Supreme Court Rulings on Disability
The American Bar Association (ABA) presented an interactive workshop focused on disability-related rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Five classroom-ready case summaries from 1975 to 1999 by ABA appear in this collection (beginning on page 32 of the summaries in this folder). The folder includes excellent slides from the ABA on Disability Rights.
The ADA and Civic Engagement
Three Kansas University teacher education students, Katie McWard, Ethan Reiter and Conner Thrash presented an in-depth lesson on civic engagement based on student investigation of the ADA and including an innovative school accessibility inventory: National Ambitions, Local Shortfalls: Teaching Civil Rights and Government through the Activism of the ADA. See also Celebrating Opportunity for People with Disabilities: 70 Years of Dole Leadership - Robert J. Dole Archive and Special Collections - Kansas University.
The Need Remains: Teacher Survey Results
Snap surveys at the 2023 and 2024 conferences of the National Council for the Social Studies confirm the trends we see from other sources. Almost half of the 97 respondents report that they never teach disability history. About half say they teach disability history 1-3 times a year. 6-12% say 4-9 times a year. Just 1% teach disability history 10+ times a year.
Our broad annual survey in 2024 had a modest 19 respondents. As in 2023, even among this self-selected group, 68% reported teaching disability history minimally, most of those saying that they merely "mention it in passing" for a minute or two. Just 11% said that they teach it 10 or more times per year. Most of the third who teach disability history develop their own curriculum. Next in frequency is use of the Emerging America's Reform to Equal Rights and the lessons of the Disability History Museum. For primary sources and other materials on disability history 71% access the Library of Congress, 29% the Emerging America, and 14% the Disability History Museum. (Review the 2022 survey report and 2023 survey report.)
In 2024, teachers reported their greatest need for resources to help them "expand or improve teaching of disability history" was "primary sources" (75%), "lesson plans on disability history (56%), and professional development options (50%). This echoes 2023 survey results.
At the 2023 NCSS conference, we asked what people teach. Of the 31 respondents: 23% teach passage of the ADA; 13% teach 19th century reformers; 13% teach the disability rights movement of the 1960s-1980s; 10% teach the Civil War and disability; 6% teach disability in the Progressive Era; 6% teach about disability and civic engagement projects; and 3% teach disability and the history of education.
The broad annual survey has found a different distribution of topics taught. The most common topics reported are "Understanding the lives and experiences of disabled people" (88%), education of learners with disabilities (65%), and four topics: definitions, biographies, advocacy and leaders for disability rights (53%). (Figure 1. Review a text version of the 2023 report.)
