Background and Brainstorming Based on my experience, many
pre-service teachers have a limited understanding in the area of
disability. This can affect how they accommodate students with
disabilities in their classrooms. Considering the courses I teach
at UWEC, I needed to determine which class would benefit the most
from an intervention related to disability awareness. o I selected
SPED 300 Inclusive Practices for Secondary Educators This course
represents UWECs only required content for pre-service secondary
teachers (licensure in grades 6-12). Most of the students in this
class were one or two semesters away from completing their student
teaching experience. Methods Divided the class into two groups
(Journaling and Definition Reflection) Developed a Pre/Post
Awareness Survey o Based on (with permission) the Baseline Survey
on Public Attitudes Towards Persons with a Disability Report Equal
Opportunities Commission Hong Kong o The survey was administered
online via D2L during the second and final week of course content
Results remained confidential to everyone but the researcher
Developed Prompts for the Journaling and Definition Reflection
Assignments o Used to guide the responses both groups focused on a
specific disability for each submission IDEA Categories: Learning
Disability (LD), Mental Retardation (MR), Emotional Behavioral
Disturbance (EBD), and Autism Other Categories: Attention Deficient
Hyperactivity Disorder and Physical Impairments Using Journaling to
Increase Disability Awareness for Pre-Service Teachers Angela
Dalhoe Special Education University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Acknowledgements: I would like to thank the University of Wisconsin
System OPID for supporting me as a Wisconsin Teaching Fellow
Findings Pre-Survey Wordle Definition Reflections Teachers need to
keep in mind that mental retardation does not mean impossible; it
means that students need more support to reach their potential I
have learned that EBD should be taken seriously, but not personally
and that needs to be part of the definition Physical disabilities
cannot be defined in the broader scheme of thingsyou have to know
the individual and adjust your expectations of the definition
accordingly Students with LD have average intelligence. They need
to be treated that way... Know your students with EBD and you will
have a better understanding for the definition. The definition only
defines, it does not provide their background If you are working
with a student who has autism, try to rewire your thought system
and put yourself in their idea of what is real or what is
important. That will make the definition more relevant Journaling
Seeing the lack of access in the library makes me think about how
difficult it would be to. I wonder if my bio class would allow
accommodations for testing when there are special materials People
at the coffee place were so rude and I think that it would be
challenging for someone with an impulse/behavior issue to handle it
appropriately I saw a man in a wheel chair loading his groceries. I
never realized how much longer daily activities must take for
people with these disabilities There was a little boy with Down
Syndrome (I think) in the restaurant last night. I never noticed
how much other people stare. Thinking about it, I guess I do too.
Is that bad?.... The need to read is everywhereI am concerned that
it would be a barrier for people with significant delays in
reading. Implications and Future Plans The course content (rather
than the intervention) appears to have aided in increasing
disability awareness. I will consider adding both journaling and
definition reflections as additional course assignments. Each
semester, I plan to implement the pre/post awareness survey as part
of the established course content. o I will discuss results with
the class during our final meeting. Use the Wordle to show growth
in understanding and acceptance. o Results could be used to guide
curriculum decisions for both SPED 300 as well as other Special
Education courses. Post-Survey Wordle PREPRE POSTPOST Final
Research Decision After brainstorming, I decided to use a survey to
establish the level of disability awareness for pre-service
teachers in SPED 300. I hoped to determine if the intervention
(journaling) would increase their awareness and/or change
perceptions related to individuals with disabilities.