Updated February 2010
NICHCY receives many calls and emails each year from people looking for materials on disability awareness. People need these materials for many different reasons, from classroom instructional units, to Girl Scout information fairs, to school reports. This resource page (what's below) provides just a sample of selected materials available from different organizations.
We also receive many requests for information about inclusion of children with disabilities in all walks of life. We are pleased to offer you a separate page of resources on the subject of inclusion, to be found at:
Materials To Raise Awareness of Disability
What do parents experience when they first find out their child has a disability?
Read You Are Not Alone, written by a parent to other parents.
http://www.nichcy.org/FamiliesAndCommunity/Pages/notalone.aspx
The More You Know: Disability Awareness.
You may have seen the More You Know series on TV. One of their programs is on disability, and it's designed to give us all more information about disability. Check it out!
http://www.themoreyouknow.com/disability-awareness/
Ever wondered what it's like to have a disability?
A site for young people, courtesy of the Center for Disability Information & Referral (CeDIR).
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/CEDIR/kidsweb/
Friends Who Care.
FRIENDS WHO CARE® is designed to help children better understand what it means and how it feels to be a young person with a disability. This educational program gives students the opportunity to learn what is involved when someone has a disability and how they adapt to live life, go to school, or work as independently as possible.
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_friendswhocare
Count Me In.
The COUNT ME IN puppet program is designed to help children and adults learn about disabilities and chronic illnesses in an effort to bridge the gap between typical students and those with disabilities.
http://www.pacer.org/puppets/count.asp
Kids on the Block.
The Kids on the Block has developed over 40 different programs addressing various disabilities, educational and medical differences, and social concerns. Each topic is thoroughly researched and field-tested before it becomes available to schools, community service organizations, hospitals, and special interest groups. A complete curriculum accompanies each topic area, including scripts, answers to questions children ask, background information on the topic, character biographies, resource materials, follow-up information, and continued support from the KOB National Office.
http://www.kotb.com/
More materials for schools.
"Building Disability Awareness and Inclusion" is a webpage listing materials for schools, courtesy of the Kern County SELPA.
http://kcsos.kern.org/SpecialEd/stories/storyReader$263
Disability History Museum.
The Disability History Museum's Library is a digital archive that only exists online. It contains digital versions of images, texts, and other artifacts related to disability history that have been gathered from libraries and private collections across the country. Materials in the Library date back to the 18th century and represent all disability categories across the life span. The goal is to create a theme-based, searchable collection of primary source materials that will help expand knowledge and understanding about the historical experience of people with disabilities in the United States.
http://www.disabilitymuseum.org/
Access and Opportunities: A Guide to Disability Awareness.
The VSA arts' Disability Awareness Guide is an informational tool for those who want to gain additional knowledge about disability and tips for social etiquette and positive interactions. The guide is a starting point for readers to increase their basic knowledge, initiate discussion, and clarify myths and facts about people with disabilities. It is a tool that will start readers on their way to a better understanding of disability issues and the disability community as a whole.
http://www.vsarts.org/x523.xml
Medical problems...from the perspective of the children who have them.
Bandaids and Blackboards is a website designed to help people understand what it's like to grow up with a medical problem, from the perspective of the children and teens who are doing just that. These young people have become experts at coping with problems that most of us have never heard of. They'd like you to know how they do it, and they hope that you'll be glad you came to visit.
http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/faculty/jfleitas/bandaides/
Cromwell Center for Disability Awareness.
http://www.cromwellcenter.org/disabilities_awareness.htm The core of the Center's work is disability awareness education. Its three principal programs are:
- the Student Disabilities Awareness Program, which is primarily for students in Grades 3 through 6 and which has been successfully adapted for students through Grade 12;
- the Future Educator Disabilities Awareness Program, for college and graduate students who intend to pursue careers in education and for any other individuals who plan to work in an educational setting; and
- the Workplace Disabilities Awareness Program, for employees at all levels in any workplace.
Everybody Counts!
The Everybody Counts! program gives students in grades K-8 an understanding of people with disabilities.
http://www.everybodycounts.net/
National Health Observances, 2010.
The National Health Information Center offers its annual list of health observances by month. These are opportunities to educate others about health risks and conditions, and usually involve being able to obtain outreach and activity materials from the sponsoring organization for the event.
http://www.healthfinder.gov/nho/nho.asp
Council for Disability Awareness.
The CDA is a nonprofit organization committed to informing and educating the American public about the widespread and growing frequency of disability, and the financial impact it can have. A large part of its mission is providing helpful resources and information to wage earners, their families, the media, employers, and anyone concerned about disability and the impact it can have on the finances and lifestyle of American families.
http://www.disabilitycanhappen.org/default.asp
A video collection.
According to Disabled World, disability Awareness means educating people regarding disabilities as the biggest barriers people with disabilities encounter are other people. Disability etiquette are guidelines dealing specifically with how to approach people with disabilities. The informative videos at Disabled World help teach and make people aware of disability issues and persons with disabilities in society
http://videos.disabled-world.com/category/disability-awareness
Videos at YouTube.
Visit YouTube.com, search using the phrase "disability awareness," and you'll find many a video on this subject.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Disability+Awareness&search_type=&aq=f
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Materials on Disability Etiquette
Tips on interacting with people who have disabilities.
From the United Spinal Association, this series of resource pages covers the basics, gives terminology tips, and includes closer looks at etiquette for interaction with people who have a range of different disabilities.
http://www.unitedspinal.org/disability-etiquette/
Etiquette, according to Easter Seals.
http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_etiquette
From the FCC.
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/504/disability_primer_4.html
From the Memphis Center for Independent Living.
http://www.mcil.org/mcil/mcil/etiqu01.htm
From the Office of Compliance and Equity Management.
http://www.uni.edu/equity/DisabilityEtiquette.shtml
Accommodation and Compliance Series: Disability Etiquette Tips For Speaking Engagements.
From JAN, the Job Accommodation Network.
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/etipresent.html
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