lessons about discriminatory attitudes
By Elizabeth
@Poppylicious (11134)
United Kingdom
January 19, 2016 2:55am CST
One of the lessons I support in is with a low ability Health & Social Care group. It's both interesting and dull in equal amounts, but I enjoy the company of the students.
Yesterday's lesson was about how to challenge discriminatory attitudes towards people with a physical disability. You would expect a teacher of this sort of subject to be fully aware of the students in his classroom and the adaptations he needs to make.
One of the students in the class is deaf and has a communicator.
The first activity they did was the watching of a video. The video had a subtitles button. Can we put the subtitles on so DeafStudent can follow what's going on? asked the communicator.
NO! was the very abrupt, rather harsh response that she received.
Whoa!
Fairly ironic for a lesson on challenging attitudes. We probably should have challenged him, but we were all very bewildered and slightly perplexed.
Do as I say, not as I do. Or something.
6 people like this
8 responses
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
19 Jan 16
@Poppylicious I think that's what's called shooting yourself in the foot - unless that's a disabledist statement.
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11134)
• United Kingdom
19 Jan 16
Definitely. He's usually so good as well.
2 people like this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
19 Jan 16
I think I would definitely have challenged this person and stopped the lecture until the situation had been resolved. Certainly a report should be sent to the organisers about the attitude of the lecturer on this occasion, since it will almost certainly not be appropriate for this person to give further training sessions on the subject.
4 people like this
@Poppylicious (11134)
• United Kingdom
19 Jan 16
Well, he's usually a really good teacher. I'm not even sure he understood what was being asked. Not that I'm making excuses for him, it was just out of character.
3 people like this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
19 Jan 16
@Poppylicious From what you say, it seems that it was a misunderstanding, then, which should really have been dealt with firmly at the time.
3 people like this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
19 Jan 16
seems a pretty extreme and unreasonable attitude from him - maybe someone should report him
2 people like this
@Poppylicious (11134)
• United Kingdom
20 Jan 16
I think if it was brought up now he'd be mortified that it was seen to be so harsh.
1 person likes this
Was that NO! even followed by an explanation as to why not or something?
@Poppylicious (11134)
• United Kingdom
19 Jan 16
Well, if I had been her and it had been a student I was in the class to specifically support I would have done. It was awkward for me to undermine the teacher and the communicator.
3 people like this
@Dena91 (17029)
• United States
19 Jan 16
Having a niece born deaf and needing a helper in school I can't tell you the times, still happens as she's in high school, people don't care about her handicap. They expect her to be like a normal listening student. It angers me more than words can say.
3 people like this
@softbabe44 (5815)
• Vancouver, Washington
20 Jan 16
I would have asked what's wrong with him.
2 people like this
