Sample lesson for tolerance through EFL project

By Anastasia Khodakova

What is accessible?

Activity 1 – Warm up1a.Divide the words into two groups:

positive and negative. Consult the dictionary if necessary.

1b. Find pairs of opposites.1c. Choose pictures to illustrate one

pair of the notions. Describe it and say how it represents the pair of opposites you’ve chosen.

Answersaccessible – inaccessible accessibility - inaccessibilitysocial inclusion – exclusionresistance - supportbarrier - passrestriction - liberationinternal limitations - external circumstancesfreedom - dependenceequality - discriminationreduction- gainobstacle – assistancebullying -favouring

Activity 2 - Listening

2a. Listen to three people talking about their life with disability and match the speakers with the pictures.

Activity 2 - Listening1.“I haven’t had to stay in bed. With my

home assistant I run the household just like everybody else. I act in different kinds of organizations as an activist... I play basketball in a group of wheelchair-players. ...My future is open. I study journalism and mass communication at the Open University. A journalist? I don’t accept the role of a pensioner for myself or the position of remaining apart.”

Activity 2 - Listening2.“I turned my wheelchair into a scuba chair

to prove the point that you don't have to be restricted by a disability and that anything is possible. The chair represented liberation for me, but everyone saw it as a limitation. Wheelchairs give disabled people more freedom and more access to the world, but people see them as a sign of the disability, and any disability as a reduction on what's possible. I scuba dive with a "limiting" on-land disability but scuba offers an equality of ability, activity, sport and space.”

Activity 2 - Listening

3. “People ask what my vision is like and I find it hard to describe because I don’t really know what theirs is like. I can see people’s faces when they stand four feet away, but without very much detail. I can read without glasses, but the text needs to be very close. When objects are near, I can see more detail. I take part in extracurricular activities just like anyone, including dance and working with farm animals. I blend in and feel just like everyone else.”

Activity 2 - Listening2b. Listen again and say if the

statements are true or false.1) All speakers are involved with some

sports activities. (T)2) All speakers have hobbies that help

them to fit in. (T)3) None of the speakers encountered

negative attitudes from others. (F)

Activity 3 - Reading3a. You are going to read the text called

“Legally blind”. Which abstract in ex. 2 is taken from the text? Judging by the abstract, try to guess what the text is about.

3b. Read the text and answer the questions.1) What does it mean “to be legally blind”?2) Why does Nicole like to work with farm

animals?3) How does the disability influence Nicole’s

everyday life?

Activity 3 - Reading3c. Find synonyms for highlighted

words.notice, disability, destroy, intent,

overvalued, look in surprise, additional, lengthy, to look with eyes partly closed

Activity 3 - Reading3d. Match the phrasal verbs in bold with

the definitions and use them in the sentences.

a) to become similar to other people or objectsb) to stretch out your arm to try to touchc) to fight or compete against something 1) He will ______his chief political opponent in

the next debate.2) The girl tried to _______to grab a chocolate

but the shelf was too high.3) Many animals _________ the surroundings to

protect themselves.

Activity 4 - Speaking4a. Look at the picture. What needs of

people with disabilities are emphasized? Do you think the doctors understand them?

Activity 4 - Speaking

4b. Read the quotes by Robert M. Hensel, an international poet-writer and public activist born with a birth defect, and choose those that are connected with the picture.

Ability by Robert M. Hensel :  #1. I choose not to place "DIS", in my ability.

 #2. We, the ones who are challenged, need to be heard. To be seen not as a disability, but as a person who has and will continue to bloom.

 #3. As a disabled man, let my life be a reflection of the endless amount of ability that exists in each and everyone of us.

 #4. Know me for my abilities, not my disability. #5. Limitations only go so far. 

 http://roberthensel.webs.com/

Ability by Robert M. Hensel : #6. Placing one foot in front of the other, I've climbed to higher lengths. Reaching beyond my own limitations, to show my inner strength. No obstacle too hard, for this warrior to overcome. I'm just a man on a mission, to prove my disability hasn't won. #7. My disability has opened my eyes to see my true abilities. #8. When everyone else says you can't, determination says,"YES YOU CAN." #9. I have a Disability yes that’s true, but all that really means is I may have to take a slightly different path than you.#10.  I don't have a dis-ability, I have a different-ability.

http://roberthensel.webs.com

Activity 4 - Speaking4c. Think of your own examples of

communication with differently-abled people. Tell the class about any situations you witnessed involving physically or mentally challenged people? How did you feel? What did you see?

Activity 5 – Creating5a. Here are the stages in the

development of the international symbol of accessibility. Match the pictures with the descriptions.

Symbol of accessibility

1. In the late '60s Rehabilitation International partnered with the United Nations and the International Standards Organisation to sponsor an international competition for an icon.  The winner, a Danish design student named Susanne Koefoed, had submitted the icon.

2. In committee, they noted that Koefoed's design erased the person in the wheelchair.  They added a head, creating what people around the world recognize as a symbol of accessibility.

3.  Recent revisions have been aimed at emphasizing that people in wheelchairs are active users, not passive ones. Accordingly, some organizations have shifted to using a symbol that captures the fact that people in wheelchairs get themselves around. 

By Lisa Wade “Disability Rights and the Interational Symbol of Accessibility”

Activity 5 – Creating5b. What is the next stage? Discuss

in groups how you would modify the sign and what changes you’d make to its usage. Present to the class.

Possible ExtensionWatch the film “Radio” and discuss the

message of the film and how the attitude the main character has changed throughout the film. What two opinions and school systems were opposed in the film?

To sum up"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."

James Baldwin

Disabled World News (2009-07-25)