Supporting Special Education Reform

Ableism

Academic Definition:

Ableism is a form of discrimination or prejudice against individuals with physical, mental, or

developmental disabilities that is characterized by the belief that these individuals need to be

fixed or cannot function as full members of society (Castañeda & Peters, 2000).

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AbleismFrom, New Directions in Special Education (2005)

 “I (Tom Hehir) recall a discussion I had with my former boss, then assistant secretary of education and longtime disability activist Judy Heumann, about the exclusion of disabled students from state accountability systems, “Why are you surprised Tom? Don’t you see it’s discrimination? It’s ableism. Most disabled people experience that their whole lives because others don’t believe they are capable.” I was viewing the problem as a policy issue while Judy saw it through a much clearer lens. Though this exclusionary practice is ending due to changes brought about in federal law by disability activists like Judy, discrimination continues. Judy’s use of the term “ableism”- deeply held negative attitudes toward disability that are analogous to racism - took me aback. It seemed like such a strong word with serious implications.”

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“Confronting Abelism”Improving Instruction for Students with Learning Needs

Written by: Thomas Hehir

Educational Leadership

February 2007 | Volume 64 | Number 5

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Four A’s Text Protocol

• Read “Confronting Ableism” silently.• Use the Four A’s Protocol that follows to

answer to the following four questions:

• What Assumptions does the author of the text hold?

• What do you Agree with in the text?• What do you want to Argue with in the text?• What parts of the text do you want to Aspire

to?

 

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Four A’s Text Protocol

• In a round, have each person identify one assumption in the text, citing the text as evidence.

• Either continue in rounds or facilitate a conversation in which the group talks about the text in light of each of the remaining “A”s, taking them one at a time – what do people want to argue with, agree with, and aspire to in the text? Try to move seamlessly from one “A” to the next, giving each “A” enough time for full exploration.

• Share as a table group

• Whole group share

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Questions to consider How is the article, “Confronting Ableism,” related to the Special

Education Reform?

What are the connections between “Ableism” and Danielson’s “Teacher Effectiveness Framework” as it relates to:

Planning and Preparation

Classroom Environment

Instruction

Professional Responsibilities

The Quality Review states for the instructional core to improve, or maintain a high standard across classrooms within a school, the schools culture and structure must facilitate efforts at increasing and sustaining quality.

What does this statement mean for your Students with Disabilities?

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ABLEISM

Special Education

Reform

Danielson’s Teacher

Effectiveness Framework

Quality Review

Teaching and Learning

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