Disabilites and Pop Culture

Matt came to class and informed us about how to communicate with people who are disabled. One thing that Matt said should stick out to everyone...Everyone is unique. We have to build relationships with other people in order to truly understand them. That means that we need to use common courtesy in order to communicate effectively.
List of communication tips from Matt:

1. Treat people with disabilities the same way you would treat anyone else.
2. Don't stare.
3. Don't treat him or her like he or she isn't there.
4. Begin with a normal conversation and expect one in return. Adjust if necessary.
5. Don't make initial assumptions about someone's disability or perceived lack thereof.

I bet most of the people in the classroom did not know that Abe Lincoln, Julia Roberts, Michael J. Fox, Richard Pryor, and Steven Hawking were all disabled. Yet, these individuals excelled in some way.

On major thing that I think we all need to remember is that you can't see all disabilities. You may be talking to someone who you would consider to be 'normal' (whatever that is) and have absolutely no idea that he or she has a disability.

A couple things for you to discuss in your blogs (from the articles):

1. Is there a hierarchy of disabilities?
2. How do you see learning disabilities and mental disabilities as being different than a physical disability?
3. How do you think it is different for someone to be born with a disability than to find out later in life one has a disability or acquires a disability?
4. How do you feel about the young woman who was forced to have an abortion because she was mentally disabled? What about the myths that were in that article?

REMEMBER...Until you 'walk a mile in someone else's shoes' you have no idea what their life is like.

We had two articles on pop culture. One talked about hip hop in China and the other about beauty in the USA.

A couple points for discussion in your blogs:

1. How do you think pop culture in the USA has influenced pop culture in other countries?
2. How do you think the medial influences our culture?
3. How do you think childrens' books have changed since you were little?

I hope that is a little food for thought. Remember, don't throw in the towel now. You can finish the semester strong! Keep up the hard work. See you all next week!