UNST 421: Learning from and About Persons with Disabilities

UNST 421: Learning From and About Persons with Disabilities

Portland State University Capstone

Course Assignments

Ann Fullerton, Department of Special Education

Course Overview: Before, During, After Camp Session

Before you arrive for your two-week session at camp, complete the following:

Read the Counselor and Staff Handbook. (The handbook is handed out during Orientation). Bring your handbook to camp.

Log on to and then click on “Web Resources.” Follow the directions in the document or see below under” How to Use the Web-based Resources for Course Assignments”.

Keep in mind that after your two weeks at camp, your final assignment is a brief reflection paper. In that paper you will connect what you learned about persons with disabilities from the websites, the discussions, and the experience of being a counselor.

Complete the take home exam, bring it to camp, and turn it in to your university supervisor. In the take home exam, list the names of the websites that you read and will contribute to the discussions as camp. (The take home exam is handed out during Orientation).

Don’t forget to bring to camp:
The Counselor and Staff Handbook
Pages from the websites you chose to bring for discussion
The completed take home exam. Turn it in to your university supervisor.

During week 1 at camp:

Turn in your take home exam to the University Supervisor.

Participate fully in Counselor Training.

Perform your responsibilities as a counselor as described during counselor training and in the Counselor Expectations Checklist (CEC) in this section of the manual.

During meetings with your Counselor Supervisor and other students in your group, participate in problem solving and planning to support the campers and counselors in the group.

Participate during discussions led by your University or Counselor Supervisors and contribute information you learned from the websites you visited.

Complete Experience Skills Checklist (ESC) that rates campers’ skill levels.

Assist camper in completion of a Camper Journal describing camp experience.

By 5:30 on Thursday of week 1, complete self-evaluation using the Counselor Experience Checklist (CEC) and turn in to your Counselor Supervisor.

Attend conference with your Counselor Supervisor to discuss first week’s performance as a counselor, and receive feedback and support.

During week 2 at camp:

On Sunday, the first day of week 2, arrive on time for scheduled meeting with your counselor group.

Continue to perform your responsibilities as a counselor as described in counselor training and in the Counselor Expectations Checklist (CEC). Incorporate any feedback you received from your Counselor Supervisor.

During meetings with your Counselor Supervisor and other students, participate in problem solving and planning to support the campers and counselors in the group.

Participate during discussions led by your University or Counselor Supervisors and contribute information you learned from the websites you visited.

Complete Experience Skills Checklist (ESC) that rates campers’ skill levels.

Assist camper in completion of a Camper Journal describing camp experience.

Attend final conference with your Counselor Supervisor to receive and discuss final Counselor Expectations Checklist evaluation.

Complete course evaluation.

After returning home from camp:

Complete final reflection paper and turn it in by the due date. See “Instructions for Final Paper” in this section of your Handbook and “.

How to Use the Web-based Resources for Course Assignments

You can access these resources at the course website:

You will read web-based resources before you arrive at camp for your two week session and after you return home and write your final paper.

Before you come to camp for your two-week session:

Explore the websites in the section “Persons with Disabilities and Society”.

___ 1. Consider the questions at the top of the section.

___ 2. Choose one website of interest and read the site in more depth.

___ 3. Choose information provided at the website that you feel is important to share during our discussions at camp.

___ 4. Print 1-3 pages from the website you can use in our discussions.

___ 5. Bring the pages with you to camp.

____6. Write the name of the website on your Take Home Exam.

2. Explore the websites in the section “Persons with Disabilities and their Families”.

___ 1. Consider the questions at the top of the section.

___ 2. Choose one website of interest and read the site in more depth.

___ 3. Choose information provided at the website that you feel is important to share during our discussions at camp.

___ 4. Print 1-3 pages from the website you can use in our discussions.

___ 5. Bring the pages with you to camp.

____6. Write the name of the website on your Take Home Exam.

Explore the websites in the section “Connecting Your Academic & Career Interests with

Issues Important to Persons with Disabilities”

___ 1. Consider the questions at the top of the section.

___ 2. Choose one website of interest and read the site in more depth.

___ 3. Choose information provided at the website that you feel is important to share during our discussions at camp.

___ 4. Print 1-3 pages from the website you can use in our discussions.

___ 5. Bring the pages with you to camp.

____6. Write the name of the website on your Take Home Exam.

Read your Counselor Handbook and complete the Take Home Exam and bring both to camp.

___ 1. Complete the Take Home Exam

___ 2. Bring your Handbook to camp

___ 3. Bring your completed Take Home Exam to camp.

After you return home from camp….Use web-based resources in your final paper

See section “Instructions for Final Paper” below.

Student Evaluation for Practicum Portion of Course

The Counselor Expectations Checklist (CEC)

The Counselor Expectations Checklist (CEC) provides the primary training objectives and evaluation procedures for students during the practicum. The CEC has 16 items divided into three sections: Camper Supervision/Interaction, Program Responsibilities, and Personal/Professional. The Counselor Expectations Checklist (CEC) is shown at the end of this section. Specific performance indicators for each item are described at the end of this section of the handbook.

It is important that every counselor review the CEC and these performance indicators carefully. The camp program has developed the CEC so that counselor supervisors and other staff can communicate clearly to counselors what is expected and needed from counselors.

Procedures for Counselor Evaluation using the CEC

Week 1 evaluation: At the end of the first week, the counselor uses the Counselor Expectation Checklist (CEC) to self-evaluate their performance in all areas. The counselor meets with their Counselor Supervisor to share their self-evaluation and to receive feedback from the Counselor Supervisor. The Counselor Supervisor and counselor discuss:

Areas of strength in the counselor’s performance thus far.
Areas in which the counselor would like more support and training
Areas in which the counselor can improve their performance during the second week of the program.

Week 2 and final evaluation: At the beginning of the second week, the counselor keeps in mind any areas where they intend to develop and improve their performance. The Counselor Supervisor offers support and training that they can provide. At the end of the second week, the Counselor Supervisor completes the Counselor Expectations Checklist, assigning a numeric rating for the counselor. The counselor and Counselor Supervisor meet to review and discuss the final evaluation.

Discussion Topics at Camp

Your Practicum Coordinator and Counselors Supervisors will schedule times for small group discussions of some of the following topics. You will bring your experiences at camp and the information you brought with you from the websites to these discussions.

Before you begin….
The words, ‘persons with disabilities,’ refers to a wide array of individuals. Many of the course websites address the issues and concerns of this broad array of persons with disabilities in society.
Most but not all of our camper participants are persons with significant disabilities, defined as persons who need some form of intensive and daily support for everyday living.
Some of the discussion topics below refer to the wider world of persons with disabilities. Other discussion topics are focused on persons with significant disabilities, such as those who participate in the camp program.

Discussion Topic 1: What have I learned from our camper participants?

What are you learning about persons with significant disabilities from this experience? In what ways are the lives and dreams of persons with significant disabilities the same or different than your own?

Discussion Topic 2: How do my academic/career interests intersect with disability issues?

Share with each other your academic and career interests. Share what you learned from the course websites listed under your academic/career interests and the needs/issues/talents of persons with disabilities. Here are a few examples:

Academic/Career Interest / Examples of needs/issues/talents of persons with disabilities
Business / What are some of the creative ways that employers have provided accommodations so that talented individuals with disabilities can contribute to their business?
Economics / What are the long-term social and economic consequences of not providing early intervention and early childhood education for infants and children with disabilities?
Urban Studies/Design/ Architecture / What is universal design and how has it been applied in urban planning and architecture? In what ways does universal design benefit everyone?
Psychology / What factors are important in psycho-social adjustment to disability?
What are typical attitudes towards persons with disabilities, what contributes to these attitudes, and what can change attitudes?
What can we learn about social cognition in general by exploring the ways persons with autism understand social situations?
Child & Family Studies
Social Work / What are the major parent/family advocacy groups for individuals with disabilities and their families?
What are the social and economic challenges faced by persons with disabilities and their families?
Fine Arts
English/Literature / How have persons who experience disability expressed that experience through arts and literature?
How has artistic expression helped individuals experiencing disabilities adjust to new life circumstances and discover gifts that stem from that experience?
Sociology
Anthropology
History
Political Science / What is Disability Studies? Is disability a social construct?
What are the consequences of various national and global (United Nations – 2007) policies regarding persons with disabilities?
What are the key themes in the social history of disability?
How is disability viewed in different cultures?
Chemistry
Biology / What do we know about the neurological basis of autism? How is research in this area helping us to understand brain functioning in general?
Are there relationships between humans’ impact on the environment and the prevalence and incidence of disability?
Engineering
Computer Science / What are the latest breakthroughs in rehabilitation engineering? How are individuals with physical disabilities contributing to this research?
What is augmentative communication and assistive technology?
What are the latest standards and breakthroughs for accessibility in telecommunications and the web?
How can engineering/information technologies help persons with physical disabilities be more in control of their lives?
Speech & Hearing Sciences / How can various disabilities impact language development? How do we use augmentative communication systems and visual systems to help persons with significant disabilities communicate?

Discussion Topic 3: Families with members with significant disabilities in our community: What are our civic and social responsibilities?

What challenges do families who have members with significant disabilities that need high levels of personal assistance or supervision face? How can society support families with children that have significant disabilities? Consider not only governmental supports but also informal and community supports. What are the benefits to all members of society in doing so?

Discussion Topic 4: Being an advocate and agent for social change

You are now one of a relatively few members of our community that have lived with and gotten to know persons with significant disabilities. You have read and/or discussed some of the social and economic challenges faced by persons with disabilities in our community. You have met family members of camper participants and now have a glimpse into the daily challenges and joys they experience.

In your lifetime, you are likely to have a person with disabilities move into your neighborhood or work alongside you on the job. Some of us will also experience a family member or friend becoming disabled.

What have you learned from this experience and from the course websites that would help you:

Ensure that the individual with disabilities had a voice in decisions that affected them?
Teach and coach others that are unsure what to do or how to interact?

Instructions for Final Paper

The final paper is a 3-4 page paper in which you reflect on what you learned from the websites you visited and your experiences at camp. The paper should be typed and double spaced.

Respond to two of the following three topics in your paper:

Topic 1: New awareness, new knowledge about persons with disabilities in society.

Briefly describe information that you learned about persons with disabilities and/or disability issues from the websites you visited. Say why you find this information important/significant. Provide the website name/address.

Topic 2:Being an advocate and agent for social change

What have you learned from this experience and from the course websites that would help you:

Ensure that the individual with disabilities had a voice in decisions that affected them?
Teach and coach others that are unsure what to do or how to interact?

Topic 3: Describe what you have learned about yourself and others during this experience

Choose and address questions such as:

a)What did you learn about yourself? What events helped you learn this?

c)What did you learn about others? What events helped you learn this?

d)How did you feel about yourself and what you did?

e)What have you discovered about working with others (the other counselors and staff)? What experiences at camp led to this discovery?

f)What have you discovered about persons with disabilities? What experiences at camp led to this discovery?

g)How have these experiences contributed to your thoughts about your career or other personal goals?

h)What have you learned about leadership and teamwork?

Grading: Overall Course Evaluation

B Grade

Complete Counselor Expectation Checklist (C.E.C.) by Thursday at 5:30 pm of the first week.
Achievement of a 75% rating from Counselor Supervisor on the Counselor Expectation Checklist following completion of week two.
Completion of Experience Skills Checklist (E.S.C) that rates campers’ skill levels.
Assist camper in completion of a Camper Journal describing camp experience.
Completion of final paper by due date (seven days after your time at camp). See Section: “Instructions for Final Paper”.
Complete Kiwanis Survey and return with your Self Reflection paper

A Grade

Complete CEC by Thursday at 5:30 pm of the first week.
Achievement of a 90% rating on the Counselor Expectations Checklist from Counselor Supervisor following completion of week two.
Completion of Experience Skills Checklist (E.S.C) that rates campers’ skill levels.
Assist camper in completion of a Camper Journal describing camp experience.
Completion of final paper by due date (seven days after your time at camp). See Section: “Instructions for Final Paper”.
Complete Kiwanis Survey and return with your Self Reflection paper.

Organization/Submission of Assignments