My contribution to A Disabled-Access Friendly world: Lessons for the ELTclassroom

Marisa Constantinides challenged us ”to contribute lesson ideas for the foreign language classroom which will be aimed at younger learners and teens and which will promote the concept of a disabled-friendly world where people who have mobility issues can have easy access to services, places of learning, public and private spaces easily and safely.”

Before New Year’s Eve, as an awarness activity, my school hosted a group of people who were disabled. These people were getting training and rehabilitation by some volunteers. There was a concert and at the concert our students and our guests had a chance to enjoy themselves together.

The following day, with my year 10 students I asked them how they felt. Some of them told me about their sympathy, how they felt sorrow for them. They said they realised how lucky they actually were and then we discussed what kind of problems the disabled people experience in society. To my surprise, my students were very well-aware that life for disabled people were very difficult as the society makes them ‘the other’ ‘a stranger’ ‘somebody who should be kept at home and under surveillance’. Then they said the only thing the society feels for them was ‘to show pity’ and they added that it shouldn’t be like that and we should all learn to live together without feeling sorry for them and making them part of our lives.

When I watched the commercial, I remembered the things we talked in the classroom and when Marisa’s challenge came, I thought this is a great video to start a discussion in the classroom.

Here is my idea:

Play the video and stop at 0:09 and ask students to guess why this video is called ‘Dreams Academy’

Then watch the commercial until the end and discuss together.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tea-cGiop0&w=425&h=349]

The message can shortly be translated as If we see from different angles/perspectives, their lives change.

Because of this message I find this video very powerful. By not accepting them in our lives, we make everything more difficult. If only ….

Blog Posts for Marisa’s Challenge

My post for Marisa Constantinides’s Blog Challenge-A Disabled-Access Friendly world: Lessons for the ELT classroom by Vicky Loras

A Disabled-Access Friendly World: A Lesson for the Business English classroom

My Post for the “Disabled Access-Friendly World” Blog Challenge

Blog Challenge: A Disabled Access Friendly World: Lessons for the ELT Classroom

From Critical Pedagogy to Disabled Pedagogy