Society for Disability Studies

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DIS 300: Disability: Interaction of Human Diversity and Global Environments

Semester: Spring 2008
Time and Location: Wednesdays, 4:00-6:30 Corbett Hall 220 Instructors

Stephen French Gilson, PhD
Stephen_Gilson@umit.maine.edu
200 Corbett, 581-1263

Liz DePoy, PhD
Liz.depoy@umit.maine.edu
200 Corbett, 581-1469

Robert (BJ) Kitchin, MSW
Bj.kitchin@umit.maine.edu
215 Corbett, 581-1375

Overview: This course is designed to introduce the student to disability as an element of human diversity that has a significant reciprocal relationship with the environment. We begin by discussing prevalence and incidence of disability across the globe, examine the historical changes in concepts of disability over time, and then study disability as a human phenomenon which both emerges from and influences biological, economic, physical, social, political, spiritual, cultural, technological and virtual environments.

Course Objectives
In this course, the students will:
1. become familiar with multiple descriptors, definitions and frameworks of disability;
2. understand disability as a population category;
3. understand the reciprocal influence of the historical and current environmental contexts and changing concepts of disability;
4. analyze how disability influences and is influenced by overall population trends such as aging, veteran status, and so forth;
5. examine changes in global disability prevalence and incidence;
6. compare and contrast how differential natural and built environmental conditions influence human life and development of disabling conditions;
7. analyze disability influences on the environment (e.g. influence on the natural and constructed design of physical and virtual spaces, technology, and resources);
8. identify the role of a range of technological resources in redefining how we think of the population category of disability and its reciprocal interaction with multiple environmental elements.

Readings and Text Resources
The course text is:

DePoy, E., & Gilson, S.F. (2004). Rethinking disability: Principles for professional and social change. Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth.

Manuscripts in in your course-pack readings
DePoy, E. & Gilson S.F. ( in press) Designing university techscapes: An inter-organizational universal design collaboration to advance equality of participation in university organizations, in J. Salmons and L. Wilson (eds) Handbook of Research on Electronic Collaboration and Organizational Synergy .

DePoy, E. & Gilson S. (2006). Universal web access: An intelligent web interface. International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, 1, 128-131.
Gilson, S.F. & DePoy, E., (2005/2006). Reinventing atypical bodies in art, literature and technology . International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, 3, 7, http://www.Technology-Journal.com.

Gilson, S. F., & DePoy, E. (in press). Explanatory Legitimacy: A Model for Disability Policy Development and Analysis. In I. Colby (Ed.). Social Work Practice and Social Policy and Policy Practice (pp. X-X).. Hoboken, NJ; John Wiley & Sons.

Additional course readings are a series contemporary articles. You may access these articles at Fogler library, the CCIDS Resource Center, or purchase a course pack at Gossamer Printing. Please contact them and they will let you know when it will be ready for you to pick up and what the cost will be.

Here is their web site: http://www.gossamerpress.com/
Here is their phone number: 207-827-9881
Here is their address: 259 Main Street, Old Town, Maine 04468

Web Resources
Additional selected readings and resources are (This will also be located in First Class folder and may be updated from time to time):
· Presenter guidelines for accessible oral presentations, poster presentations, and the PowerPoint template. Sources will be provided in the class folder.
· Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
· A tutorial on completing an annotated bibliography. It is fairly detailed but very concise, much like and annotation. http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm#what

Teaching-Learning Methods
This course will utilize a variety of teaching-learning strategies, including lecture, reading, writing, group discussion, experiential exercises, asynchronous web conferencing, and guest speakers.

Student Responsibilities
Please:
· Attend all sessions,
· be punctual,
· complete all assignments on time, and
· keep apprised of announcements made in class, including changes in the syllabus.
· Use respectful language in class and on all written assignments.
· Communicate with the instructor(s) as a learning resource; students must also check the course folder frequently for announcements and assignment updates.

Type all papers using the following format: double spaced, and in correct current APA format. File types (by extension) need to be .doc or .rtf. Please attach assignments to email rather then writing them into the body of the email, following file-naming guidelines below.

Communicate with the instructor(s) prior to the due date of any assignments if extensions are needed. Failing to do so will result in a reduction to the grade of the late assignment.

Submit high quality work, attending to correct grammar, format and style.

Student Accommodations
Any student who because of a disability may need special arrangements or accommodations to meet the requirements of this course is encouraged to see us at your earliest convenience.

If the accommodation the student requests for a disability requires material resources or for some reason cannot be provided by the faculty member, please follow university policy and inform the school's a disability liaison in writing of your request. In turn, you may be asked to file documentation with a central university office. It is possible that university experts will confer with the liaison to determine what kind of accommodations should be made to facilitate your participation in class.
Assignments
Please submit all written assignments electronically via email. Use the format detailed below to compose the subject line as well as the file name of your electronic email submissions.

Electronic file naming format.
Lastname-duedate-assignmentnumber
Examples:
Kitchin-1-18-07
Kitchin-2-28-07
Kitchin-Depoy-Gilson-3-28-07

All assignment submission should minimally include a header or title page that includes your name(s), assignment due date, and title of assignment. If you can not submit an assignment electronically for any reason, please notify us and we will assist you.

Assignment #1… 10%:
Each student will come prepared to fully participate in class activities, to discuss and share insights on assigned readings and learning experiences, and to provide positive critical feedback to other student.

Assignment #2… 20%:
For each assigned reading, students will write and submit a paragraph (between 200 and 600 words) summarizing key points and identifying concepts and ideas that are unclear.

The paragraphs will form the basis for reading analysis, discussion, and participation in class.

Assignment 2 submissions will receive a full credit (1 point) if they are submitted on time. If they are submitted late they will receive half credit (.5 points). If they are not received at all they will receive 0 points.

Assignment #3…30
This assignment is your final course assignment. In this assignment, you will be critically analyzing a public space by applying course concepts to your selected location. Guidelines will be distributed in early February.

There will be on-line midterm (20%) and cumulative on-line final (20%) examinations. Exams will cover all readings, class activities and related learning.

Grading Criteria
Plus-minus grading will be assigned.

Course Schedule

(Format)
Date In Class - Topic
Reading to have read for that class
Assignments Due

Jan. 16 Introductions
What do we mean by the words "Environment, Body, and Disability"?

Jan. 23 Explanatory Legitimacy
Read: DePoy & Gilson, Chapters 1, and pp.53-58
Submit:
Assignment #2 (1 paragraph)

Sept. 30 Explanatory Legitimacy-Description
Read: DePoy & Gilson, Chapter 5
Read: Howson
Read: Gilson & DePoy, Reinventing the Atypical Body
Submit:
Assignment #2 for each reading (3 paragraphs)

Feb. 6 Explanations (Medical-diagnostic, constructed, economic)
Read: DePoy & Gilson, Chapter 6 and then Chapter 4
Submit:
Assignment #2 (2 paragraphs)

Feb. 13 Environmental elements
Read: DePoy & Gilson (in press)
Read: About universal design
Read: What is universal design? The Principles
Read: What is universal design? Historic Background
Submit:
Assignment #2 (4 paragraphs)

Feb. 20 Legitimacy- Classification and Response
Read: DePoy & Gilson, Chapters 7,8,9
Submit:
Assignment #2 (3 paragraphs)

Feb. 27: Legitimate Responses: Accommodation and Universal design
Read: Iwarsson & Ståhl - Accessibility, usability and universal design-positioning and definition of concepts describing person-environment relationships
Read: Do-It Handout- Accommodations vs. Universal Design
Submit:
Assignment #2 (2 paragraphs)

March 5,12: Happy Break!!!!!

March 19: Policy legitimacy, human rights
Read: Human Rights and Persons with Disabilitieshttp://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/humanrights.htm
Read and browse: The Americans with Disabilities Act
Read: Rush & Slatin - Maximum accessibility. Accessibility in the law
Submit:
Read: Gilson & DePoy (in press)
Assignment #2 (3 paragraphs)

March 26: The physical/sensory environment
Read: Checklist for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal
Read: Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG)
Checklist for Buildings and Facilities (bring to class)
Read : Tucker - The feel of silence
Read: Imrie - Disability and the City
Read: Johnson and Shaw - To ride the public’s buses
Submit:
Assignment #2 (paragraphs for Tucker, Imrie and Johnson et. al. only. 3
paragraphs)

April 2- Social Environment
Read: DePoy & Gilson, Chapter 12
Submit:
Assignment #2 (1 paragraph)

April 9- Virtual environment
Read : Shneiderman - Universal usability: Pushing human-computer interaction research to empower every citizen
Read : Rush & Slatin - Maximum accessibility. The user experience: born to shop.
Read: Gleeson - Can technology overcome the disabling city?
Read: website: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act -
Submit:
Read: DePoy & Gilson ( 2006)

Assignment #2 (4 paragraphs)

April 16- Media Environment
Read and browse: http://www.mediaanddisability.org/
Read and browse:
Read: Haller (2001) Disability and advertising
Read: Goggin, N., Newell, C. Digital Disability: Blind spots on the internet. Chap. 6
Submit: Assignment #2 (4 paragraphs)

April 23- Disability Service Environment
Read: DePoy & Gilson, Chapters 10,11
Read: Environmental Barriers to Health Care Among Persons with Disabilities --- Los Angeles County, California, 2002-2003
Submit:
Assignment #2 (2 paragraphs)

April 30-Poster session and wrap-up