https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y en-us 2023-06-12 22:49:05 UTC 2023-09-12 18:29:35 UTC hello@padlet.com jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621518465 "System Crasher" is an intense German drama that delves into the chaotic world of a young girl named Benni, who is deemed a "system crasher" (sprenger actuallly translates to jumper - not crasher) due to her uncontrollable behavior. Benni has extreme oppositional defiance disorder, is deeply traumatized and is close to losing her position in the German foster system. The film portrays her struggles with the German system and her desire for love and stability. Helena Zengel's performance as Benni is a tour de force. ]]> 2023-06-12 23:07:22 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621518465 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621537129 The article "Wie steht es um die Inklusion in der Schule?" (How is Inclusion in Schools?) on Ledienmedian.de examines the state of inclusion in German schools. It provides a summary of the legal structures surrounding inclusion.  It discusses the 2009 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities - the foundation for inclusion in German Education. It discusses the problem of a shortage of properly prepared teachers for disabled students. It also discusses political debates in Germany around inclusion.]]> 2023-06-12 23:45:13 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621537129 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621547850 This podcast is a wide ranging discussion touching on the various political, public and educational functions of the German Disability Council. The council's primary mission is to advocate for the advancement of people with disabilities in Germany and to a lesser degree abroad. It is a political organization with local offices throughout Germany. (Perhaps a bit like our federal Disability Services Department.) Recently the council has been involved in helping people with disabilities flee the war in Ukraine. The dialogue also touches on Germany's participation in the Global G7 inclusion summit. ]]> 2023-06-13 00:00:12 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621547850 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621555814 This film (docudrama) offers a glimpse into the lives of non-speaking autistic individuals. It combines personal narratives, and poetic imagery to create a unique exploration of the autistic experience. For me this film highlights the importance of understanding and accepting neurodiversity. It helps shed some light on the lived experience of autism.]]> 2023-06-13 00:10:54 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621555814 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621563417 "Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice" is the "bible" of UDL. It traces the origins and history of UDL. It is meant to be a resource for educators and instructional designers seeking to create inclusive and engaging learning environments. It provides a comprehensive overview of the principles and practical implementation of (UDL). The authors reveal a marked fetishization of technology and a lack of critical self-reflection with regards to their own privileged position in the American education system. UDL is not nearly as "revolutionary" as its authors seem to believe.]]> 2023-06-13 00:19:31 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621563417 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621566236 This is a regular political analysis/talk show on one of the most widely viewed TV stations in Germany. The topic is the sorry state of German education. The moderators debate the reasons for Germany's low test scores and falling behind other top performing European countries. They want to know; how do we keep our economy strong when the education system is in decline? General education is the main focus, but the commenters also discuss Special Education. The theme of a failing education system is a common trope in Germany. Compared to the U.S. the German education system is relatively strong, well funded and effective. Germans really love to worry about the terrible state of their education system, which is almost amusing, if you glance around world at other educational systems.]]> 2023-06-13 00:22:05 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621566236 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621585745 This Deutsche Welle Podcast is a three way dialogue between the DW moderator and Ulrike Lessig (Representative of the international relief organization "Be an Angel") and Rainer Delgado who represents the German Union for people with vision impairment. This is a deceptively large and complex topic. This podcast touched on some surface features of the issue. The discussion focused primarily on practical issues with regards to helping the blind and people in wheel chairs who are trapped in refugee camps.  ]]> 2023-06-13 00:39:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621585745 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621590641 "The Ugly Laws" by Susan Schweik is a meticulously researched examination of the historical discrimination faced by disabled individuals in the U.S.  This is an extremely interesting book. Full disclosure - I have only found the time to read the first chapter, but hope to read more soon. Schweik delves deep into the origins and enforcement of the so-called "ugly laws" that targeted and marginalized people with visible disabilities. Through personal narratives and structural analysis, she sheds light on the intersection of disability, beauty standards, and social exclusion. Compelling read for anyone interested in the history of disability in the U.S.]]> 2023-06-13 00:44:47 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621590641 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621594410 "The Reason I Jump" is a remarkable and eye-opening book written by a young autistic author. Higashida invites readers into his world and provides a unique perspective on the challenges and joys of living with autism. This book serves as a bridge of understanding, offering insight into the minds of non-speaking autistic individuals, promoting empathy and acceptance.]]> 2023-06-13 00:48:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621594410 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621647911 This 10 minute report profiles Katrin Langensiepen. She is a fairly well know German politician and disability activist who also has a disability. She represents the Green Party at the European Parliament. Langensiepen is fighting for reform of German "Werkstaetten" system.  The Werkstaetten system exploits the disabled by paying them about $1.50 an hour to work mostly in factory settings helping with assemblies of German industrial parts.]]> 2023-06-13 01:36:25 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621647911 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621650477 The New York Times article, "How Educators Secretly Remove Students With Disabilities From School," sheds light on a distressing issue within the education system. It exposes the unethical practice of pushing students with disabilities out of schools, denying them their right to equal education. The article also highlights the complex challenge educators face in maintaining discipline while ensuring inclusivity, a problem we all face as teachers. Obviously the districts in question have decided on an illegal and ill advised solution to a difficult problem..]]> 2023-06-13 01:39:01 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621650477 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621662144 This article is not about disability in the way we study it as  special educators. It is an article about Critical Disabilities Studies (CDS) itself and the theory debates within that sub-genre of cultural studies. The style is very much a typical critical theory/cultural studies article focused on debates within CDS. The prose is dense and peppered with references to Derrida and Deleuze. It refers to disability from a highly abstract perspective, focusing on academic discourse around prothesis and disability. I am only a lukewarm fan of critical theory/cultural studies discourse (despite having spent years studying it), but nevertheless came away from this article with a better understanding of CDS.  ]]> 2023-06-13 01:51:24 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621662144 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621671027 This is a great article to read if one is interested in discovering alternatives to the both the medical model of disability and the social model. Of course no single model is always correct all of the time; we ought never to cling to dogma. Each model has its truths and its flaws. I am drawn to the phenomenological model for philosophical reasons and hope to implement a phenomenological approach in my teaching practice. This article provides a concise overview of the current prevailing models of disability and also analyzes the short comings in prior phenomenological approaches to disability.]]> 2023-06-13 01:59:22 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2621671027 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2627455239 This article disucusses the widespread practice of institutionalizing and segregating people with disabilities - think Willowbrook. I am familiar with Brazil, my wife is Brazillian and I've spent a fair amount of time there with my extended Brazilian step family. However, I don't know much about how people with disabilities are treated there. Brazil can be a brutal place, but, on the other hand politically and culturally it aspires to a sort of humble humanism that is quite foreign here in the U.S. Brazil did ratify the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This article reveals that many people with disabilities are placed into a form of harsh permanent life long incarceration. The reason for this is poverty - Families who can't afford to take care of their disabled family members check them into one of these institutions, where they are cloistered and forgotten.    ]]> 2023-06-19 23:30:20 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2627455239 jfreeman271 https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2628543558 The field of phenomenological disability studies is small. However, in just the short span of this assignment, I have encountered a number of well written and thoughtful treatments of phenomenological disability models, this essay is one of them. Kavanagh is expert at analyzing the tendency in all prior disability models to "predetermine" disability. She argues for a phenomenological approach because it foregrounds the need to strip away assumptions regarding disability, thus giving us a refreshed, unencumbered understanding of the phenomena/person at hand.]]> 2023-06-21 00:27:34 UTC https://padlet.com/jfreeman271/lbrwnzgbpd3dqj7y/wish/2628543558