Ableism
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses ableism, an inherent bias against people with disabilities, and its impact on education. It emphasizes the need for an inclusive mindset that values diversity and sees disability as a strength, not a weakness. Educators are encouraged to be self-reflective, redefine special education as a normal and enriching aspect of humanity, and actively engage students with disabilities to foster a more equitable learning environment.
Takeaways
- 🧠 Ableism is an inherent bias against people with disabilities, which is internalized and can manifest in various forms.
- 🤔 Educators, especially special education teachers, must be self-reflective to ensure they are not projecting ableism in the classroom.
- 🔄 Ableism assumes typical abilities are superior and that people with disabilities need fixing, which can be directed toward physical, mental, or learning disabilities, and even language barriers.
- 🏫 Inclusive classrooms are not just about having students with disabilities present; it's about actively engaging them socially and with the material.
- 🤝 Socially engaging education involves giving students agency over their learning and allowing them to contribute to lessons with one another.
- 👥 It's crucial to see students with disabilities as equals and co-equal partners, rather than over-helping them, which can hinder their learning of independence skills.
- 💡 Students with disabilities can lead discussions and presentations, which can help others understand their strengths and weaknesses, and how they can be supported.
- 🔄 Shifting from a deficit mindset to an asset-based approach allows students to engage based on their strengths rather than focusing on what they can't do.
- 🌈 Recognizing that everyone has a unique neurological profile and learning style promotes the understanding that diversity is a value and an asset in education.
- 🤝 Active inclusion involves actively talking, interacting, and seeing the value and strengths of people with disabilities as co-equals in a democratic setting.
- 🌟 Defining students by their unique talents and neurological learning ways enriches the classroom and helps in removing biases that contribute to an ableistic environment.
- 📚 Framing special education and disabilities as normal and even 'super cool' can help students feel confident in advocating for themselves, starting from an early age.
Q & A
What is the definition of ableism according to the script?
-Ableism is defined as an inherent bias against people with disabilities, which can take many forms that we all have internalized.
What is the significance of having a self-reflective approach as a special education teacher?
-A self-reflective approach is crucial for special education teachers to constantly evaluate how they are projecting in space and to ensure they are not being ableist.
What does the script suggest about the assumption of typical abilities being superior?
-The script suggests that ableism assumes typical abilities are superior and that people with disabilities need fixing, which is a misconception.
How does the script describe the common practice of segregating students based on ability levels in schools?
-The script describes that it's easy in schools to segregate students based on ability levels, even when trying not to, and emphasizes the need for true inclusion.
What is the importance of social engagement in education as mentioned by Jeremy?
-Social engagement in education is important as it gives students agency over their learning and allows them to understand how they can contribute to a lesson with one another.
Why is it problematic to over-help students with intellectual disabilities, as Jeremy points out?
-Over-helping students with intellectual disabilities can prevent them from learning the skills they need for independence.
What role did the student with Down syndrome play in the community circle according to the script?
-The student with Down syndrome led the community circle, discussing ideas about disability, weakness, and strengths, and facilitated a discussion among other students about their own strengths and weaknesses.
How does the script suggest reframing the idea of special education or having a disability?
-The script suggests reframing special education or having a disability as normal, part of being human, and even something that makes an individual unique and 'super cool'.
What is the purpose of using asset-based language and focusing on strengths in the classroom?
-Using asset-based language and focusing on strengths helps students find ways to engage with learning and each other, rather than identifying only what they cannot do.
What does the script imply about the importance of viewing students with disabilities as co-equals?
-The script implies that viewing students with disabilities as co-equals is crucial for creating an inclusive learning environment where diversity is seen as a value and an asset.
How can teachers demonstrate the value of different abilities in the classroom, as suggested by the script?
-Teachers can demonstrate the value of different abilities by showcasing students' unique talents and neurological learning ways that can enrich the classroom, and by defining students by their strengths rather than their limitations.
Outlines
🧠 Understanding Ableism and Inclusive Education
This paragraph delves into the concept of ableism, which is the inherent bias against people with disabilities. It emphasizes the importance of self-reflection for educators, especially special education teachers, to ensure they are not perpetuating ableist attitudes. The narrator and Jeremy Ault, a special education teacher, discuss how ableism assumes typical abilities are superior and that those with disabilities need fixing. They highlight the need for inclusion that goes beyond mere physical presence in the classroom, advocating for active engagement and social interaction with students of all abilities. The paragraph also showcases an example of a student with Down syndrome leading a community circle, discussing his own experiences and facilitating a conversation about strengths and weaknesses among all students, promoting a sense of equality and mutual support.
🌟 Fostering an Inclusive Mindset in the Classroom
The second paragraph focuses on the importance of creating an inclusive mindset in educational settings. It suggests that by recognizing and valuing the diverse neurological profiles and learning styles of students, teachers can enrich their classrooms and eliminate biases that contribute to an ableistic environment. The narrator suggests reframing the concept of special education and disabilities from something shameful to a normal and celebrated part of human diversity. This approach can empower students to advocate for themselves with confidence as they grow older. The paragraph concludes by posing a reflective question to teachers about the changes they could implement to foster a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Deficit mindset
💡Ableism
💡Special education
💡Inclusion
💡Segregation
💡Socially engaging education
💡Asset-based language
💡Neurological profiles
💡Co-equals
💡Diversity
💡Advocacy
Highlights
Defining ableism as an inherent bias against people with disabilities, which is often internalized unconsciously.
The importance of self-reflection for educators, especially special education teachers, to identify and address their own ableist behaviors.
Ableism's assumption that typical abilities are superior and the need for people with disabilities to be 'fixed'.
The tendency to segregate students in school based on ability levels and the challenges of creating truly inclusive classrooms.
The concept of social engagement in education, allowing students to take agency over their learning and contribute to lessons.
Addressing the issue of over-helping students with intellectual disabilities, which can hinder their learning of independence skills.
The strategy of involving students with disabilities in leading discussions to foster a sense of equality and mutual understanding.
A student with Down syndrome taking the lead in a community circle to discuss disability, weakness, and strengths.
The transformative moment when students realize they can learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Moving away from a deficit mindset by focusing on strengths and using asset-based language to engage students.
Recognizing that everyone has unique neurological profiles and learning styles, emphasizing the value of diversity in education.
The active role of students in understanding and practicing inclusion, viewing people with disabilities as co-equals.
The goal of inclusive education to help students see diversity as a value and asset for creating a more equitable society.
The teacher's role in communicating and modeling an inclusive learning environment for students of all abilities.
Re-framing the concept of special education and disabilities as normal and something that can be 'super cool' and unique.
The early development of students' ability to advocate for themselves, supported by both general and special education teachers.
The call to action for educators to make changes to eliminate ableism in their classrooms and promote a more inclusive mindset.
Transcripts
- Narrator: Have you ever talked about
what a student of yours can't do in the classroom?
"They can't read that paragraph.
"They can't do that homework.
They can't do the group activity."
This focus on what students can't do is deficit mindset,
and it's a key element to understanding ableism.
[clicking sound]
- Jeremy Ault: Simply, ableism is when there's an inherent bias
against people with a disability.
And that takes many forms that we all have internalized.
As a special education teacher,
like, I often think about the ways in which
I have been ableist in the day.
And that's true.
'Cause I think like, as an educator,
especially a special education teacher,
like, you have to be self-reflective all the time
about how you're projecting in space.
- Narrator: Ableism assumes that typical abilities are superior,
and that people with a disability need fixing.
A lot of these biases can be directed
toward physical disabilities,
but also mental disabilities, learning disabilities,
or even something like a language barrier.
- It's really easy in school to like, segregate students
based on ability levels even if you're trying not to, right?
So like when you're talking about inclusive classrooms,
it's like, well, what does inclusion look like?
It's not enough just to have students with disabilities
sitting in your classroom.
How are we as teachers, both sp-ed, gen ed, teachers,
and schools, like really actively helping those students
to engage socially and with the material?
There's like, all kinds of cool things you can do,
but it's not enough just to put them in there
and then to give them a small group in the back of the room.
That's not enough.
- Narrator: Socially engaging education
is something Jeremy is doing
to give students some agency over their learning,
allowing the students to understand
how they can contribute to a given lesson with one another.
- Jeremy: So like, some of the students
with intellectual disabilities were being over-helped.
So they weren't really learning the skills
that they needed to learn for independence.
We really have to get them to see themselves as equals
and to have everybody else see them as like co-equal partners.
So one of the things we did
is we approached a couple of the students,
one in particular with Down syndrome,
and asked him to lead what we call community circle,
where he would work and discuss with all the other students
around the ideas of disability.
But also more importantly,
it was focused on like, the idea of weakness and strengths.
So we worked with him for a little bit
to get the presentation going,
but really he talked about what it meant for him
to have Down syndrome.
You know, he's taking over the defining moment
about his disability.
He's you know, he's prideful about it and sharing about it.
And then more importantly, he's talking about what he feels
he has strengths in and where he needs help
and how they can help him.
And then this is where it flips.
Then he led a discussion with all the other students
where they had to answer to each other about, well,
where are their strengths?
Where are their weaknesses?
Where can they be helped?
Where can they be supported?
And so it was a really awesome moment
where like, all these other students
who were trying to figure out how to help him
realized really quickly that like,
"Oh, he can tell us what he needs
"and oh, and by the way,
"something that he might be really good at
is something that I struggle with."
- Narrator: Remember that deficit mindset?
By looking at strengths and using asset-based language,
students can find ways to engage,
rather than simply identifying ways they cannot.
This new way of thinking
allows one to also see ability on a spectrum,
rather than in absolutes.
We all have neurological profiles.
We all learn differently.
We all have strengths and weaknesses,
and everybody brings value to that space
and can help each other out.
And I think like, what's really cool
about those types of moments is that students really begin
to understand the action of inclusion,
which is like, this is an act.
We actively talk and interact with each other.
We actively see the value and strengths
of people with disabilities.
And we view them as co-equals in our democracy.
And I think that's what inclusive education
ultimately is about.
We want all people, all students to understand
that our diversity is a value and an asset,
and it's gonna help us create a more equitable democracy.
- Narrator: Creating an inclusive mindset
will allow for a learning environment
where students of all abilities can participate.
It's simply up to the teacher to communicate
and model what that participation will look like.
- You can say, "Look, everybody, Azul's gonna come up today
"and she's gonna share with us something
"that she worked on over the weekend," right?
Azul might not be able to communicate in the typical way,
but Azul can be present and in that space,
and you can show them things that they like to do
within the space that they're good at.
Sometimes it might be drawing.
Sometimes it might be like, I don't know, like dancing.
I'm not gonna define the student by what they can't do.
I'm gonna define the student by what their uniqueness is,
what their unique talents are,
what are the different neurological ways
in which the student learns that can enrich my own classroom.
- Narrator: Demonstrating to your students
these differences in ability can go a long way
to removing the biases that make up an ableistic classroom.
- If we tried to, as teachers,
like reframe the idea of special education
or having a disability as being shameful, but as normal,
and also part of being humans
and in many ways, like makes you super cool and really unique.
I think like, that would help too
with just like, students when they get older,
being able to actively advocate
and feel confident advocating for themselves.
And I think like, that starts early on
with like gen ed and sp-ed teachers
talking about what they're seeing
and like, really supporting students
and helping students advocate for themselves.
- Narrator: What are some changes you could make
to eliminate ableism in your classroom?
[gentle music]
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