Read the short story and view the following 5 videos about people with disabilties; then go to assignments and write a 2 page reaction to one of the sources.
Discuss your reaction to the story or video, and what you learned about people with disabilities, the impact of one of the 7 basic human needs on the subject in the story or video, and how this will affect your actions as a teacher.
Short Story: Shame by Dick Gregory (attached)
Dick Gregory was an African-American comedian and social activist. He writes about a terrible day he had in school in 2nd grade in 1939. After you read this story, think about what the teacher did in terms of Richard’s 7 basic needs, and the impact a teacher can have on a child’s life. He does not have a disability, but is labeled by his teacher as a troublemaker and ignorant.
Videos about people with disabilities
Carly Fleischmann is a nonverbal teenager with autism who has severe behavioral problems including SIB (self-injurious behaviors) due to her inability to communicate. Once she was able to communicate her life changed dramatically. 10 minutes. Non-verbal girl with Autism speaks through her computer 20/20 ABC News – YouTube
Nick Vujicic is a young man who born with no arms or legs. Despite his physical limitations; he does not consider himself disabled. Today he is an author, motivational speaker, college graduate, husband and father. 9.5 minutes. Against all odds – YouTube
Stephen Wilstshire is a young man with severe autism. He is also has savant syndrome (savant syndrome is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. The skills that savants excel at are generally related to memory). He is an amazing artist whose work is displayed in art galleries. 4 minutes. Stephen Wiltshire: The autistic urban artist with the photographic memory | DW English – YouTube
Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison is a psychiatry professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is an expert on bipolar depression; she has also written about her own experiences with this mental illness. 30 minutes. Personal Reflections on Manic-Depressive Illness – YouTube
Tatiana McFadden is a young woman who was born in Russia with spina bifida resulting in paralysis from the waist down. She was adopted and came to the U.S. and became a world class wheelchair athlete Paralympic superstar Tatyana McFadden’s difficult path to a Tokyo medal | NBC Sports – YouTube
Shame by Dick Gregory.docx
