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This chapter proposes an intervention into traditional language pedagogy by examining the ways in which communicative language teaching frequently fails to take the spectra of ability statuses among learners and educators into account. Specifically focusing on the postsecondary German language classroom, I consider the detrimental impact of pedagogy training and teaching materials that perpetuate a narrowly defined ideal of normalcy. Drawing on core concepts of disability studies, the chapter contextualizes the intervention into German language pedagogy through an examination of the general barriers to inclusion and equity that exist in higher education. I conclude with a discussion of the rethinking that will be necessary, in order to create meaningful changes toward the inclusion of students and faculty of varying abilities in a productive learning community.
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Although people-first language is commonly more accepted, I use identity-first language because it reflects my experience of disability. Being in a wheelchair is a very visible part of my identity that determines my mobility in an often less-than-perfect social and physical environment.
Ableism cannot and should not be regarded in isolation from other forms of structural inequalities. It intersects with other manifestations of inequality in complex ways, as Jay Timothy Dolmage emphasizes: “Ableism can and should often be seen as an intersecting force… —not in place of but always in a layered and complicated relationship with these other forms of structural discrimination” ( 2017, p. 49).
“At the University of California at Berkeley, a recent Freedom of Information Act request indicated that of 1522 full-time faculty members, 24—roughly 1.5%—are disabled. The National Center for College Students with Disabilities estimates that 4% of all faculty members have disabilities. These numbers are discouraging, given that 22% of the general population has disabilities” (Grigley 2017).
Other commands introduced at the beginning include “laufen Sie!” (run), and my favorite, “springen Sie!” (jump). These commands clearly serve the purpose of creating community by doing silly or fun activities that break a taboo of classroom behavior. Yet these activities exemplify the textbook’s focus on normate learners who are physically and socially situated to engage in such an exercise of condoned rule-breaking.
Including students with visual and/or auditory impairments, for whom textbooks are often inaccessible, can be especially frustrating for educators because adequate resources and teaching materials are lacking. Teaching resources that are available in electronic form and that increasingly comply with the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 AA), in accordance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, promise an improvement. Nevertheless, too often the onus on finding and adapting these materials is on the educator because textbook companies do not do enough to enable the inclusion of visual and/or auditory impaired members of the learning community.
Higbee et al. ( 2010) propose multicultural instructional design as an extension of UDL that considers the needs of learners in categories of diversity including race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. Their approach represents an implementation of pedagogy based on social justice.
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- Disrupting the Norm: Disability, Access, and Inclusion in the German Language Classroom
- Chapter 13