The Open University with Access All Areas and Disability History Month launched free on-line educational materials for use in schools in November.
With the prevalence of negative language about disabled people and increased name based bullying at school or college particularly for students with learning difficulties this resource will be useful to teachers to raise understanding and empathy amongst students.
The pack can be viewed at http://www.open.ac.uk/health-and-social-care/research/shld/education-resources
This new online resource comprises a bank of educational activities for Key Stages 2-5, relevant to a wide range of subject areas, for both mainstream and special educational provision. Many of the activities are also suitable for adults with learning disabilities. The activities engage with contemporary issues of equality, rights, discrimination, disablist language and bullying, using a historical perspective.
The activities are built around the life of Mabel Cooper as portrayed in the film ‘No Longer Shut Up’. Mabel was institutionalised at 3 weeks old. Upon her release, Mabel became an active campaigner for people with learning disabilities, and was awarded an Honorary Degree from The Open University in 2010 in recognition of her work. Mabel believed passionately in the importance of teaching young people about the history of policies and practices that stigmatised and separated people. She argued until the final weeks of her life in 2013 that this aspect of disabled people’s history in the UK needed to be known, to help change attitudes and improve people’s lives in the future.
The Online Resource for Schools and Colleges on the History of Learning Disability is funded through the Living Archive of Learning Disability History Project, which is generously supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Contact Jan Walmsley 07813085211 for more information