Unit 2 Competency 4

What would it be like if I were disabled?
Hands-on Activity
Supplies you will need:

1. Set of blindfolds – for this activity you need a ¼ of the class size. If your maximum class size is 24 then

you need 6. (This could be strips of material, night masks, bandana, Brown paper cold item bags,
etc.)Suggestion: I encourage you to get a classroom set to use as a resource when teaching

keyboarding. 

2. A bag of cotton balls (one each student)

3. Box of straws, stir sticks, craft sticks (one for each student)

Summary:

This activity is designed to help the students to understand how difficult it can be if you don’t have the right equipment if you have a specific disability.
For example:
a. Blindness
b. Deaf/partial hearing
c. Missing a hand or no control over their arm

d. Missing both hands or no control over their arms

  1. When preparing for this activity, set up a discussion board titled:
    What would it be like if I were disabled?
  2. Prepare a discussion board prompt for students including your expectations on number of responses, word limit, and grammar/punctuation.
    For example:
  • After practicing with various disabilities, post a thread stating which disability was most difficult for you and why?
  • What type of technology assistance would you need to assist you if you had this disability?
  • Then read your classmates’ postings and reply/respond to at least (two)2. Your response has to be in complete sentences and has to be at least 5 or more words per response.

Directions:

  1. First ask the students to raise their hand if they know someone who is blind or deaf. Allow them time to respond by raising their hands. Then ask them to raise their hand if they know someone who cannot use one of their hands or neither hand.

2. To begin, explain/demonstrate how each disability will be represented:

  1. Blind – wears a cover over their eyes
  2. Deaf – given a half cotton ball and has to tear apart and place snuggly in their ears
  3. Missing hand/limb – has to sit on the hand that they write with. If they are right handed then sit on that hand.
  4. Missing both hands/limbs –sit on both hands and given a pointing device.
  1. Discuss how this is realistic for some people and that without the right equipment using technology can be difficult. Explain that in this activity they will experience each disability.
  2. Assigning disabilities – there are four disabilities so beginning at the closest computer to you have them count off by 4s. For example: Student at computer A is 1, Computer B is 2, Computer C is 3, Computer D is 4, now start the count over again…Computer E is 1, etc…
  3. Write/type on your Promethean/Smart board the number and disability. Any order is fine…please tell the students not to complain that they will get to experience each of the disabilities.
  4. Once the students know their number and disability, explain the rules.
  5. For example:No cheating or complaining. This is not a contest, everyone is a winner. Being a good sport is the best example, etc.
  6. Explain the goals for this activity:
  7. Students will do their best to key from dictation in Microsoft Word while experiencing the disability. Teachers – choose a sentence that contains words they can spell. It does not have to be long sentences. They will be challenged by their disability.
  8. Example sentences to dictate: The cat ran across the street. The dog ran after it.
  9. Have students key both sentences as you dictate before attempting with their disability.
  10. Then have students delete the sentences from dictation. Everyone must have a blank screen before preparing to practice their disability.
  11. Prompt students to get ready by following the previous instructions and demonstrations.
  12. Dictate both sentences twice. This will allow them to problem solve or think critically about their disability.
  13. Now, explain they are going to rotate disabilities (not computers). Each student will inherit the disability from their left. Their disability will be given to their right. (do not share cotton balls or pointing devices – distribute them as needed. Have a garbage can to collect used pointing devices and cotton balls). Repeat the steps from 7. a, b, d, e, and f.
  14. Continue this rotation until each student has practiced with each disability.
  15. After the hands-on disability activity, instruct students to log into Blackboard and locate the Discussion Board – Disability Experiment.