Unit 20 disabilities

What are disabilities?

Persons with physical, sensory, or mental impairments ( 损害 ) that can make performing an everyday task more difficult.

Vision, hearing, body, limbs, sense, intelligence, mentality

Blindness, deaf and mute, movement, speech, smell, performance of everyday life

President Franklin Roosevelt, Ludwig van Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller …

Zhang Haidi,

Look at this picture, do you know anything about him?

Physicist Stephen Hawking, author of the best-selling book A Brief History of Time, has made difficult concepts in physics more acceptable to the public. His discoveries about gravitation are regarded as some of the most important contributions to that area of physics since Albert Einstein introduced the general theory of relativity in 1915.

Ludwig van Beethoven is considered possibly the greatest Western composer of all time. He wrote symphonies, concertos, chamber music, sonatas, and vocal music.

Beethoven began to lose his hearing in the 1790s and was completely deaf by 1818. His best-known composition is the Ninth Symphony, the Ode to Joy. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefMedia.aspx?refid=461563416&artrefid=761551951&sec=-1&pn=1

President FranklinRoosevelt

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefMedia.aspx?refid=461517895&artrefid=761562953&sec=-1&pn=1

Quotation of Franklin D Roosevelt

So first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

Helen KellerDeaf and blind from the age of 19 months, Keller learned to communicate with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller to read

Braille and to “listen” by feeling a speaker’s face. Keller graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904 and authored a number of books about her experiences.

1 ） What‘s the weather like ？

2 ） What disability does the man have? And what difficulties does he have while traveling?

3) The tourist is a disabled person ， why is he

traveling in China ？

4 ） Where is the old man going to travel tomorrow ？

It’s a bit windy

He can’t walk,and sometimes he isn’t able to get into every building because of the steps.

He has always dreamt of traveling in China and now his dream has come true.

To the Summer Palace tomorrow.

Try to describe this tourist with the aid of the following key words:

1 ） travel around China in a wheelchair 2 ） always dream of coming to China 3 ） have difficulty sometimes 4 ） go to the Summer Palace tomorrow 5 ） no problems there

You can begin like this: The visitor is now travelling around China in a wheelchair because he has always dreamt of coming to this country.

Model ：The visitor is now traveling around China in a wheelchair because he has always dreamt of coming to this country. Now his dream has come true. Though he is in a wheelchair ， he seldom has any difficulties. Sometimes these disabled people aren't able to get into every building because there are too many steps. But he is determined to enjoy himself as much as possible even though he can't see everything. Tomorrow these visitors will go to the Summer Palace. He is told that they shouldn't have any problems there. Though one of the towers is on the top of a hill ， the rest of the buildings are easy to get to.

1.Why do people come to his lecture?A.he is difficult to understand.B.he gives the special subject on the beginning of space matter and time.C.he is one of the toppest physicists in the world.D.he has a special way of speaking.

2.What do we know about Stephen Hawking ?A.He is the one of many disabled people who has achieved success.B.He got a disease of the brain since he was born ,which was getting worse at the age of 21.C.He wrote a book ,which became very popular.D.He could only move one finger of his hand

3.Which is not true about people with disabilities? A.Many successful people are disabled in history. B.People with disabilities can also lead the same life as n

ormal people. C.Almost everybody may become disabled one day. D.They can also become good sportsmen. 4.What are NOT the right attitude towards people with disabilities. A.People with disabilities are not equal to stupid people. B.The deaf are actually not completely deaf at all. C.It’s the business of everyone to take care of the disabl

ed. D.People with disabilities should have their own schools.

Do you know how big China’s disabled population is?

It is at least 60 million.

Marla Runyan, wearing number 3375, became the first legally blind U.S. Olympic athlete in the women’s 1,500-meter race. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Runyan advanced to the finals, where she placed eighth. Here she competes in the Olympic semifinal heat with American Suzy Favor Hamilton, left, and Russian Lyudmila Rogachova, center.

People with disabilities find special ways to master activities that others take for granted. By balancing the basket in his lap, this man in a wheelchair can retain independence and shop on his own.

A specially trained dog assists a blind woman across a road. Many people with disabilities have companion animals who help them with a variety of tasks.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination ( 禁止歧视 )against people with disabilities. Under the law, employers must not discriminate against individuals who are qualified for the position and who, with or without “reasonable accommodations” for their disability, can perform the essential functions of the job. This woman, whose disability requires her to use a wheelchair, works as a receptionist.

In July 1990 Congress passed the acclaimed Americans with Disabilities Act, which extends to people with disabilities the same rights given to other minority groups under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It provides extensive protections against discrimination and requires public and certain private agencies

to make new or renovated buildings, buses, and trains barrier-free. The wheelchair symbol, painted here on a designated parking stall, is used to mark buildings and buses equipped with special facilities to accommodate persons with disabilities. Ramps to enter buildings, Braille floor numbers on elevators, and telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD) are just some of the methods of making a building more accessible.

Useful expressions:1. hopefully2. dream of ／ come true 3. sense n. ／ v.4. in need of 5. as a matter of fact6. even if ／ though 7. declare v. ／ n 8. as if ／ though9. look forward to