Disability Awareness Month and Dyslexia Awareness Month
Resources from the Academics Division
-
Resources for the Classroom
Dyslexia Awareness resources:
Dyslexia Fact Sheet - This document provides a high-level overview of dyslexia for Colorado educators and parents, focusing on what dyslexia is, how it impacts our students, what to look for and basic instructional implications.
Understanding Dyslexia | National Center on Improving Literacy - This toolkit helps parents and educators learn about dyslexia and how to support the literacy development of students with dyslexia.
Colorado Dyslexia | CDE - The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is committed to building upon the current framework of early literacy policy in Colorado, the Reading To Ensure Academic Development Act (READ Act), to support students in both general and special education to meet important reading outcomes.
DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH IN COLORADO - Dyslexia Awareness Month proclamation in Colorado.
Colorado Department of Education Dyslexia Handbook (Feb. 2020) - The Colorado Department of Education Dyslexia Handbook is designed to provide online access to information and resources to Colorado schools and families as they support students with literacy challenges, including dyslexia. This handbook reflects a department-wide commitment to ensure that students’ needs are met as a result of collective responsibility and collaboration across general and special education contexts.
Disability Awareness resources:
National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2022 | U.S. Department of Labor - We recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month each October to commemorate the many contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy. The theme for NDEAM 2021, “America’s Recovery: Powered by Inclusion,” reflects the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disability Acceptance DPS Community Education Opportunities - Acceptance starts with participating in supportive experiences that lead to an openness to new knowledge & more compassionate ways of perceiving. In Spring 2021, Denver Special Education Advisory Council (DSEAC) Youth Leaders from across DPS met with a diversity of students and staff to develop one possible solution to an issue they identified through action research.
Understanding What Inclusion Is and Is Not - This list comes from the Inclusive Schools Checklist by Richard Villa and Jacqueline Thousand. Additional resources to assist schools in the development of policy, procedures and professional learning were curated by the DPS Special Education Department and are intended to support the schools in the continuous improvement process with the goal of increasing inclusive practices school wide.
Disability History: An Important Part of America's Heritage - The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990. As a result of this landmark legislation, communities and workplaces across the nation have become more inclusive and welcoming for America’s nearly 40 million people with disabilities.
Singer with Autism Wins Golden Buzzer: America’s Got Talent - Check out this outstanding audition by Kodi Lee, who is blindCapitol Crawl on Vimeo and autistic, which received Gabrielle Union’s golden buzzer in 2019.
Amazing guitarist playing only with his feet - Born with no arms, this incredible guitar player has been jamming since he was only 12 years old.
DPS Adapted Music Curricular Framework - Your resource center for how to successfully include students with special needs into your music classrooms.
Inclusion Library - Unified Champion Schools Portal - The Inclusion Library is a hub for books for all ages about disability inclusion and awareness. Please peruse the virtual shelves and click on each book for more information including discussion prompts and suggested activities for your Unified readers. Schools can use their Centralized Accounts to purchase books.
Capitol Crawl - This video covers part of the Wheels of Justice rally and then the Capitol Crawl that took place on the west (Mall) side steps of the US Capitol March 12, 1990. This action, in which hundreds of people with disabilities took part, was done to push the Congress to move forward on the landmark civil rights bill, the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA.
National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability - Building healthy and inclusive communities.
Discover Inclusive Physical Education - The goal of inclusive physical education is not only to abide by the law, but also to provide and promote a successful learning environment that fosters a lifetime of healthy habits and sports participation for students with and without disability.
Logan Aldridge: Fittest One Arm Man on Earth - An ABC Network affiliate, Localish, did a story on Logan’s experience while competing at the WheelWOD Games and his bigger mission to create global inclusion and opportunity for adaptive athletes.
-
Check out more information on Disability Awareness and Dyslexia Awareness. And check out THIS list of classroom lessons, book lists, free movies and more. PLEASE share widely with your teams.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month was established in 1988 by the US Congress. It is an opportunity to “pay tribute to the accomplishments of the men and women with disabilities” (Library of Congress) while also serving as an opportunity for organizations to ensure they are meeting the diverse needs of individuals with disabilities. The theme for NDEAM 2022 is, “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation” which recognizes the vital role people with disabilities play in making the nation’s workforce diverse and inclusive.
October is also Dyslexia Awareness Month which was formally recognized by congress in 2015 through this Cassidy Mikulski Dyslexia Resolution 275 as a way to spotlight one of the most common language-based learning disabilities that impacts almost 20% of school-age children in the US.
In 2019, the Board of Education passed a resolution in support of inclusive practices which states that the District commits to ensuring students with disabilities experience inclusive practices in their classrooms and school buildings. It also outlines a commitment to developing a strategic plan that will “improve academic and social emotional outcomes for students with disabilities, eliminate racial disparities, and develop the skills of all school-based and district staff.”
We recognize this month by celebrating the contributions of our students and employees with diverse abilities, highlight the amazing work our teachers and special service providers do to support students with diverse needs and abilities, and share resources with schools, teachers, families and community members.
Read The Gifts of Disability written by former Director of Special Education, Robert Frantum-Allen, for more information on Disability Awareness and Dyslexia Awareness in DPS.
Call for Submissions: Share Student Work & Art.
-
From Oct. 1 through Oct. 31, we will be honoring Disability Awareness Month and Dyslexia Awareness Month. We want to feature how our students are learning about, connecting with, interpreting and honoring this cultural moment through their writing, artwork, music, photos and videos. We’ll share submissions on our website and social media channels at the end of the celebration. Submitted content may be screened for a focus on highlighting the moment and grounding in our vision of equity, inclusion and belonging for all students and community. Please email your submissions to DPSEquity@dpsk12.org by Oct. 29 for consideration.
