1 - 3 course values and assumptions

Welcome back to week number one. Welcome and course overview. In this our third segment, I want to talk a little bit about the idea of course values and assumptions, which may be kind of an interesting approach, because I'm sure that there are many classes that we've all taken over the years where the professor or the course values and assumptions aren't really anything that are made explicit. And I think given the nature of what we're talking about, it's very important for me to share with you how I have conceptualized this course and the feedback I've gotten from others so it might make some sense. And the first -- and this certainly should come as no surprise -- is the value that disability is normal. That disability is throughout our society and, in fact, we shouldn't be surprised by it but that we should actually expect it. It's nothing that's unusual. In a similar vein, I have a value for this course that's not just as it relates to disability but for everyone, but it's the idea that everyone deserves respect. None of us are better than, less than anyone else. And as such, even though we have differences, there's no reason not to respect and interact with the other person in a respectful fashion. So we will be talking about ways of doing that specifically as we move on in different lessons. Certainly one of the more significant course values that really underlies what we do with this is advocacy. Because one of the things that we know is that just because something is right and just doesn't mean it's going to happen. That even though there are barriers, that there are things that need to be done, it takes a desire and a willingness to make change. >>Dale: Advocacy and education are two of the most important factors in my opinion for people with disabilities, because the education allows people to progress through the world in the same way that they're non-disabled peers would. And the advocacy says I can go through in the same ways that you do, I just have to use maybe different avenues, methods of getting there. Explaining that accommodation and access are not freebies, easy ways out, they are necessary in order to put a person on an equal playing field with the rest of the society. >>Deb: sometimes being tough is helpful too. I certainly think around like medical professionals and in the educational realm as well, it does help for parents to be very educated, not only about the disability issue, but about your child's rights. And to be willing to advocate for those things. If you know your child needs something from a doctor or from school, to be willing to stand your ground in a respectful way and get what your child needs. >>Professor Long: We've talked about the idea that disabilities are an attribute. I think it's all well and good for me to say that to you, and hopefully for you to understand the concept, but I think it's even more value if you see from a couple of our guest speakers, particularly Sarah and Staci, talk to you about how they perceive themselves, and that their disability is just a part of them, that it's not who they are, exclusively. >>Sarah: A lot of my friends actually tell me, they say I didn't know you were blind. And what I think when they say that is good because then you're seeing me as a person and not my disability. I am not a girl who has a dog, who is blind. I am just a regular person who happens to be blind. People like to label immediately. That person is using a wheelchair or that person. None of it is -- like blindness to me isn't a confinement, if you know what I mean. >>Staci: No matter what disability anybody has, whether it be visible or not, take that for what it is. You know, it doesn't have to determine the rest of your life or who you are or who you're going to become. Use it to better yourself. I mean, for a long time, you know, going into brain surgery, I was very, very sad, upset and angry. And then I thought I can get through this. You know, I want to finish school. I want a family. And I didn't want my epilepsy to determine who I was going to become. I wanted to overcome it. And it will be something I live with for the rest of my life. But I think that anybody who has a disability can still be the person they want to be. And I think that that should be something we all strive for. No matter if you don't have a disability. You know, really strive to be the best person you can be. And don't let anything hold you back just because you're labeled as disabled. >>Professor Long: So hopefully you found their comments interesting and you see what we're talking about that, yes, they're people. They have interests. But that disability is only a slice of who they are. It does not define them. Another value that I think is very important for this class is the concept that disability is an issue of diversity. Typically when we think of diversity, race is the first thing that comes to mind. And I have found with many of my colleagues, many people I have talked to, that once they're introduced to disability and accessibility as an issue of diversity, they get it. But it is not something that is kind of intuitive for most people. And so certainly I think one of the things that we need to be very aware of and conscious of is that disability does, in fact, add to the diversity of our population. One of the core values of this course, also, and it's one that you've probably already picked up, is the idea that when we talk about disability, and particularly disability rights, that we're really talking about access. And that access to buildings, to education, to healthcare, that access is a civil right. And so disability and accessibility as a civil right really permeates this course and underlies a lot of what we'll subsequently talk about as the social model of disability. One of the values that underlies this course and really provides a foundation for it is a commitment to accessibility through the use of universal design for learning. People access information in a variety of different ways. So that whatever works best for you to access the content of the class is going to be available. In addition, universal design for learning would also say that there should be multiple ways of demonstrating your knowledge, your engagement with things. Because by using universal design for learning as a value, we're trying to make the course available to everyone with very limited need for anything additional in terms of a potential accommodation. As I mentioned before, societal attitudes are our biggest barriers. We have an entire lesson devoted to that. And recognize that disability is difficult to discuss, which is why, again, this MOOC exists. It doesn't really matter who you're talking to, unless disability is part of your family or part of things that you experience individually, most people have very limited knowledge on this. And so certainly working very much within this class to provide good background knowledge so you'll be better able to understand these topics, because in the big picture, there's work to be done. There is still change that needs to happen. And I'm a strong believer that that change cannot happen until we gain background knowledge, we gain experience and comfort. And those are the things that we'll most directly focus on within this course. So with that, I would like to end this particular segment. And when we pick it up again, we'll move into a segment where we talk about how the course is structured.