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The program allows children to experience disability and diversity in their own school environment. Sharon has also designed and developed another component to the program - The teacher professional development workshops sessions create real understanding and experience of disability. They challenge and explore many preconcieved ideas and attitudes we all have to difference. Have a look at the new streamed lecture series designed and facilitated by Sharon that explores experiential understanding of the key hidden disability areas such as Autism and Perceptual motor difficulties. Watch the participants reactions to the activities and the critical reflection process and consider your own reactions to the experiences. Sharon ran the lecture series at USQ this semester and their were many very interactive and exciting learning experiences generated. Read and respond to Sharon's Blog exploring Inclusion and Life
Michael has recently published an article in Eureka Street called,‘Abbott and the new Catholic Conservatism’. Click on the link below to go there and contribute your opinion to the Blog: http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=20525
The Discovering DisAbility and Diversity program consists of child based sessions for:
Exciting News...Sharon is launching her new book - Discovering Dyslexia and Reading Perceptual Issues on September 10th, 2010. More details to follow...
Discovering DisAbility & Diversity also runs some Teacher Professional Development sessions, with the support of Education Queensland's Staff College of Inclusive Education, and workshops for the caring industry, rural doctors and tertiary students. There are many different workshops available. We also have a research arm called the Institute of Inclusive Education and Research. Our program is designed to enable all children and adults across Toowoomba, Darling Downs, the Lockyer Valley and Brisbane and surrounding areas to experience disability and diversity awareness in their own school or work environment. We have been to over six hundred schools and childcare centres and spoken to over twelve thousand students, adults and children. We have been privileged to be a part of some life changing experiences.
The program is totally mobile thanks to our generous sponsors, who supply our van and many operational costs. We bring the van and activities to you. It is designed to cover all age groups. We work across all school year levels 1-12 and with full school staff as well. The program also has specially developed early childhood programs to cater for preschools and childcare. It is based around the idea of experiential learning and storytelling. We set up lots of different experiences. You will feel what it is like to be blind, hearing impaired, have ASD, an Intellectual Impairment or a physical disability. Sharon will share her life story and then an interactive question and answer session will follow. It is all hands -on, fun and will keep all students and teachers engaged with the learning experience. Discovering DisAbility & Diversity also runs Teacher Professional Development sessions with the support of Education Queensland's Staff College of Inclusive Education. We have a variety of different sessions to choose from and a number of new teacher professional development sessions available, as well, especially exploring many of the hidden disabilities and pratical teaching solutions for inclusion.We also have new sessions on literacy, grammar and History. We also cater for Universities and Tafe Colleges for Education, Teacher Aide sessions, Engineering, Sciences and Nursing students. We are also running a number of workshops for the Caring Industry that are practical, innovative and 'hands on'. They are specifically designed to cater for each organisations unique needs. The program was designed to raise awareness through discovery. It aims to break down barriers that may exist due to lack of knowledge and it promotes active exploration of attitudes and feelings about the importance of inclusion in education and all society. It encourages us all to think about disability and diversity differently. Diversity is about adding value rather than deficiency. Another important aspect of inclusion is to confront educational disadvantage and intercultural education. We have also added a number of new follow up or stand alone programs, one such one is on cross-cultural communication and conflict resolution. An inclusive society is one which accepts difference and challenges preconceived ideas.
Site developed, written, produced, designed, owned and updated by Sharon Boyce with some contributions by Michael Furtado. Any enquiries please phone 0417 708 945 All material on site is Copyright © 2010 Sharon Boyce
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The Discovering DisAbility and Diversity program is mobile inclusive education experience, developed and designed by Sharon Boyce, that promotes the active discovery of disability and diversity through various hands-on activities. It has been running for the past nine years and aims at creating real understanding of key disability areas, both the physical and the hidden areas.
