Abstract
Express Diversity! Is a new initiative that enhances communication, inclusion, self-esteem, and disability awareness. Express Diversity! Provides educators with exciting and interactive arts-based activities to conduct an exploration of disability. The program includes: a comprehensive collection of modules that provide step-by-step descriptions of suggested arts activities; a bulletin board kit that includes an interactive time line featuring significant events in disability and art history; a poster of interesting facts related to disability and society; and a collection of portraits and biographies that spotlight people with disabilities. The program's components support the disability exploration topics of: what is disability, people first language, communities for everyone, important contributions of people with disabilities, and innovative solutions to benefit the lives of people with disabilities.
Express Diversity! Was piloted in Florida and is now being replicated throughout the country. I will show how Florida uses this curriculum to teach students, in an inclusive environment, that every person is unique, everyone has the right to basic fairness and respect, and that every person has problems to solve. I will provide the participants with information to obtain this highly popular curriculum or to use the techniques to develop their own.
 |
 |