Designing Simulations
Federal legislation in the 1970s and 1990s has helped approximately 50 million Americans with disabilities lead independent and fulfilling lives. Although great strides have been made, people with special needs still face biased assumptions, harmful stereotypes, and irrational fears that result in their social and economic oppression.
In this lesson, students are asked to design a simulation that raises awareness about discrimination against people with special needs and challenges misconceptions that may exist in the community.
In this lesson, students are asked to design a simulation that raises awareness about discrimination against people with special needs and challenges misconceptions that may exist in the community.
MAKE A COPY of the simulation template and complete the form by the assigned date. This represents your summative assignment for the unit on Inclusive Communities.
Simulation Resources & Links
Disability-related simulations: When, if, and how to use them in professional development: Follow the suggested "Guidelines for Creating Effective Simulations" to ensure that your project does not reinforce stereotypes and misconceptions about people with special needs.
Disability Awareness Activity Packet: Bed Adcock and Michael Remus created this resource to help educators teach students about disabilities. It includes suggested activities for Autism, communication disorders, hearing impairments, learning disaibilities, mental retardation, physical disabilities, and visual impairments.
Citation: Adcock, Bev, and Michael L. Remus. Disability Awareness Activity Packet. Possibilities, Inc., 2006, www.dvusd.org/cms/lib011/AZ01901092/Centricity/Domain/1318/Disability%20Awareness%20Packet%202.pdf.
Understanding Friends by Catherine Faherty: A resource from the University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program that recommends the use of fine motor, visual, tactile, and auditory experiential activity centers to educate children about differences and foster empathy.
Disability History & Awareness: A Resource Guide for Missouri: Pages 79-89 contain suggestions for implementing disability awareness simulations.
F.A.T. City Workshop: A 1989 documentary in which noted disability rights advocate Richard Lavoie leads a group of teachers and parents through a variety of simulations designed to demonstrate some of the struggles that students with learning disabilities experience in the classroom.
Disability Awareness Activity Packet: Bed Adcock and Michael Remus created this resource to help educators teach students about disabilities. It includes suggested activities for Autism, communication disorders, hearing impairments, learning disaibilities, mental retardation, physical disabilities, and visual impairments.
Citation: Adcock, Bev, and Michael L. Remus. Disability Awareness Activity Packet. Possibilities, Inc., 2006, www.dvusd.org/cms/lib011/AZ01901092/Centricity/Domain/1318/Disability%20Awareness%20Packet%202.pdf.
Understanding Friends by Catherine Faherty: A resource from the University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program that recommends the use of fine motor, visual, tactile, and auditory experiential activity centers to educate children about differences and foster empathy.
Disability History & Awareness: A Resource Guide for Missouri: Pages 79-89 contain suggestions for implementing disability awareness simulations.
F.A.T. City Workshop: A 1989 documentary in which noted disability rights advocate Richard Lavoie leads a group of teachers and parents through a variety of simulations designed to demonstrate some of the struggles that students with learning disabilities experience in the classroom.
Rubric
simulation_rubric.pdf |