3 votes

Reading and decoding from the perspective of someone with a learning disability

1 comment

  1. kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link
    Note: this segment is part of a larger video (which is well worth watching in full for anyone interested), but the part I'm linking here goes from 45:05 to 53:03. This is a video from a workshop...

    Note: this segment is part of a larger video (which is well worth watching in full for anyone interested), but the part I'm linking here goes from 45:05 to 53:03.

    This is a video from a workshop on understanding and helping students with learning disabilities, and it's one of the best segments I've ever watched in any of the (many) teacher trainings I've ever done. I was inspired to post it after reading through this thread on reading instruction. The video is not an exact complement to the ideas in that article but instead highlights a different issue.

    I will note that the practice used in the video where the facilitator structurally "simulates" the experience of a disability for a non-disabled population is actually quite controversial in the disability community. I personally feel that this particular instance is a good use of it because I think it's done in a manner that isn't condescending to those with the targeted disability. In fact, a key part of the video is how the facilitator deliberately patronizes the audience during the exercise as a way of showing how teachers often criticize or belittle struggling learners, including those with disabilities.

    I ultimately think it's valuable because it doesn't frame the disability as merely a contrast to an otherwise able population but instead as a difference that should be understood and accounted for in our educational frameworks. That said, I can also totally understand how some might feel more negatively affected by it and dislike a model that gives a sort of "tourist's perspective" on disability.

    2 votes