Explore with young people the experiences of people with disabilities, the bias and discrimination they face, and the struggle to continue fighting for their rights.
67 Results
Teach students about disability rights activist Judy Heumann and what work in schools and communities still remains.
By Kelly Fritsch
Ages:6-9
Teach students about what disability means, and the tools and accommodations that people with disabilities need.
Engage in a family conversation about accommodations are and why people with disabilities need them.
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language
SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision Making Using Video and Film in the Classroom
Short evocative videos and films can be a great way to engage young people in conversations about identity, diversity, bias and social justice. This lesson plan includes compelling and powerful, short films…
By Kelly Yang
Ages:8-12
Nearly one in five (19%) people in the United States are living with a disability. Disabilities can be physical or cognitive, visible or invisible, severe or minor. Ableism, which is bias or discrimination against people with disabilities, can take many forms, including: employment, housing and other institutional discrimination; lack of accessibility on streets, buildings and public transportation; stereotyping and ableist language, lack of media portrayals or stereotyped depictions of people…
The Present is an animated short film that was released in 2014 and quickly went viral. The film was created by German animator Jacob Frey who was inspired by a comic strip by Brazilian artist Fabio Coala. Frey said he was in awe of the storyline of the comic and was inspired to translate it into an animated short film. The film is about a boy who is enthusiastically playing video games indoors; his Mom comes home and brings him a new puppy as a present but the boy seems more…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Writing, Speaking and Listening Recently, there have been several news stories about consumers demanding, and toy companies creating, more diverse representations of dolls for children. This includes more dolls of color, dolls with disabilities, and dolls with different body types as well as other physical characteristics like eye color, hair texture and skin complexion. Dolls are one of the first and most common toys for children. They…
Derrick Coleman, a football player with the Seattle Seahawks, is the only legally deaf athlete in professional football history to play offense. In early January 2014, he made a commercial* where he talks about the impact his hearing impairment has had on his life. The video went viral and in less than a week, had 5.5 million views. Coleman’s story provides an excellent teaching opportunity to discuss disabilities and the importance of safeguarding the rights and dignity of people with…
GRADE LEVEL: Preschool, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Arts For centuries people with disabilities were thought to be helpless, indigent citizens, and were forced into institutions and asylums without equal opportunity or equal protection under the law. The disability rights movement of the 1960s marked a critical turning point with the rise of a grassroots effort that eventually led to the…
By Lucy Falcone
Ages:5-8
By Sonia Sotomayor
Ages:4-8
By Brayden Harrington
Ages:4-8
By Amanda Gorman
Ages:4-8
By Sheletta Brundidge
Ages:4-7
By Jordan Scott
Ages:6-9
By Alex Gino
Ages:8-12
By Simran Jeet Singh
Ages:4-8