Access and Opportunities A Guide to Disability Awareness Introduction Access and Opportunities: A Guide to Disability Awareness was prepared by VSA arts as an informational tool for those who want to gain additional knowledge about disability and tips for social etiquette and positive interactions. First printed in 1992, the guide has become a valuable resource for artists, educators, and others in beginning their understanding of people with disabilities. This edition contains updated information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as recent information about specific disabilities. It also includes a chapter on the history of the disability movement to give readers a more complete understanding of the issues surrounding the disability community. An online version of the Guide is available on VSA arts’ Web site at www.vsarts.org under Resources. The Guide should be viewed as a starting point for readers to increase their basic knowledge, initiate discussion, and clarify myths and facts about people with disabilities. This tool that will start readers on their way to a better understanding of disability issues and the disability community as a whole. INTRODUCT I ON VSA arts Creating a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in schools and communities; showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities; and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. PROGRAMMING AND INITiaTivES OF VSA a r t s VSA arts ARE GUIDED BY FOUR PRINCipLES: 818 Connecticut Avenue, NW • Every young person with a disability deserves access to high-quality arts Suite 600 learning experiences, Washington, DC 20006 • All artists in schools and art educators should be prepared to include (800) 933-8721 (toll-free) students with disabilities in their instruction, (202) 628-2800 (v) • All children, youth, and adults with disabilities should have complete access (202) 429-0868 (fax) to cultural facilities and activities, (202) 737-0645 (TTY) • All individuals with disabilities who aspire to careers in the arts should have Web: www. vsarts.org the opportunity to develop appropriate skills. E-mail: [email protected] A B O U T V S A a r t s Blindness and According to the American Foundation for the Blind, Visual Impairments there are approximately 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States–1.3 million of impairments also include conditions such as tunnel those are legally blind. vision and color blindness. People who have congenital blindness have been without sight since early childhood The most recent World Health Organization estimates or birth. People who have adventitious blindness lost indicate that there are 161 million people in the world their sight later in life. It is important to differentiate living with a disabling visual impairment, 37 million of between these two conditions because of the diversity whom are blind and 124 million who have low vision. among people with these two types of blindness. The majority of these people live in the develop- ing world. The International Council for Education of SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ACCEss AND POsiTivE INTERACTIONS People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) estimates that there are 6 million children who are blind or have low •To guide a person who is blind, let him or her take your vision, with only 10 percent having access to education. arm. If you encounter steps, curbs, or other obstacles, When discussing blindness or visual impairments, many identify them and pause briefly before proceeding. different terms are used to describe varying degrees •Speak directly to the person in a normal tone and speed. of vision loss. According to the National Information •Do not pet or play with a working guide or service dog. Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities, low •When entering or leaving a room, say so. vision and legal blindness can be defined in the •When a person who has a visual impairment is meeting following ways: many people, introduce them individually. • Low Vision generally refers to a severe visual •Remove displays or other objects; avoid clutter; use large impairment, not necessarily limited to distance letter signs; raise low-hanging signs or lights. vision. Low vision applies to all individuals with sight who are unable to read the newspaper at a normal •Use alternative formats for written materials. viewing distance, even with the aid of eyeglasses or contact lenses. VSA arts-RaTED BEST RESOURCE • A person who is Legally Blind has less than 20/200 for more information: vision in the better eye (with corrective lenses) or a American Foundation for the Blind very limited field of vision (20 degrees at its widest 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300 point). New York, NY 10001 • Visual Impairment is the condition of having some (800) 232-5463 (v) • (212) 502-7662 (TTY) usable vision. People with severe visual impairments Web: www.afb.org cannot read newsprint with glasses. Visual E-mail: [email protected] B L I NDNE ss & V is U A L I M PA I RMENT S Deafness and Hearing Impairments Some people have hearing losses of the outer or middle ear that can be assisted through the use of pproximately 28 million hearing aids or surgery. Others have more severe Americans have a hearing hearing losses of the inner ear, which produce sound impairment. distortions. Deafness can be caused by a number of A different factors, including genetics, viral infections, (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) tumors, strokes, and prolonged exposure to high noise levels. The Medical Reference Library states According to the National that minor decreases in hearing, especially of higher Organization for Hearing Research frequencies, are normal after age 20. Some nerve Foundation, 2 million Americans deafness (or loss of hearing) affects 1 out of 5 people by age 55. This usually comes on gradually and rarely are completely deaf. Hearing loss ends in complete deafness. affects approximately 17 in 1,000 children under age 18. For people who are deaf, the major issue is not their inability to hear, but the challenges they experience in communicating with hearing people. Many people SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ACCEss AND who are deaf learn to use their voices in speech class POsiTivE INTERACTIONS and prefer to communicate verbally. Others choose to • Using a normal tone, speak clearly and distinctly. communicate in a variety of other ways, including sign • Use facial expressions, body language, and language, speech reading (also known as lip reading), pantomime. cued speech, and writing. • If a sign language interpreter is involved, speak directly to the person who is deaf, not the interpreter. • Ask the person to repeat himself or herself if you VSA arts-RaTED BEST RESOURCE for more information: do not understand. • Avoid standing in front of a light source or window The Hearing Loss Association of America that might silhouette your face, making it difficult 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 1200 to see you clearly. Bethesda, MD 20814 • Install a Teletypewriter (TTY) in your office. (301) 657-2248 (v) • Learn how to find a sign language interpreter on (301) 657-2249 (TTY) (301) 913-9413 (fax) short notice. Web: www.shhh.org • Arrange for people with hearing impairments to sit E-mail: [email protected] near the speaker in lecture/performance situations. D E A FNE ss & H E A R I N G I M PA I RMENT S Learning Disabilities Learning disabilities are manifested by significant SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE ACCEss AND difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, writing, POsiTivE INTERACTIONS reasoning, and/or mathematical ability. The primary • Be aware that occasional inattentiveness, problems do not involve collecting information (as in distraction, or loss of eye contact by a person with sensory disabilities), but in interpreting, translating, or a learning disability is not unusual. recalling information. Learning disabilities are intrinsic • When communicating with a person with a learning to the person, presumed to be due to central nervous disability, discuss openly the preferred way to system dysfunction, and may occur throughout a person’s lifespan. Learning disabilities range from mild communicate. to very severe. • Be sensitive to the fact that some information processing problems may affect social skills. People with learning disabilities often have trouble learning sequences of tasks. This difficulty is some- times mistaken for carelessness or lower intelligence. However, learning disabilities do not denote inferior intelligence. In fact, a majority of individuals with learning disabilities have normal intelligence and are fully capable of performing complex tasks that are not impeded by their disabilities. Alternative teaching he Learning Disabilities strategies can help people with learning disabilities Association of America learn to adapt and perform at academic levels com- states that nearly 2.9 parable to their peers. T million students are currently receiving