Component #1: Understanding the Influences on People with Exceptionalities

Description

Component #1: Understanding the Influences on People with Exceptionalities will be a structured exploration of some of the factors that impact the lives of two individuals.

Component 1: Understanding Influences on People with Exceptionalities Paper (5-7 pages CEC Standards 1, 5 & 6)

In this paper you will explore the myriad influences on people with disabilities and reflect on ways the confluence of these factors impact the individual’s life. You will explore the lives of two (2) individuals with exceptionalities using the following sources. These two people can have the same or different exceptionalities (your choice). (a list of books or films has been provided):

1. Book: Choose a book, fiction or non-fiction, about a person with exceptionality
2. Film: Watch a film, movie or documentary, about a person with exceptionality

For each source you will conduct an “assessment” and create a “portrait” of the individual and how the following factors influenced his or her life, learning and inclusion in the community:

1. Understanding the Influence of Culture and Family Background:
a. Describe the culture of the individual. Was it a collectivist or individualist culture? Accepting or rejecting of disability? Was there a willingness to respond to individual needs? How did the family support and/or hinder the individual? What were the family and cultural expectations of the culture/family on the person? How did others view the person with the disability? How did the disability affect the person’s self-image? In this section discuss the impact of labels, bias, diversity, self-determination, integration or quality of life of the person with a disability.
b. Use the information you have learned to develop 2 concrete suggestions for teaching or supporting the individuals and their families based on what you have learned about them as a culture/family.

2. Understanding the Impact of Social Experiences:
a. Describe the person’s circle of support (circle of intimacy, circle of friendship, circle of association and circle of exchange). What positive and negative experiences did this person encounter in school and community settings? What were the effects of these experiences on the person’s development? What impact did teachers have on the lives of these persons? How did these relationships support or hinder the development and learning of these individuals? Discuss how these relationships relate to labeling, bias and self-determination.
b. Using the information from (a) provide two concrete suggestions to increase the social connections and social valorization of these individuals.

3. Understanding the Impact of Educational Experiences:
a. Describe the educational experiences of the individual? Did he or she attend school? In what type of setting? From what you can ascertain, was he or she educated in the “zone of proximal development”. Were his or her strengths and challenges factored into the educational experiences? How did the beliefs and resulting educational experiences support or hinder the development of the individual? What worked and did not work for each individual?
b. Based on (a), develop 4 long-term goals for each person
c. Based on (a) and (b), provide 2 concrete evidence-based instructional strategies

4. Discovering Strengths, Interests and Abilities:
a. What were the abilities and strengths of each person? Did others recognize and foster these abilities? How did the person utilize these abilities to become more independent? Was the person self-determined? How has the presence or absence of these factors impacted the outcomes for each individual?
b. Based on (a), develop 2 methods to foster and include each individual’s strengths, interests and abilities into the educational plan

Attached is a list of books and films for this assignment. Please choose one book and one film from this list to write about. Please let me know if you have any questions.

FILMS
Autism is a World (Autism Biography/Documentary)
A Beautiful Mind (Emotional –Behavioral Disorder–Biography)
Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Traumatic Brain Injury and Physical Disability)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Asperger Syndrome)
Life According to Sam (Rare disorder—Documentary)

BOOKS
Carly’s Voice: Breaking Through Autism by Arthur Fleischmann and Carly Fleischmann (Autism)
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon
Dance, Belle, Dance by Beth Huffamn (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)