Disability Awareness
Supporting
Disability Awarness
Disability awareness is an avenue to social-emotional learning. Awareness is the foundation for empathy. To create a more inclusive world tomorrow students need opportunities to gain an awareness of disabilities today.
One of Changing Perspectives goals is to help students to gain knowledge and experience about disabilities and to teach them to bridge inclusion.
Some of our schools don’t offer real life examples of the many disabilities in the world. By talking and learning about disabilities we help our students develop awareness and empathy. And once that discussion begins they learn about how they are each different and how those differences are to be celebrated.
Elementary
Disability Awareness
Curriculum
180+ CCSS-Aligned Lesson Plans
(20-45 minute duration)
170+ Book Discussion & Literature Units
90+ Videos & Discussion
Experiential Activities
30+ Reflection Activities
Family Resources
Educator Resources
Middle School
Disability Awareness
Curriculum
80+ CCSS-Aligned Lesson Plans
(25-45 minute duration)
50+ Books and Discussion Questions
60+ Videos and Discussion
Experiential Activities
10+ Reflection Activities
Family Resources
Educator Resources
High School
Disability Awareness
Curriculum
40+ Lessons Within 12 Learning Modules
(30 minute duration)
50+ Book Recommendations
10+ Call To Action Project Ideas and Resources
10+ Activities to Spark Discussion (15 minute duration)
Benefits Include:
Customizable Lesson Plans and hands-on activities
Distance Learning options and support
New Content added annually
Easy to Use Online Platform for global access
Outcomes Focused on social-emotional learning, equity, and inclusion
Optional Personalized Coaching available
Learn more about the disability categories we use:
Autism Spectrum
Autism is a developmental disability that usually appears during the first three years of life. It affects how a person’s brain works, but not all people with autism are affected in the same way. A person who lives with autism may have trouble with social, emotional and communication skills.
Cognitive Differences
Cognitive differences include genetic and congenital issues along with injury created loss of cognitive function. One widely known genetic condition is Down’s Syndrome. Individuals with cognitive differences have a range of cognitive challenges from minor that you might not even notice without lengthy exposure to those that are readily seen at a glance.
Hearing Loss/Deafness
A person can be born with hearing loss or have hearing loss due to physical trauma or illness. There are two major types of hearing loss – conductive and sensorineural. There is a wide spectrum of the severity of hearing loss and/or deafness.
Learning Disabilities
There are a variety of different conditions that are classified under learning disabilities. Learning disabilities refer to conditions which can impair the ability to learn. Learning disabilities consist of but are not limited to; dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia etc.
Physical Disabilities
Physical disabilities are generally the most obvious of disabilities as they are often visible at first glance. Causes include a congenital anomaly, disease, injury, and other causes. There are a variety of assistive technologies that can support someone who lives with a physical disability.
Social/Emotional Impairments
Social/emotional impairments affect someone’s ability to maintain positive relationships and interact in social situations following expected norms. Emotional behavioral disabilities (EBD) are a result of many factors but can manifest in challenges in self-regulation, and communication.
Social/Emotional Impairments
Social/emotional impairments affect someone’s ability to maintain positive relationships and interact in social situations following expected norms. Emotional behavioral disabilities (EBD) are a result of many factors but can manifest in challenges in self-regulation, and communication.
Speech/Language Disabilities
Speech and language impairments are classified as communication disorders. There are a variety of reasons why someone might have one of these impairments. These types of impairments encompass conditions such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment, or a voice impairment that may adversely affect a child’s educational progress.
Visual Impairments
There is a wide spectrum of the severity of visual impairments. An individual with a visual impairment may be born with it while others may acquire a visual impairment later in life. Whether blind or with limited sight of some sort, individuals with visual impairments may use a cane, special glasses, or other aids to help them navigate the world.
More Details ...
Technology
- Accessed via any browser, anywhere, anytime.
- Content is added to a Planner via an intuitive drag and drop interface.
- Days and content are easily added to and removed from the Planner.
- Planners are easily saved and retrieved.
- Unlimited planners are available.
- Planners can be emailed and/or printed and electronic versions contain links to the curriculum.
Curriculum
- Designed for educator customization.
- There is a precurated library of resources, with a variety of media and methods, that allow you to prepare content the way you need and that fit your teaching style.
- Changing Perspectives experts, and experts in the field of disability awareness, create new content which is added to the Educator Portal each summer.
- Disability Awareness content is aligned with Common Core standards.
Educator Support
- Family newsletters, aligned with our disability categories, are available and can be distributed multiple ways (print, email, posted online).
- Template letters, in Word & Google docs, are available for you to customize and share with parents.
- Tips & tricks for in-person and virtual presentation of materials are available.
- A rich Resource Library of materials, for you and to share with others, is included and is regularly updated throughout the year.
- Individual coaching and professional development is available.
Changing Perspectives Alignment to Social-Emotional Learning Competencies
Changing Perspectives curricular resources are designed to support the work driven by social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies as developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL. We see disability awareness as a means of supporting schools’ efforts around SEL development. The following chart shows the alignment between Changing Perspectives curricula and the vital SEL standards that schools are focused on achieving for student success.
