Students design and develop a useful assistive device for people challenged by fine motor skill development who cannot grasp and control objects. In the process of designing prototype devices, they learn about the engineering design process and how to use it to solve problems. After an introduction about the effects of disabilities and the importance of hand and finger dexterity, student pairs research, brainstorm, plan, budget, compare, select, prototype, test, evaluate and modify their design ideas to create devices that enable a student to hold and use a small paintbrush or crayon. The design challenge includes clearly identified criteria and constraints, to which teams rate their competing design solutions. Prototype testing includes independent evaluations by three classmates, after which students redesign to make improvements. To conclude, teams make one-slide presentations to the class to recap their design projects. This activity incorporates a 3D modeling and 3D printing component as students generate prototypes of their designs. However, if no 3D printer is available, the project can be modified to use traditional and/or simpler fabrication processes and basic materials.

This course illuminates current theories about autism together with challenges faced by people on the autism spectrum. Theories in communicating, interacting socially, managing cognitive and affective overload, and achieving independent lifestyles are covered. In parallel, the course presents state-of-the-art technologies being developed for helping improve both theoretical understanding and practical outcomes. Participants are expected to meet and interact with people on the autism spectrum. Weekly reading, discussion, and a term project are required.

Students are given a biomedical engineering challenge, which they solve while following the steps of the engineering design process. In a design lab environment, student groups design, create and test prototype devices that help people using crutches carry things, such as books and school supplies. The assistive devices must meet a list of constraints, including a device weight limit and minimum load capacity. Students use various hand and power tools to fabricate the devices. They test the practicality of their designs by loading them with objects and then using the modified crutches in the school hallways and classrooms.

Developing a Vision for and with Your Child is a self-paced training for educators and families which covers:

What do we mean by vision?
Why is vision important as an advocacy tool?
How can a vision statement support my child at school and in the community?
How do we develop a vision statement?

The goal of the training is to enable families, teachers and students to have a vision of a future. The vision is a work in progress that will develop over time, but sets goals and directions for students with disabilities.

In the article “Confronting Ableism on the Way to Justice,” activist Keith Jones remembers the bias and deficit-based approach he experienced in school: “Being Black and a child with cerebral palsy, or ‘crippled’ as I was called, neither I nor my classmates were expected to put forth any effort to learn. So, little effort was spent on teaching us.” Now, Jones, a leader within the disability rights movement, advocates for disability representation in the broader social justice struggle, including in education because “we can’t have inclusive schools without disability-inclusive spaces and accommodations for learning.”

The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities breaks down the history of developmental disabilities in two parts. Part one begin with the ancient era to the 1950s and part two begins with 1950 to today. Each era is presented with a vast amount of valuable information about people with disabilities along with video clips and quotes.

This resource offers ongoing professional development, resources, and further programming around the converging fields of arts education and special education. Includes reseources for educators and parents, webinars, professional papers and an extensive bibliography of journal articles on arts education and special education.

Teacher Judy Heumann dedicated her life to fighting for disability rights and was one of the architects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), changing U.S. society forever.

61 million adult Americans live with some sort of physical, sensory, or intellectual disability. When parents receive the news—prenatally or postnatally—that their child may have some form of a chromosomal difference or intellectual disability, it’s key that healthcare providers relay this diagnosis in a way that’s respectful to the family and those who live with these disabilities every day.

In this multidisciplinary lesson, students examine stereotypes about people with physical disabilities. Using clips from Still Tomorrow, a documentary about Chinese poet Yu Xiuhua, who has cerebral palsy, students will gain awareness of the clues they use to judge people. To better understand Yu’s condition, they’ll conduct research about cerebral palsy and write an “advice blog” addressing stereotypes about people with disabilities. As part of that research, students will consider how they choose what to click on when they do online searches.

This episode of “A World of Difference: Embracing Neurodiversity” explores making reading fundamental for dyslexic students. See how public and private schools in Atlanta and Orlando approach focused remediation. Experts offer tips to support struggling readers at home. And you’ll meet the Winner Twins, a popular sci-fi writing duo, who show learning differences don’t close the book on success.

Students are introduced to various types of hearing impairments and the types of biomedical devices that engineers have designed to aid people with this physical disability.

Hosted by Laura Ybarra, this episode will explore special education programs, resources and services in South Carolina to enable students with disabilities to access and progress in the general education setting.

Students participate in a variety of activities modeling different disabilities. They gain a better understanding of physical limitations while performing tasks at workstations without the use of their thumbs (taped down), impaired vision (various glasses) and impaired mobility (using crutches and wheelchairs). After discussing their experiences, they work in teams to create or improve on an adaptive device. Like biomedical engineers, students are challenged to design with the purpose of helping make a particular task easier for another person.

Students follow the steps of the engineering design process to create their own ear trumpet devices (used before modern-day hearing aids), including testing them with a set of reproducible sounds. They learn to recognize different pitches, and see how engineers must test designs and materials to achieve the best amplifying properties.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the polio epidemic and vaccine. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

Students are introduced to recent statistics related to people with disabilities and to Autism Spectrum Disorder specifically. Recent research related to causes and case studies of individual successes are explored through embedded video's in this prepared power point.

Raise awareness and increase student understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act by examining what it is like living with disabilities and the importance of accessibility. This guide measures student writing and addresses the following student goals:
- Students will read articles and discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act (what it is, what it covers, how it became law and how it changed life for Americans with disabilities).
- Students will read and discuss at least one complete novel and various local news articles about living with a disability.
- Students will discuss and reflect on the representation of people with disabilities.

"According to the United States Agency for International Development, 20 million people in developing countries require wheelchairs, and the United Nations Development Programme estimates below 1% of their need is being met in Africa by local production. Wheelchair Design in Developing Countries (WDDC) gives students the chance to better the lives of others by improving wheelchairs and tricycles made in the developing world. Lectures will focus on understanding local factors, such as operating environments, social stigmas against the disabled, and manufacturing constraints, and then applying sound scientific/engineering knowledge to develop appropriate technical solutions. Multidisciplinary student teams will conduct term-long projects on topics such as hardware design, manufacturing optimization, biomechanics modeling, and business plan development. Theory will further be connected to real-world implementation during guest lectures by MIT faculty, Third-World community partners, and U.S. wheelchair organizations. This class is made possible by an MIT Alumni Sponsored Funding Opportunities grant with additional support from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, the MIT Public Service Center, and the MIT Edgerton Center; special thanks to CustomInk.com."

In this lesson, students explore issues of accessibility as they step into their immediate communities to determine a range of physical barriers to those living with disabilities and conceptualize ways to remove some of those obstacles. The video clips provided with this lesson are from When I Walk, a film by and featuring Jason DaSilva, who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The documentary chronicles Jason's struggle to adapt to the realities of living with MS while holding on to his personal and creative life. With Jason's body growing weaker, his spirits, and his film, get a boost from his mother's tough love and the support of Alice Cook, who becomes his wife and filmmaking partner. POV offers a lending library of DVDs that you can borrow anytime during the school year — FOR FREE! Get started by joining our Community Network.