Introduction

This lesson regarding disability awareness and blindness through exposure to people they can connect with, via both text and in-person (my father), provided my students with access to outside resources, as well as increasing their understanding of resiliency. This experience transpired through my students' curiosity around a Helen Keller book in our classroom library. In a passing conversation, I mentioned that my father was blind and that although this means he needs some accommodations, he is also a very successful professional. They were intrigued by the concept of a guide dog and were excited to take advantage of this connection to deepen their understanding of the world, as well as learn how to approach and interact with those who may be different from us.

Language = Power

As I prepared for the execution of this activity, I wanted to ensure that I was using and modeling respectful language as it pertains to a disability. First and foremost, I wanted to connect the idea of a disability to a discussion about how special our unique differences are, and also to our studies of adjectives. A student can have blonde hair without that becoming their entire identity - it is the same with someone who has a disability. While my father is blind, there is much more to him than meets the eye. I also wanted to reiterate that no two people with disabilities experience the same challenges. There are so many ways that people have adapted to life’s circumstances and that is one of the concepts I wanted to focus on. We all experience limitations. What matters is how we use our abilities to help us navigate those difficult moments.

The above resource provides educators, parents and stakeholders of young children with a detailed guide on how to respect those with disabilities and focuses on people-first language. While this booklet aims to amplify the person, not the disability, it is always important to ask about people's preferences, rather than assuming.

Pre-Activity Surveys

Per the survey results, students indicated confusion pertaining to what people with disabilities can and cannot do. By introducing the topic via I Am Helen Keller, a popular book in our classroom library, students had an idea of this remarkable human, but did not grasp how disabilities can affect different body parts, actions and daily life. After discussing different types of disabilities, we introduced Helen Keller, and focused our attention on what it means to be visually impaired and hard of hearing.

While the surveys provided me with valuable information regarding my students’ understanding and misconceptions, a key takeaway from this particular activity was the importance of looking at disabilities as a whole first and then honing into our particular study. Via the results, I missed an opportunity to expand on physical and mental disabilities.

Planning with Dr. Weidner for Guest Presentation

Before the visit, I organized a meeting to plan and prepare for this experience. First and foremost, I explained the lesson plan, activities and objectives to help give Dr. Weidner a comprehensive overview of the experience, as well as my learning expectations. We then developed a plan to ensure the students were engaged, immersed and able to take advantage of this rich opportunity.

Pip the Guide Dog

The students thoroughly enjoyed this sweet film created by the same school that Cate went to! This short animation helped my students understand the immense training both guide dogs and their handlers go through, as well as demonstrating how the dogs and handlers enrich each other's lives. This served as a segue to critical discussions regarding how to respect both Cate and my father when they arrived.

Inquiry-Based Vocabulary

In addition to the vocabulary mentioned on the lesson plan, I asked the students to actively participate by listening for words in the text that they did not understand, were confused by or had never heard before. When they recognized they were unfamiliar with a certain word, they would tap their head which would instigate a discussion about what that word means, as well as why it is important to the story.

KWL Anchor Chart

KWL charts are a popular organization tool to help students organize what they K (know), W (wonder) and L (want to learn) about a topic. Before we read the text, we discussed as a class what we already know about Helen Keller. The students were aware that Helen Keller was both blind and deaf, as well as successful. However, they had a lot of questions surrounding how she was able to accomplish so much. As we read, they noted that she was able to use her sense of touch to read, as well as her sense of smell to help her navigate her environment. We learned that she excelled in education, wrote fourteen books and had a passion for helping those in need.

Sensory Drawing

In order to connect the students with the concept, we blindfolded ourselves and drew a picture. This required that we use our sense of touch and direction to determine where we were on the paper, where we had left off and what our end goal was. The students used various objects to mark where they were on the paper, as well as touching to feel where the drawing was. We then silently used our sense of touch to figure out what various classroom objects were without being able to talk or hear. This activity demanded students pursue alternative paths, such as touch, smell, memory and teamwork to accomplish their task. Although simple when one is able to see and hear, the students experienced just how difficult one, let alone two disabilities, can be. After our initial lesson, we discussed which alternative methods helped them in writing their name and determining objects. A common answer was using touch to find their paper/ pencil, as well as locate where they were writing on the actual paper and feeling for characteristics of specific objects, such as the round handles of scissors. In our text, we learned Helen Keller used Braille to read. We then created a classroom Braille chart out of cardboard to ensure the dots could be felt and created our names for Dr. Weidner to read.

Guest Presentation

When Dr. Weidner arrived, he spoke with us about ways he navigates daily life and has adapted various tasks to become independent. The students heard the computer voice reader he uses and were astonished to find out they couldn’t understand the words due to how fast they were read. This small adaptation amazed the students, as well as finding out that he had been an excellent student and received the highest degrees. Dr. Weidner introduced Cate, the guide dog, and explained how this highly trained animal helps him maneuver airports, cities, restaurants, and his university to ensure he is safe and in the right place. After demonstrating a few simple commands, the students were given an opportunity to have Cate guide them through the classroom. They felt how scary it was to follow this animal, yet were astounded by how well she took them to where they wanted to go. In closing, Dr. Weidner got his tambourine out and played a few songs for the students.

Post Activity Survey

After completing our Helen Keller study and meeting with Dr. Weidner, the students completed their Disability Surveys once again. As the data shows, students increased their understanding of disabilities.

Thank You Cards

To show our appreciation for coming all the way from Indiana to Louisiana, the students created and sent thank you cards to Dr. Weidner and Ms. Lauren.

This opportunity opened doors for my students by showing them how resilient they can be in the face of new obstacles, inspiring them to continue to work through adversity. They were able to deepen their understanding of people who have a disability, as well as learning how to interact with diverse populations. It was my goal to show them there are always multiple pathways to accomplish one’s dreams. Sometimes we may need to modify or change the way something is usually done, but amazing things are possible with hard work, tenacity, resiliency and hope.

Although I grew up with my father and always felt well versed in the world of disability awareness, teaching this lesson opened my eyes to the power of words and the importance of teaching respectful language. On more than one occasion I found myself stumbling over my own word choice in order to best explain the information at hand, while also maintaining person-first language. When Dr. Weidner came to speak with us, he actually commented on the fact that the students were saying he was visually impaired. He corrected them by explaining that no, he is not visually impaired. He is blind and it is always best-practice to ask someone what they prefer rather than assuming. While person-first language is commonly regarded as the most polite way of acknowledging someone with a disability, I learned that identity-first language not only works to destigmatize disabilities, but it is ableist to assume that all people in a certain group would prefer the same terms.