LibGuides: Our World 2023: Inclusion

POLL

Which type of functional disability do you think is the most prevalent amongst adults in the United States? (Once you choose an option, go to the CDC site in the box to the right to find the answer.)

Independent Living: 21 votes (25.93%)

Hearing: 5 votes (6.17%)

Vision: 13 votes (16.05%)

Mobility: 20 votes (24.69%)

Cognition: 22 votes (27.16%)

Total Votes: 81

ThE HISTORY OF AUTISM

Please read this website made by an Autistic La Salle Academy student, Samira Sefiani-Lavine '24, who hopes to educate on Autism history, advocacy, and acceptance. This website is a comprehensive summary of the early research and advancements regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder.

wwwactuallyautistichistorylsa

DISABILITY STATISTICS

CDC

Disability and Health Data System (DHDS)
Click on a state to acquire its disability statistics!
Cornell University Disability Statistics
Explore data such as the employment rate, annual earnings and poverty rate of people with disabilities!

DISABILITIES IN THE NEWS

"With Games Approaching, Paralympians Say They Need More Support"

From: The New York Times

Article Link

Paralympians explain that a lack of vital support threatens their safety and disables them from performing their best.

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PARENTS

"Personal Stories About People with Disabilities"

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

Article Link

Parents of children with disabilities talk about how their children have navigated life challenges, like moving out, building a social group and finding a career.

DEEJ

Documentary Description: "A non-speaking young man dreams of autistic civil rights. After spending his early years in foster care, without access to language, DJ 'Deej' Savarese found not only a loving family but also a life in words, which he types on a text-to-voice synthesizer. In this first-of-its-kind collaboration between a veteran filmmaker and a non-speaking autistic, Deej challenges misconceptions of what an alternatively communicating autistic can do. As one of only two non-speaking autistics included in regular education from kindergarten through college graduation, DJ expands our understanding of what full inclusion entails and the possibilities it offers to everyone. "

Source: New Day Films

Deej Documentary Trailer

Listen to two of DJ's poems from the documentary!

"Red Light, Green Light"

Poem Narration

"Swoon"

Poem Narration

Source: Deej

DISABILITY IMPACTS ALL OF US

CDC

Disabilities Statistics Website
Click the link above to explore statistics about those with disabilities in the United States!

Key Facts:

26% of adults in the United States have a type of disability.
Types of disabilities include mobility, cognition, independent living, hearing, vision and self-care.
Disabilities are especially common amongst adults 65 and over, women and Non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives.
Adults with disabilities are more likely to smoke and have obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
There are many barriers to healthcare access for adults with disabilities.

IN LITERATURE

Haben by Haben Girma
ISBN: 9781538728727
Publication Date: 2019-08-06
The incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her amazing journey from isolation to the world stage.
"This autobiography by a millennial Helen Keller teems with grace and grit." -- O Magazine "A profoundly important memoir." -- The Times ** As featured in The Wall Street Journal, People, and on The TODAY Show ** A New York Times "New & Noteworthy" Pick ** An O Magazine "Book of the Month" Pick ** A Publishers Weekly Bestseller **
Criptionary by Maria R. Palacios
ISBN: 9780972648318
Publication Date: 2013-12-31
This humorous collection brings attention to the every day struggles and obstacles faced by persons with disabilities while transforming the political incorrectness of the word "crip" into a message of disability activism through which we reclaim our bodies and our lives.
The Girl from Aleppo by Nujeen Mustafa; Christina Lamb
ISBN: 9780062567741
Publication Date: 2017-10-10
Prize-winning journalist and the co-author of smash New York Times bestseller "I Am Malala," Christina Lamb, now tells the inspiring true story of another remarkable young hero: Nujeen Mustafa, a teenager born with cerebral palsy, whose harrowing journey from war-ravaged Syria to Germany in a wheelchair is a breathtaking tale of fortitude, grit, and hope that lends a face to the greatest humanitarian issue of our time, the Syrian refugee crisis. For millions around the globe, sixteen-year-old Nujeen Mustafa embodies the best of the human spirit.
Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults) by Alice Wong (Editor)
ISBN: 9780593381670
Publication Date: 2021-10-26
The seventeen eye-opening essays in Disability Visibility, all written by disabled people, offer keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, examining life's ableism and inequality, its challenges and losses, and celebrating its wisdom, passion, and joy. The accounts in this collection ask readers to think about disabled people not as individuals who need to be "fixed," but as members of a community with its own history, culture, and movements. They offer diverse perspectives that speak to past, present, and future generations. It is essential reading for all.

ON THE BIG SCREEN

The Theory of Everything
"The Theory of Everything" is a "biographic romantic drama about the life of reknowned British theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking. The film, which first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014, looks at the life of Stephen Hawking: the genius, the man, the husband and father. At age 21, he was diagnosed with a fatal disease – Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – and gradually lost the use of his limbs. Nevertheless, Stephen Hawking continued on to become one of the most brilliant and celebrated scientific minds in history, advancing mankind’s understanding of the universe."
Crip Camp
"Crip Camp" is a "documentary from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground Productions. Defiant, boisterous and at times shocking, it takes a look back at Camp Jened (located in the Catskills in the US), which welcomed people with disabilities in the 1950s, 60s and 70s when many mainstream summer camps did not and in an era when people with disabilities were sent away to institutions simply because of their disabilities. Accompanied by historical footage from the camp, the film documents the revolutionary spirit that surrounded the camp, and the complex experiences of many of the campers – many of whom went on to be leaders in the disability rights movement in the United States."
Breathe
"Breathe" "chronicles the life of Robin Cavendish, a 28-year-old English man who contracted polio in 1958 and became paralyzed from the neck down. Initially confined to his bed and told he had only months left to live, Robin confronted his initial depression with the support of his wife and family. Together with his friends and collaborators, Robin developed a wheelchair with a built-in respirator that enabled him to leave his bed, and which became a model for similar equipment in the future. He also went on to become a vocal advocate for people with disabilities, and one of the longest-living survivors of polio until he passed on in 1994 at age 64."

Click the titles or photos to see the trailers of the movies!

Source for Photos and Movie Descriptions: Easter Seals Canada

INTERVIEW WITH DR. ARCAND

About:

Dr. Albert Arcand has been involved with Special Olympics Rhode Island since 2000. He is a co-founder and the director of Special Smiles and was a member of the Special Olympics Rhode Island board from 2013 to 2018. Additionally, he has won various medals–including silver and gold medals–as a member of the SONK (Special Olympics North Kingstown) croquet team.

How did you learn about Special Olympics? How did you initially become involved?

I got involved with special needs children in 1992 when I was in dentistry and was working with special-needs patients during an externship at the Veterans Hospital in Nashua, New Hampshire, and after meeting people with Down’s syndrome and Huntington’s chorea, I immediately became enamored with those with special needs.

What is Special Smiles?

It is a program designed to contribute to a national database of dental health questions. It is all done from the same point of view; I teach all the dentists in my group a certain method to evaluate athletes so that the information can be given to the state. This information is very important because the state uses it to allocate funds.

What is your favorite memory from an event or practice?

I have many favorite memories from Special Olympics because I probably get more out of it than the athletes that I am working with. But, one special event was my most recent croquet championship. We [the athletes and other partners] are spoiled because the event is at the Ocean House in Westerly, which most people in Rhode Island know is one of the most beautiful places in the state. This year, I served as the physician at the event. There’s always a bunch of bees, so I had to have an EpiPen and other supplies. It was my first time having this role since I am a dentist. However, I have all sorts of emergency and medical training, so I was able to perform this role last minute. Those at Special Olympics are always grateful for physicians or dentists or whoever is helping out. I had a new athlete this year that I was a bit familiar with because I had helped train him. He was very good but a little unfocused. We actually won all of our matches, but we only got a silver medal. Nevertheless, it was a gratifying experience to play with and get to know a very happy guy.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a Special Olympics volunteer?

The most rewarding aspect of being a Special Olympics volunteer is the heartfelt joy that I get at an event or any kind of athletic exhibition when athletes win awards. There is always a big celebration. The state police give out the metals, and the athletes are positioned on podiums like at the Olympics. Also, the parents and grandparents are always overjoyed.

What are other programs about inclusion that you have learned about throughout the years?

Inclusion is the heart of Special Olympics. However, there are other programs that also promote inclusivity, like unified high school volleyball. This year, my family and I got to go to the finals between East Greenwich and Hendricken at La Salle. It was absolutely heartwarming to see the athletes and the students from the different schools playing together; all of them are very aggressive and talented. Additionally, I know Barrington high school has a marvelous program for putting on unified plays. Furthermore, Ponaganset high school in particular is an absolutely exemplary inclusion-focused school in the state right now, and Tim Shriver–the Chairman of Special Olympics–even pointed this school out during his visit to Rhode Island.

By: Elle Arcand

DISABILITIES AND THE PANDEMIC

2021 Progress Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities

National Council on Disability

Article Link

Everyone's lives have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but the lives of those with disabilities, in particular, have been immensely impacted. Read this summary about the effects that pandemic has had on people with disabilities.

NEIL BALDWIN

Neil Baldwin Documentary- Marvellous

Source: IMDb.com

Description: "Marvellous - Neil Baldwin, born just after World War II, is considered to have learning difficulties but he has an appetite for life and, encouraged by his mother Mary, leaves his butchery job to join the circus as Nello the Clown, being undaunted when the circus moves on without him. He moves to Keele University, where Mary has a cleaning job, appointing himself the unofficial greeter to new students, a role rewarded by an honorary degree in 2013. He also gets to manage its unofficial football team, named after him, and in 1992 talks his way into becoming the kit man and mascot of his beloved football team Stoke City."

Marvellous Full Documentary

Source: YouTube, Movie Central

Marvellous by Neil Baldwin; Francis Beckett; Malcolm Clarke
ISBN: 9781784186432
Publication Date: 2015-11-01
Bishops and archbishops, top footballers, politicians and actors...they all count him as their friend. Prime Ministers and senior royals stop and listen to his opinions. He's got an honorary degree and his very own football club. There was even a movie about him on national television. But who is Neil Baldwin? At Keele University they hold regular celebrations and chapel services for the decades he's been the friend of students, academics and vice-chancellors. But he's never been a student, or a teacher, or had any formal connection with the place. At Stoke City Football Club, he's 'more famous than the players.' He's even got a dialogue going with the Queen, though that one's still a little one-sided. But who is he, and what's he famous for? When he was a boy in a working-class part of the Potteries in the fifties and sixties, the education system wrote him off. But Neil thinks 'you can get things by asking for them.' He also thinks his late Mum wanted him to have a happy life, and it's his duty to her to have one. So he does. This is the inspiring and, at times, hysterically funny story of Neil's extraordinary life.