Able-bodied Individuals' Perceptions of People with Disabilities

Your Name and Title: Dr. Jamal Din Slimani

School or Organization Name: Regional Center for the Professions of Education and Training

Co-Presenter Name(s):

Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Rabat, Morocco

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience(s): Anyone interested in disability issues

Short Session Description (one line): This presentation will be about "normal" people's perceptions and misperceptions of individual who have disabilities.

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

My presentation aims at shedding light on able-bodied people’s perceptions of and communication with individuals who have disabilities. Those perceptions are mostly shaped by the powerful phenomenon of social construction, i.e., people “learn” to perceive individuals with disabilities based on what the different agencies of socialization (family, school, peers, and the media) have “taught” them. Therefore, interactions between able-bodied persons and people with disabilities are, unfortunately, unsuccessful. Origins of negative attitudes will be explained and solutions for a social de-construction of those attitudes will be suggested.

It is hoped that this presentation will provide valuable information for people who may interact with disabled individuals and teachers who may have students with disabilities in their classes.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:

Hello Jamal,

I was unable to attend your session today due to the time difference, but I just watched the recording and wanted to say thank you for presenting on this topic. I started working in the field of disability for fewer than five years, and I am always excited by how much more there is still to learn!

I am not sure if you're familiar with MIUSA (www.miusa.org), but we have worked with some exchange students with disabilities coming from other countries (including Morocco) to study in the USA, to prepare them for the cultural differences, services and laws related to disability here. It is always fascinating to learn about the experiences of people with disabilities coming from other countries, cultures, and backgrounds.

I would be especially interested to learn more about perceptions of people with invisible disabilities such as Asperger's/autism, dyslexia or attention deficit disorder, depression, anxiety, diabetes, or other conditions.

Thank you again for an informative and important presentation!

Replies

Ashley Bryant November 19, 2013 at 4:57pm

Hello Jamal,

I was unable to attend your session today due to the time difference, but I just watched the recording and wanted to say thank you for presenting on this topic. I started working in the field of disability for fewer than five years, and I am always excited by how much more there is still to learn!

I am not sure if you're familiar with MIUSA (www.miusa.org), but we have worked with some exchange students with disabilities coming from other countries (including Morocco) to study in the USA, to prepare them for the cultural differences, services and laws related to disability here. It is always fascinating to learn about the experiences of people with disabilities coming from other countries, cultures, and backgrounds.

I would be especially interested to learn more about perceptions of people with invisible disabilities such as Asperger's/autism, dyslexia or attention deficit disorder, depression, anxiety, diabetes, or other conditions.

Thank you again for an informative and important presentation!
- Jamal Din Slimani > Ashley Bryant November 19, 2013 at 5:30pm
  
  Hi Ashley,
  
  Thank you for watching the recording of my presentation and for your nice feedback.
  
  Yes, I'm quite familiar with MIUSA. I visited the website very often while writing my Ph.D. dissertation, which was entitled, "The Use of AAC Devices by Cerebral Palsy Students: A Case Study".
  
  I don't know much about the topic of perceptions of people with invisible disabilities, but I can imagine the surprise and "shock" of able-bodied individuals when they speak to someone who has speech impairment, for instance, and find out that he/she can communicate with sign language only.
  
  Regards,
  
  Jamal.
Diane Midness November 5, 2013 at 12:34pm

Thanks Jamal! Could you edit this to have your title reflect what you are talking about. Perhaps you could share that you are doing this in the Special Abilities group https://collaborate.iearn.org/space-10/group-215. Some of those in the group would probably want to join you.

Warmly,

Diane
- Jamal Din Slimani > Diane Midness November 5, 2013 at 4:32pm
  
  Thanks, Diane, for the remark.
  
  I will definitely share what I am doing in the Special Abilities group.
  
  Regards,
  
  Jamal.

This reply was deleted.