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Ludwig van Beethoven became deaf throughout the second part of his life. Nonetheless he continued to compose great works of music. He remains one of the greatest classical composers of the 18th century.

He wrote Symphony 3 originally for Napoleon Bonaparte who he believed would liberate europe from the old tyrannies of emperors and kings and restore democracy and fundamental liberties to the people. In 1804, when Napoleon was coronated emperor he tore up the title of number 3 which was "bounaparte" and rededicated to another patron.

It is astonishing that he continued to write in a musical language, which in the second part of his life he could not hear or perceive.

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Strategies:
Having students with disabilities in a classroom full of students without disabilities can be a struggle for both the student and the teacher.  Making sure that they walk out of the room with the same level of learning/understanding is essential.  As many of our classmates have mentioned, knowing your student personally and tailoring your instruction to their needs is the best place to start.  There is no one single way to teach any student and students with disabilities are no different in that regard.  In my short 2.25 years of educating, I have only had one student in my classroom with a severe or prominent disability.  He had autism, a cognitive disability, that kept him from learning the same as his peers.  He was put in my class strictly for social interaction and learning.  Even his reason for being in class was much different that his peers, I treated him much the same.  For him, being part of the group was essential!  I think the biggest thing I did that made an impact in his education, was treat him as an equal to his peers.  He left my classroom with a sense of belonging and worth.
Someone Famous:
I looked and looked for a famous person with a disability and I just kept coming back to Nick Vujicic. I just cant think of anyone, more disabled that has made more of their life. As a christian, a motivational speaker, and educator he is a true inspiration. He stand to prove that no matter what, we can overcome what life throws at us.

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I like Wehmeyer's idea of building on the student's strength.  Instead of focusing on what they can't do, focus on what they can do. This might entail allowing them to submit an assignment in a different format than the rest of the class. Speaking to students with disabilities just like they are a "normal" student is also very important.  I think they would feel like they are respected if they are treated that way.
One famous person that I learned about in my Children with Exceptionalities class is actor Chris Burke.  Chris has down syndrome but he was able to thrive as an actor playing Corky on the TV show "Life Goes On".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aJFSpkxjtY

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Of all the suggestions from Wehmeyer in instructing a classroom with individuals with disabilities, I believe that building on students' strengths to be the most effective and useful of the strategies. Students with disabilities can be just as capable, with assistance, as those without. Allowing them to figure out what they are able and unable to do on their own is both helpful  to the student in knowing what they can do as well as creating a  classroom that is based on ability rather than seeing it as disability.

Neil Young, perhaps best known for being a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, is a celebrated musician who has influenced thousands of musicians. In addition to this, he also has epilepsy. With this disease, he still has been able to have a successful music career and has helped support the Bridge School Concerts, which fund the school which develops technology to assist in the instruction of students with disabilities.

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Though I have not taught a classroom yet and, as such, have not had the chance to introduce any of these "interventions" personally, I, after reading, am already aware of one which I would absolutely focus on: positive verbal reinforcement. I am a firm believer in the idea of positive reinforcement, but I wholeheartedly agree with taking it further and making sure to verbalize this - I feel that this is one of those "win-win" things - some people need to directly hear the reinforcement for it to take proper effect, and, for those that don't, no harm is done in verbally sounding their praises. It establishes a good relationship with the students, acknowledges the things that they did, and ensures that they don't feel unappreciated, or without value. Too often are we quick to point out the negative while ignoring the positive, and I believe verbal positive reinforcement in the classroom through teacher intervention is a progressive way to end this "Negative norm".

I decided to go in a bit of an odd direction for the second part of the activity, and choose a figure who, thousands of years ago, was one of the most recognized men in the (known) world. Alexander the Great, someone I'm sure we've all heard of, founded, what was at the time, the largest empire in the world, and helped establish a connection between the "eastern" and "western" parts of the world. He was a renowned leader, warrior, and strategist, and is one of the most important historical figures of all time - and he accomplished all of this with a lifelong, near-crippling case of "scoliosis". (I put this is quotations because, due to the ancient nature of the subject, some historians argue that he suffered from a similar, but even more debilitating issue) Nevertheless, Alexander led his armies directly, ruled with a charismatic persona, and, surprisingly, was even a strong practitioner of Pankration -  the Greek "martial art" which established the foundations of modern day wrestling. As a historian, I tend to look back further than most for sources of inspiration, (this isn't always the best idea!) and I believe Alexander is a perfect example!

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When I look at how to ensure a positive environment with students in my opinion it all starts with your attitude towards them and the class. By having a positive attitude and using positive reinforcement with the students it will ensure a positive environment for rewarding desired behavior in the classroom. Once other students observe this positive reinforcement they will also strive to receive positive reinforcement of their own.

For the example I have chosen Nick Vujicic. He has become an inspiration to many people and many of his speeches have turned into youtube videos and gone viral. Nick was born with a rare disorder that caused him to be born without arms or legs, but he does not let that slow him down. He is a motivational speaker and travels the globe inspiring others to not let anything hold you back and to reach for your dreams.

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One strategy that I use to assure full inclusion of disabled students in the classroom is putting the student first. The better I know the student, the better I am able to teach that student. Therefore, I like to know what is relevant to them, so that I can relate to them. Also, I like to have as many resources available as possible. The more resources available, the better equipped I will be to handle any situation that comes up. Lastly, I believe that the right curriculum and instruction are essential to being successful in any classroom.
One of the many people that have overcome obstacles is Stephen Hawking. Hawking was diagnosed with ALS when he was 21 years old and still became one of the world's leading physicists.

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I think that the best way to help a student with a disability in the classroom is to learn to treat them like everyone else while helping them to deal with their disability as discreetly as possible. My school has a student working with a debilitating chronic illness. Her main concern is always that she doesn't want to "stick out" from the rest of her peers. We work with her to make sure that her needs are met as discreetly as possible so that she feels like she is "just one of the kids." It can at times be a daunting task- but all she desperately wants is to feel "normal," so we try to make her feel comfortable in her learning environment.

FDR is an inspiring example of someone with a disability who never let it hold them back. He is still considered one of our greatest presidents, and he worked even harder to make sure that the American people had every confidence in him.

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I think positive intervention is probably the approach that I have seen the most. I think it is helpful to all of the students.

I think the most inspiring person with a disability to me is Beethoven. He was deaf during the end of his life, but he still composed many great scores. Ode to Joy was one he wrote while completely deaf. It is simply incredible that he continued to endure. Below is a video of my favorite Beethoven piece Piano Concerto No. 5, another composition he wrote after his loss of hearing.

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Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 Adagio Un Poco Mosso

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The strategies for teaching students with disabilities will have to be as diverse as the disabilities themselves. It is extremely  important to adjust all lessons and activities so that students with disabilities can activity participate and have a chance for success. Although my following example did not take place in the classroom, I believe that it demonstrates well the idea of accommodations.  On a cheer squad (Kindergarten through 4th grade) there was a favorite cheer where the girls lined up together, with arms locked, and leaned from side to side.  One girl on the squad is in a wheelchair. To ensure that she could participate the entire squad decorated sit-upons. When it was time for the leaning cheer the girls lined up their sit-upons and where immediately all at the same level as the young girl in the wheelchair and ready for the cheer together.

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Fowler - Helen Keller

Helen Keller was born in 1880 and at 19 months an illness left her both blind and deaf. Left with only the senses of smell and touch, Helen lost a means to communicate with the world. This left her extremely frustrated and often angry. This was the case until Helen met Anne Sullivan, a teacher at the Perkin's School for the Blind. Anne taught Helen how to fingerspell inside her hand. This technique allowed Helen to communicate with world for the first time and lead to a life long companionship between Helen and Anne. Helen went on to graduate from college in 1904. She became an author and an advocate for people with disabilities and women rights. Her advocacy work and humanitarian efforts throughout the world helped transform the perception of people with disabilities from one of disregard to acceptance and understanding.  Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan

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One great strategy that I learned recently was with a hard of hearing student in a class that we visited with our mobile exhibit a couple of weeks ago.  Before I started talking the teacher handed me a mic that hung around my neck and asked me to wear it so one of the students could here me.  Although the mic stood out, it is a subtle way to make sure that this student can experience the lesson.  I honestly tried to pick out which student it was the whole time and couldn't until the teacher handed him the mic at the end.  What a great way to include this young man without making him sit right on top of the teacher or having to yell at him.  Technology can be a wonderful thing.

For my famous person I picked Jim Abbott. I have been a baseball fan all my life and I was always fascinated with  his story when I was young. Jim Abbott is a former major league baseball pitcher who was born without a right hand. He was talented enough to be a first round draft pick in 1988 and threw a no hitter in 1993 against the Cleveland Indians. He was also part of the 1988 Olympic baseball team that took home the gold medal and was elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame. He pitched parts of 10 seasons and had moderate success. His achievements have certainly influenced many people.

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Students with disabilities and self esteem

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Students with disabilities and self esteem

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Shayne Clark

I thought it was interesting that in Chapter Nine's case study; the students with disabilities who were encouraged by by teachers  to have a positive attitude and high self esteem did better in school because they believed that they could achieve a level of success. (Sadowski, 2015 pp.170-173).

The author also mentioned that is important to have a realistic contextualized idea of success built on self determination and a willingness for the disabled student to guide one's own learning and decisions (Sakowski 2015.pp.170-173).

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The Disability Project, a theater company in St. Louis comprised of people with and without disabilities to model inclusion, contributed a video to the Selfie Esteem Project of the Safe Circle Coalition. This video highlights two perspectives on disability and self-esteem.

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I have had several deaf and hard of hearing students in the past two years and I have used a very simple strategy to reach them and see achievement from them that their DHH teacher never ever expected.  The strategy was simply to treat them like everyone else in conversation.  I don't look at the ASL interpreter when having a conversation with the students.  I look directly at the students when I'm hearing the interpreter and I speak directly to the student even though the interpreter is the one actually hearing me.  This year one of my DHH students told me that I'm the only teacher he's ever had who actually speaks to him like any other student.  He loved it and felt so comfortable in my classroom because of it.  This is really the case for any other disabled students too.  If you treat them like people who happened to be disabled as opposed to a disabled person then their academic achievement improves as well.

The video below is of Derrick Coleman who made it to the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.  He is deaf and lives with hearing aids but when playing, it's easier for him to play completely deaf without the hearing aids.

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Derrick Coleman (Seattle Seahawks) The sound of silence in the NFL

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Derrick Coleman (Seattle Seahawks) The sound of silence in the NFL

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One of my favorite songs is "I Just Called to Say I Love You" for my grandmother would call me and sing it to me. As everyone knows, Stevie Wonder is blind. He has accomplished so much in is career and is a huge inspiration.

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Stevie Wonder at The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House

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February 24, 2011 | 3:31 Stevie Wonder at "The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House," a musical tribute held in celebration of Black History Month, Feb. 24, 2011.

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There are many great methods to helping a children with disabilities thrive in the classroom. When teaching a child with a disability I would first get to now that child. Understand his/her weakness, strengths, likes, and dislikes. This can help you tailor the curriculum for him/her. Say you are giving a lecture on photosynthesis, which I believe is a very visual concept and more easily taught through diagrams. However, you have a blind student in the class. Knowing that this student is an active auditory learner you can tailor this very visual lecture to fit his/her needs.

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Jennings: A famous person with a disability.

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Jennings: A famous person with a disability.

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As most of you know, Albert Einstein was one of the smartest people ever. He also had dyslexia and never let it stop him from
solving the riddle of the photoelectric effect,
proposing the special theory of relativity, and being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 along with many other great accomplishments.

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A biographical ppt providing a complete account of the life and times of Albert Einstein including his childhood,major achievements and controversies,etc

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One of the easiest things that we can do is be positive with the student with a disability. As most of us know, sometimes the smallest praise of the child can mean a lot to them and help them stay positive and pushing in the right direction. Something as small as thanking them or applauding them for coming to class and sitting down can mean a lot. Also getting the children to work in groups with other children that do not have disabilities and making sure that they are involved in the class activity. When doing this, it is important to make sure that you as the teacher select a group that would work best for everyone. If the disabled child can, have them answer questions for the class and make sure that they know they did a good job.

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Although Bethany has not invented something of social important or cured cancer, her story is very inspiring. At 13 Bethany lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing and instead of giving up on her beloved sport, Bethany persevered. I like to think that Bethany swerves as an inspiration for not only people in a similar situation but also for returning service members, who have also lost limbs defending out nation. Bethany defines the grit and determination to overcome any obstacle to fully participate in her environment!

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Michael Wehmeyer’s (2015) Chapter 9 “The Impact of Disability on Adolescent Identity” discusses how a disabled student is further affected academically and socially by their experiences in school. Often, students with a disability will develop a feeling of low self-worth that negatively affects student identity. Just as there are multiple disabilities, Wehmeyer illustrates that there is no, “unitary disability identity” and later explains that there is also no single way to educate the disabled student (p.167). Educators must be mindful of the fact that  several factors are contributing to the student’s identity in relation to their disability, as well as other factors that have no relation. Also, the author cautions relating to students through only their disability and encourages educators to support and strengthen that student’s abilities. Lastly, when considering the identity of an individual or “the theory of oneself” the primary factor of a disabled student should not be their disability but rather all aspects of the student, specifically when considering the intersection of other factors ( p.168). Fortunately, he also includes multiple teaching strategies that enable the students to participate fully in their environment.

Although perceptions of the disabled have transformed over time, a well-meaning person can still foster negative feelings through insensitive or uninformed gestures. Wehmeyer describes how even today the disabled are adversely affected through notions of well-meaningness and adds that the person may feel stigmatized by interactions with the non-disabled. Indeed, how the disabled form their identities around their disability have several contributing factors. According to Wehmeyer accompanying factors include a student’s self-definition, perceptions of control, and self-determination. The author clarifies that students often have: “self-concepts and self-perceptions that are negative because of the way disability is perceived in our society” (p.170). Although not always negative, research has found that positive perceptions are associated with healthy interpersonal relationships.

Consequently, it is at school, in a regular classroom that these concepts can be attributed and positive results will stem from confident beliefs of self-efficacy. In other words, if the students believe that they will have a positive outcome in and on their environment than they are likely to harbor more positive perceptions of control.  Disabled students may struggle with these perceptions, but Wehmeyer details several interventions including: “errorless learning,” “scaffolding” on prior knowledge, and verbalizing students successes: as a way to instill positive self-efficacy beliefs (p. 170).  Lastly, Wehmeyer illustrates how negative self-determination affects the disabled students’ outcomes. But, again suggests that teachers can intervene through teaching skills such as advocating for their learning career, setting goals, creating plans to achieve goals, self-regulating, and setting high expectations for their disabled learner.Through positive intervention educators are not “curing” the disabled student, rather they are providing the student with the tools to allow them to assimilate to their environment regardless of their participations.

Finally, there are several important external factors in identity formation. Wehmeyer adds that minorities and women often have additional aspects that influence their identity. Women, in particular, suffer from high rates of unemployment, have low status jobs, as well as an increase in the income wage gap. Minority groups often are overrepresented in the disabled population, specifically Hispanic students who may have to contend with racial difference, disability, and a language barrier.

Activity

However, Wehmeyer concludes the chapter with teaching strategies that foster student success. Some optional interventions include to: “Respect diverse backgrounds,” “Make the curriculum relevant and conducive to the success of all,” “Build on students’ strengths,” “Provide district support to build the capacity of personnel” (p.177). For this activity explain a strategy that you use or how you may utilize one of the noted interventions in the classroom to assure full inclusion of disabled students. Also, throughout history, there have been many prominent figures who have overcome obstacles of disability and have had a positive effect in or on their environment. Include a picture of a notable figure of choice with a brief summary of their accomplishments.

Wehmeyer, M. (2015). The impact of disability on adolescent identity. Sadowski, M. (Ed.), Adolescents at School. (167-179). Cambridge: Harvard Education Press.