Autism and the Rights of the Disabled

You have watched two video clips on Temple Grandin.  We can see that sometimes we can be blinded by the behaviour of someone with autism or delayed development.

Make a list of people or characters that you see on tv or in the movies that might have autism spectrum, mental illness, physical disabilities, etc.  In other words, people who are differently abled.

After you have made out your list, look at this one and imagine what life would have been like if these people had not been encouraged to reach their potential?

• Albert Einstein - didn't talk till 3, had a learning disorder
• Alexander Graham Bell - learning disability
• Cher - dyslexia
• Christopher Reeves (played Superman) - quadraplegic, unable to breath on his own.  Continued to direct movies after his riding accident made him quadraplegic.
• David Blunket - British member of parliament - blind
• Goya - deaf, famous Spanish painter
• Vincent Van Gogh - Bipolar disorder, famous Dutch painter.
• John Milton - blind, wrote Paradise Lost
• Beethoven - deaf
• Michael Bolton - deaf
• Marlee Matlin - deaf, comedian
• Big Daddy Taz - Bipolar disorder, comedian
• Stephan Hawking - has ALS, working on string theory, and developed big bang theory and black hole theory.
• Dan Akroyd - Asperger's syndrome, actor in films like Ghostbusters and Blues Brothers
• Daryl Hannah - autistic, actress in films like Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2
• Satoshi Tajiri - autistic, designed and developed Pokemon

The list goes on and on.

Read this article together - 

UN adopts landmark bill for disabled rights

Discuss these issues in class.

Barbie/Ken/Action Figure Exercise

Today students examined these questions:

1. What makes a man a man?
2. What makes a woman a woman?
3. What makes a person a human being?

After looking at these questions, they took dolls and created something that would represent the answers they had come up with.  Here are some of them.

Brad:

1. A man is represented by many different things.  Sports such as soccer, football, hockey, rugby all bring out the adrenaline side of us men.  Fighting and fighting sports such as UFC are there for men to show strength, power, rank. A man can also be shown by what job they have such as war, fireman, policemen and many others.
2. Women are represented by lots of things.  Some are kindness, mature, thoughtful and hard-working but are sometimes less important than men for some reason.  They have less level jobs and can even be paid less.  Clothes, jewelery, work, upper body size and attitude can make a woman a woman.
3. Being respectful and living a great life, being achieving, having emotion and love.

Explanation:
"This was a woman that felt better as a man so she changed gender.  Through all of her/his experience of being bullied, he became a police officer and maintained his strength."

Laurie:

1. I think a 'man' is someone who is comfortable in their own skin.  Someone who is respectable, has morals, is proud to be who they are (but not too proud), and acts as an individual person.  Someone who understands that size doesn't matter. The definition of a man, of course, differs from person to person.
2. (see answer to question 1) Someone who understands that they have a right to respect and equality.
3. See answers to one and two.

Explanation:
"Women should be able to dress or behave however they choose (toward whatever side of the gender spectrum) without facing persecution or prejudices; my doll has sporty not figure flattering or typically masculine clothes and short hair that many people feel women should not have.  She is her own person."


Holly:
What makes a man a man?  A woman a woman? - Hormones and thought processes.
What makes a person a human being?  Anatomy?

Explanation: "I picked the Monsters Inc. character because it is the farthest from human in my opinion.  It represents the idea of questioning 'who really knows?'  Because I don't, I truly do not have an answer that I can wrap my head around.  But Nick's idea was genius!!"

James:
A person A man A woman:

• How you are both mentally
• Genitalia (you can have the mentality of a man/woman but not be one [physically]).
• Empathy, the ability to identify with others emotions - the lack of this leads people to commit attrocities.

Explanation:
"They are both male due to the combination of their mentality and genitalia.  Only one is a human being - Chewbacca because he feels empathy while the 'mongol' does not."


Nicole:
I think that the most important thing for what makes a man a man is the internal thought process and feelings of the person in question.  Other things that make a man a man are more simpler things such as male hormones (testosterone) and typically male genitalia.  But it remains that the most important thing is how a person feels on the inside, even if someone has what society considers to be female characteristics, who are we to say that they aren't who they know themselves to be.

The things that make a man a man are basically the same as what makes a woman a woman, except for in opposite.  Women are made woman with female hormones (estrogen) and female genitalia.  They are also defined by how they feel on the inside and their thought process/feelings.  Again, who are we to say anyone is not who they feel to be?

To me, a person is simply someone who is part of the homo sapien race.  Everyone is human, is is simply a question of who knows how to act humane and who understands the true meaning of humanity.

Explanation:
"My doll is naked and simply has a question mark covering her face.  This is to represent my idea that who are we to say who she or he is?  We don't know from the outside, only they can know on the inside."


Dhugomsa:

1. muscles, testosterone, facial hair, having a penis, the the heart is, never backs down, takes care of the family
2. breasts, vagina, estrogen, compassion, emotional, soft and caring
3. if they're happy, have all the right body parts, have a soul, empathy, survival

Explanation:
"My figure represented a man with a woman's head, muscles and facial hair.  The muscles and the facial hair represent all the qualities of the male.  And the woman's face represents how not everyone's fate is like a male or a female when they are born and undergo a sex change.  And that behind every male is a woman."

Miyuki:
Biologically, a man is someone with male genitalia.  But what makes a man a man is how he feels.  I feel the same about women and what makes a woman a woman.  A human being is a race of animals with feelings and empathy and sympathy.

Explanation:
"My barbie is transgendered.  I added a penis and pubic hair [under the dress].  She was originally a man but is making the transition to female.  She felt she was in the wrong body and made a change in her life."


Kyle:
Gender roles aren't as clearly defined as they once were; as demonstrated by the documentary we watched yesterday [Taboo: Transgender].  The only factor that determines gender now is how the individual feels.

Explanation:
"Han Solo, bat jetpack, rocket powered skateboard, gun.  My action figure represents the average stereotype of masculinity; however in our new age, one cannot be sure.  All that matters is this character is true to itself."


Caitlin:
1 & 2 The answer is the same: society ordains what gender is.  There are not even universal standards: What we think of as male or female traits would not be considered in the same light in Taiwan or Peru.
3. That they exist and are of the homo erectus species.

 Explanation:
"Just a mixture of outdated masculinity (the hair helmet of the '80s and pink) and current apparently masculine traits.  To show how fabricated gender precepts are"

Asher:

1. kindness and responsibility
2. women can have babies and have soft skin
3. short term memory loss

Explanation:
Asher expressed to me that he could tell which one was a man and which one was a woman because they were husband and wife.  He said that long hair on the 'military doll' would make it a "man-girl". 


Tim:

1. A man can be recognized by physical appearance, clothing, and the way a man acts.  His actions and how he behaves clearly distinguish him from a woman.  A man will want to protect his area and defend it anyway possible.  A man takes care of his family and does whatever he needs to provide money and shelter for his family to survive.
2. A woman is the one who cares and shows compassion.  She can show emotional support and empathy.  A woman is the other half of the family and shows love.  She is a soft person and obviously wears different clothing.
3. A human being shows empathy.  Can function properly and has all the necessary survival skills.  A human being will be created by male and female and live according to what it's thought.

Explanation:
"Body parts separate a man and a woman.  A female person is not comfortable in her body so this represents the change to male."



Conrad:

1. genes, hormones, thought process, God
2. geneology, hormones, thought process, God
3. The species that we are.  Anatomy. God. Anatomy

Explanation:
"I collected a nice collection of characters that reflect the answer to my third question - None of my characters are human. e.g. I would not consider Yoda a human being.  That is only because I look at the question literally and not 'what makes a person humane'."

Nick:

1. Once a male no longer needs to prove himself as a man, he is then one.
2. Independence and understand of morals and maturity.
3. Willingness to change, understanding of human nature, distancing oneself from the average, courage, strength during hard times, compassion, a genuine personality.

Explanation:
" A woman has to balance her gender roles with masculinity in the 21st century era of feminism, all the while a man's arm condescendingly pats her head."


Brogan:

1. Testosterone, muscles, genitals, experience, confidence, facial hair.
2. Empathy, caring, genitals, experience, estrogen, emotion
3. Ability to see others for who they are, human beings created by male and female

[no picture]

Explanation:
"My doll is a ken who has not muscle mass and who is a cross dresser.  I put tattoos on him for individuality.  I also put stitches on his mouth to show that people are still uncomfortable with cross dressers."

Jackson:

1. A man can be recognized by physical appearance, clothing, and the way a man acts.  His actions an how he behaves clearly distinguish him from a woman.  A man will want to protect his area and defend it anyway possible.
2. A woman is the one who cures and shows compassion.  She can show emotional support and empathy.  A woman is the other half of family and shows love.

Explanation:
"What my doll means: I dressed Mr. Incredible into an infant female clothing.  Mr. Incredible is a very muscular and manly character and every one has a feminine side.  Mr. Incredible is still strong and manly but he is also expressing his feminine side."