International Day of People with Disability is a day set out by the UN to educate, celebrate and recognize people of all abilities throughout the world. There were some classes throughout Edgemont School who spent the entire day experiencing what it would be like to have a disability. They chose what disability they would have and how it could be simulated. Other classes were given various disabilities, such as vision impairments, arthritis or amputation, as they arrived at PE class. All classes “lived” the simulated experience of having a disability that thus provided each student with an small understanding of the difficulties that can occur for those people who live with a disability.
Kindergarten students explored how their disability affected their ability to move by challenging themselves to make their way through obstacles scattered around the room without hitting any of those objects. They also had the opportunity to experience what it would be like to be blind and walk up or down a set of stairs. Many discovered that they needed to use their sense of touch to know where to step and hanging on to the handrail for direction was a good idea. Grades 1 to 6 classes played a simple game of dodgeball while simulating their disability. Students agreed it was not very easy to move around and their visual impairments sometimes made it impossible to play the game well. Some comments that were made included:
“I never want to be blind again!”
“I didn’t realize I relied on my sight so much. That was hard when I could only see a little bit.”
“I don’t want one arm again!”
“It was hard to move with my wheelchair. I couldn’t go very fast.”
You can find out more about this initiative and some of their resources at http://www.idpwd.com.au/about/.
Kindergarten students explored how their disability affected their ability to move by challenging themselves to make their way through obstacles scattered around the room without hitting any of those objects. They also had the opportunity to experience what it would be like to be blind and walk up or down a set of stairs. Many discovered that they needed to use their sense of touch to know where to step and hanging on to the handrail for direction was a good idea. Grades 1 to 6 classes played a simple game of dodgeball while simulating their disability. Students agreed it was not very easy to move around and their visual impairments sometimes made it impossible to play the game well. Some comments that were made included:
“I never want to be blind again!”
“I didn’t realize I relied on my sight so much. That was hard when I could only see a little bit.”
“I don’t want one arm again!”
“It was hard to move with my wheelchair. I couldn’t go very fast.”
You can find out more about this initiative and some of their resources at http://www.idpwd.com.au/about/.