disability. The book is structured through four framework essays that seek to explain the construction of difference, experience of difference, social meaning, and social action.

Online Tools

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
This center provides multiple resources for those working with children with disabilities including descriptions of different disabilities seen in children, policy information, and research-based instructional strategies.

Office of Disability Employment Policy: Disability Data Resources
This site helps users locate different sources for data and statistics about people with disabilities, as well as providing research centers that provide information on disability-related data.

ADA Best Practices Toolkit for State and Local Governments
The Tool Kit is designed to teach state and local government officials ways in which to identify and fix problems that may prevent people with disabilities from gaining equal access to state and local government programs, services, and activities. The Tool Kit also teachs state and local officials how to conduct surveys of accessibility in their buildings and facilities to insure physical access for all people.”

Funding Opportunities

Western Union Foundation: Scholarship Program for Immigrant Families Deadline: February 5, 2010
The Western Union Foundation’s Family Scholarship Program is a new educational initiative for migrants, immigrants, and their families in the United States. The Family Scholarship Program is intended to help two members of the same family move up the economic development ladder through education. Recipients are eligible to receive scholarships in amounts of $1,000 to $5,000 per family.

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Upcoming Events

Different From What? Film Festival January 29-31, 2010 Tempe, AZ

2010 Leadership for Excellence and Equity Forum February 16-17, 2010 Phoenix, AZ

Professional Learning for Equity Certification Training February 18-19, 2010 following the Leadership for Equity and Excellence Forum, Phoenix, AZ

First International Conference on Heritage/Community Languages, February 19-21, 2010, Los Angeles, CA

11th Annual National Fatherhood & Families Conference, February 23-26, 2010, Los Angeles, CA

The Paraeducator's Toolbox: Preschool & Elementary School: Practical Strategies to Support Academic Achievement for Students with Learning and Behavioral Challenges, March 4, 2010 Manchester, NH

Intersectionality Conference March 11–13, 2010, at UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA

A Question of Equity

How do you confront social use of stereotypes or offensive labels with regard to people with disabilities?

Online
Publications

The World Health Organization invited amateur and professional photographers to take place in an international contest with a theme of “images of health and disability” and a special focus on work and disability. The 33 winning photos are here and help us to challenge our perceptions of health and disability.

What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities This report follows students with disabilities in their freshman year of high school to help aid in predicting drop-out for this population. Accompanying webinar is here.

Justice for All blog This blog is sponsored by the American Association for People with Disabilities to provide national disability news and action alerts to encourage people into action for defending and advancing disability rights.

Equity Alliance at
ASU Online

Visit our website: http://www.equityallianceatasu.org/.

Special Feature Item(s): Find downloadable, research-based practitioner briefs on services for students with and without disabilities at http://www.niusileadscape.org/op?id=9

Our Language Differences Media Lab includes several videos on the specific challenges of identifying disabilities in students who are English Language Learners.

For over 100 downloadable articles and publications related to disability, check out our Learning Carousel

Your Voice Matters! Please give us your feedback by taking a few minutes to fill out this brief survey or email us at: niusileadscape@asu.edu.

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