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Erasing Handicapism: A Slide Show for Developing Positive Attitudes Toward Disabled Pupils

Dr. Arthur Shapiro
The William Paterson College of New Jersey Wayne, New Jersey

Subject: Teacher Education/Special Education
Grade: Higher Education

"The major strength is the impact that the slides have on us. It seems as if they are all things we've seen, but never really understood all the implications." (Viewer)

Purpose and Description of Project

Arthur Shapiro created a slide presentation focusing on handicapism- discrimination toward the handicapped. Feeling that negative image factors, most of which operate subliminally, are often the basis of discrimination toward the handicapped, he sought to make teachers, and subsequently their students, aware of the sources of some of their negative feelings toward the disabled. In addition to making educators aware of the stereotypes of the disabled, Shapiro designed his slide show to present practical methods for offsetting these damaging biases with appropriate curricular materials and activities. If mainstreaming of handicapped children is to be successful in schools and in the community, nonhandicapped children and teachers must learn to interact with the handicapped with understanding and acceptance. Shapiro focused his efforts on fostering attitudes of acceptance that are critical to the success of educating handicapped pupils in the least restrictive educational setting.

Activities

Shapiro gathered his slide and script subjects from historical as well as contemporary sources. To illustrate his belief that negative attitudes toward those who are "different" are learned early in life-and mostly from the mass media-Shapiro presented stereotypes of the disabled from media sources. Examples showed disabled persons as humorous (Mr. Maggo), pitiable (poster children), and evil (Captain Hook). Slides also illustrated follow-up activities teachers could initiate to overcome negative student attitudes toward handicapped pupils-teaching about individual differences and handicapism, having the students perform disability simulations, having disabled persons speak to the students, and encouraging students to read books and watch television programs or movies that present the disabled in realistic and positive ways.

After Shapiro had developed and sequenced the slides and written his script, he presented his slide show to five graduate and undergraduate classes in special education. The 66 students who viewed the presentation were asked to complete a questionnaire indicating strong and weak points of the presentation, whether it made them aware of their feelings toward the handicapped and/or changed these feelings in any way, whether it would help teachers deal with mainstreamed handicapped children, and what their overall reaction to the presentation was.

Materials, Resources, and Expenses

Shapiro prepared the slide show himself using a Honeywell SP1000 Pentax camera and KODAK EKTACHROME Film. He used a copystand to make slides from original picture sources. Shapiro researched articles on handicapism as he established the content and order of his presentation.

Outcomes and Adaptability

Shapiro's questionnaire indicated positive reactions from the viewers. Over 89% said the presentation made them aware of negative attitudes, and almost 73% said it changed their personal feelings toward the disabled. All the viewers thought the presentation would benefit teachers of mainstreamed pupils. Also, all had positive overall reactions to Shapiro's presentation, although some recommended the use of taped narration.

Shapiro recommends the development and use of a similar slide show in several curricular areas. Social studies classes could focus on attitudes toward minorities, influence of the media, laws, and social policy, while English classes could study images of the disabled in literature. Journalism students might research bias in newspaper feature stories and editorials, and science teachers could add such concepts as deafness or blindness to their studies of the human body or sound and light. Finally, family life educators could use such a presentation to foster appreciation of individual differences and appropriate interpersonal relationships.

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