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Representing Disability in the English Classroom
Margarida Morgado
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Aims of the presentation
• In increasingly more multicultural and inclusive societies it is important to lead children to think about issues of disability in the wider context of representation of difference and diversity.
• Teachers need to be familiar with quality materials and pedagogical tools that facilitate their understanding and mediation of books with children.
• Show interpretive modes
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Generating thought and reflectionReading will not change realities, but it may well constitute “a first step toward changing attitudes and building relationships.” (Smith-D'Arezzo, 2003, 92).
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Books
• Define what is ‘normal’, ‘acceptable’, ‘worthwhile’• Empathy for people who face discrimination• See themselves represented• Inclusion• Reflect the real world• Not enough good books• Characters with disabilities are invisible• Difficulty in finding positive non-biased
representations
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From the educational perspective:
• portray dynamic characters with disabilities
• more willing to talk about own feelings about disability
• promote acceptance of children with disabilities in reality
• inclusion of books with characters with disabilities may not be enough to change perceptions
positive portrayals + strategies for guiding the reading
From the educational perspective
Ballard, 1999Beckett, Ellison, Barrett
and Shah, 2010 Brenna,2008
Inquinta and Hipsky, 2006
Jackson,2009Matthew and Clow, 2007
Moore-Thomas , 2010Saunders, 2000
Smith-D’Arezzo and Pirowsky, 2002
Sotto and Ball, 2006
Ballard, 1999Beckett, Ellison, Barrett
and Shah, 2010 Brenna,2008
Inquinta and Hipsky, 2006
Jackson,2009Matthew and Clow, 2007
Moore-Thomas , 2010Saunders, 2000
Smith-D’Arezzo and Pirowsky, 2002
Sotto and Ball, 2006
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Situations that create and sustain social and cultural division
Fear, ignorance, prejudice and resentment
Exclusion
Secondary positions
Flat characters
degrading and devaluing practices:
The character with communication problems was often depicted as weak, timid, withdrawn and spineless
people with exceptionalities are generally not capable, persistent or independent, have communication difficulties, lack a sense of humour
wholly defined by their impairments or differences
Buried in the Footnotes: The Representation of Disabled People in Museum and Gallery Collections
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Recommendations for the English classroom
International Children’s Digital Library http://www.icdlbooks.org
http://www.letterboxlibrary.com/acatalog/index.htmlBook Trust http://www.booktrust.org.ukBookhead http://www.bookheads.org.ukCool-Reads http://www.cool-reads.co.ukBooktrusted http://www.booktrusted.co.uk
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Guidelines for choice
1. Take into consideration disadvantages of different kind.
2. The plot of the stories have to be interesting and stimulating for an audience of varied age groups.
3. Adjust readings to learners’ ages so that by reading they can generate positive attitudes and perceptions towards understanding disability.
4. The book’s literary values should be acknowledged by teachers, critics, scholars, librarians or other experts.
5. Allow for the fact that books centering on characters with special needs miss award lists and that you will need specialized help.
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s
• children’s books should portray characters with disabilities as dynamic;
• realistic images of characters with disabilities should be cast in a positive light and be presented with all their flaws.
• Give voice to excluded characters.
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Intercultural dialogue Creating spaces for intercultural dialogue is a collective task. Without appropriate,
accessible and attractive spaces, intercultural dialogue will just not happen, let alone prosper. (Council of Europe White paper on Intercultural Dialogue, 2008, p. 47)
Equal dignity of all participantsVoluntary engagement in dialogueA mindset characterised by openness, curiosityA readiness to look at both cultural similarities and differencesThe ability to find a common language for understanding and respecting cultural differenceshttp://www.coe.int/t/dg4/intercultural/concept_EN.asp
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Giving children a voice about the way disability is portrayed in books• Brainstorming the term ‘disability’.• Discussing the extent to which disability is a ‘black and
white’ issue, or whether it is more of a spectrum or continuum.
• Considering contemporary films and television programmes. What messages do they generally convey about disability? Consider Shreck and Tracy Beaker.
• Brainstorming on how to raise awareness and improve visibility of disabled people without making it ‘an issue’ or exacerbating stereotypes.
• Brainstorming about what might the difficulties of drawing deafness?
ICEBREAKERSBRAINSTORMING
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Giving children a voice about the way disability is portrayed in books• Discussing published books about or including portrayals of
disability.• Fictional disabled characters students can recall from
childhood: what do they remember? How positive is it? What is there in common among those characters?
• Look at particular fairy tales and how they portray physical disability: what kind of characters are the disabled characters? What happens to them? What do you conclude?
• Discussing different types of books – horror, thriller, fairy stories, fantasy, adventure – which they like best and why. What makes a good story? Generate ideas for a book.
• Suggest that a particular central character in a story might be disabled. How might this knowledge have affected the plot or the students’ interpretation of the story?
GENRES AND READING
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Giving children a voice about the way disability is portrayed in books• Preparing questions to interview the author/illustrator of a particular
book (on physical disability, on dyslexia, on….).• Use OWN ideas to develop characters: one of them has to be a
wheelchair user. There may be other disabled characters. Discuss how many there should be and why. Which characters will be female and male? Which will be heroes and villains?
• Illustrating own characters. Practical considerations to be discussed: how are they dressed, whether /when the characters ask people for assistance, does the character propel herself or needs to be pushed, …
• Interview authors (imaginatively or in person) about certain characters they have created.
• Drawing a deaf character and present it to the rest of the group explaining own interpretation.
• Creating a potential character in a book by drawing it with eyes closed and using the non-writing hand.
WRITTEN, VISUAL, ORAL AND MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION
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Visual prompts http://www.childreninthepicture.org.uk/
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ConclusionConclusion
• Include characters with disabilities in culturally valued activities and quotidian settings;
• Calling attention to the fact that some forms of thinking about disability are forms of oppression;
• Centering on characters and their intrinsic value despite being perceived as ‘others’;
• Valuing the confrontation of the reader with unfamiliar situations as a way into critical reflection;