Summer Training
Workshop
The Whole Person,
Inc.
SUMMER
2012
Instructor: Matthew Westra
e-mail: matthew.westra@mcckc.edu
REQUIRED TEXT:
No Pity.
by
Joseph
Shapiro
(If you have read it recently, that is good enough.
Work on having it read as early as feasible, even before the
workshop
begins.
We will be using a variety of Web sources - see "Schedule"
below for readings.
What the course is, and what it
is
not.
This extensive summer training
opportunity is built upon the college course "Introduction to
Developmental Disabilities" at UMKC, but it is not the same as
that
course.
Participants will:
- Develop a shared background of knowledge and ideas about
disability.
- Be exposed to history, law, and social aspects of the
disability
experience.
- Learn about family and cultural influences on disability.
- Examine the evolution of attitudes toward disability, and how
these personal and social attitudes are continuing to shift.
What it is NOT:
- A college course - the training is about learning, but you
won't
be graded or evaluated.
- An encyclopedia of disabilities - we won't spend much time on
specific disability types, diagnosis, or treatment.
- Some outsider telling you how to think, feel, or do your job.
About the Instructor
Matthew Westra has been teaching college for over
25
years, primarily in psychology, but also in human services and
anthropology. His interests are varied, including the psychology of
terrorism, human development, disability, and cultural studies. He
is a
two time recipient of the Missouri Governor's Award for Excellence
in
Teaching and has been a commentator for National Geographic
Television's program
Taboo. Matthew has
been a popular guest speaker on a variety of topics.
Matthew's involvement in disabilities study and
work
began in college, interning in a public school program for children
with autism. He has worked as direct care staff in group homes, a
special education instructor in a program operated by the California
community colleges, and a Supervising Psychologist with the
Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation where he worked for
the
unit that brought people out of institutions to live in groups homes
in
the community. Matthew has also provided group and individual
counseling and education in sexuality for people with developmental
disabilities. While in California, he provided educational and
discussion programs for elderly folks with disabilities in a variety
of
settings.
Matthew believes that humanity, cultures, and
individuals all move through the same evolution of attitudes and
responses to social justice issues, including disability. Civil
Rights
and full integration are thought to be the current pinnacles of this
evolution, but we also once thought the wheel was the best
technology
we could ever hope for.
You can view Matthew's complete resume/vita on
line
at
http://mcckc.edu/longview/socsci/psyc/westra/RESUME.html
Weekly Connections Journal-
Writing helps to solidify
what we learn. Keeping a journal where you can record your thoughts
and
make connections between the readings, your personal and
professional
experience will help you lock in what you've learned.
The
journal
can be used to describe how you were affected, led to think in a
different way, learned something new, were angered by or disagreed
with
something that happened in class, etc. Be critical. Challenge Ideas
and
Assumptions.
DISCLAIMER
Due to the nature of the study of Psychology,
we
will have occasional frank discussions including the topics of
human
sexuality and biology in factual, symbolic, and figurative forms.
If
you are easily offended or made uneasy by such language or
concepts, I
recommend you consider withdrawing or talking with me about what
exactly will be covered and how it will be covered. These
discussions
often take on a humorous tone, as people's anxiety often erupts in
laughter and jokes. Inappropriate (hostile or sexist) joking will
not
be tolerated, but it should be expected that one natural release
of
tension is through humor.
Intellectual Property
Restriction -
Permissions
The
materials
on this course web site represent the
author's intellectual property and are for the use of students
currently enrolled in this course, and others who have been given
specific permission. Usage is to be limited to appropriate use for
this
course and may not be shared or retained other than for the
express use
by the enrolled student for purposes of the course.
SCHEDULE DATES
What happens on each
date
is subject to change. When we have concluded material for
a
topic, we will begin the next topic. Please read website materials
prior to the day's session.
Week #
|
DATE |
TOPIC |
1
|
June 4
|
Intro to Workshop.
Syllabus.
Defining "Disability" / Types of
Disabilities (Class NOTES)
Mobility,
Sensory,
Cognitive, Psychiatric, Communication - and
Developmental
National Federation of the Blind - Questions Kids Ask
about Blindness
ASL - dictionary on line (examine how the dictionary
works, don't
try to memorize it all!)
About American Sign Language
Cognitive Disability Simulation
Fiction -
"The Country of
the Blind" by H. G. Wells (download free from
Project Gutenburg) or,
(you can download and listen to a free
MP3 by linking
through
Librivox.org by clicking here)
|
2
|
June 11
|
Taking a Break
- Time for the NCIL
Conference in Washington D.C.!
|
|
3
|
June 18
|
Historical development of social attitudes
toward
people with disabilities. (Class NOTES)
Disability Campaigns in the United States: 1930s - 1960s
Eugenics Movement & MR
http://disabilityfilms.tripod.com/
(NOTE: just scout around a bit, don't read the whole
thing)
Common Myths and Stereotypes about Disability
Religion,
Spirituality, and
Disability (Link
to
Notes)
|
4
|
June 25
|
Civil Rights Movement, Legal Issues. (Class NOTES)
Reading
for
Class
Discussion: Ashley: Treatment to Stunt
the Growth of a
Severely Developmentally Disabled Girl.
Text of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- Take a look
at the law, don't read cover to cover.
Americans with Disabilities Act: Questions and Answers
MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
ACT
A Guide to Disability Rights Laws
People First of Missouri
The New Civil Rights (Article by Joseph P. Shapiro, from
AARP)
Ragged Edge Online Magazine (I don't expect you to
read everything
- root around and look at what insiders are writing.)
Mouth Magazine (I don't expect you to
read everything -
root around and look at what insiders are writing.)
"The Great Wooster High French Fry Conspiracy" by
Deidre
Hammon
Film &
Discussion - Rory O'Shea was
Here (subject
to
change)
|
 |
Interesting
Internet
Sites |
|
Last
Modified: May 21, 2012
|