Course Title: Introduction to Disability

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Introduction to Disability

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

HWSS2082

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

150H Health Sciences

Distance / Correspondence or Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2010

HWSS2082

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013

HWSS2083

City Campus

Undergraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2011,
Sem 1 2012

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Jeff Walkley

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 39925 7359

Course Coordinator Email: jeff.walkley@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Room 201.3.02 (Bundoora West campus)

Course Coordinator Availability: Please email for appointment time


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

This course is designed to be an introduction to disability and presents an overview of principles and practices for service provision for people with a disability. Various themes related to disability, ranging from prescriptive definitions through to current social and alternative definitions will be examined. The course will enable students to gain a historical perspective of the attitudes and past ideologies that underpinned services provided to people with intellectual disability. The course will introduce students to the paradigms of disability and will examine the effects of these models and paradigms on service provision. Issues regarding social attitude, stigma and labelling, integration and social roles will be discussed in relation to current approaches to service delivery. The course will allow the student to examine how disability affects the person, their families/significant others, and the community across a range of areas. Working with families, issues relating to siblings and issues encountered by care givers will be explored. Quality of life will be discussed as will cultural aspects which may affect the person. Importantly, the course will allow students to examine their own attitudes to disability, explore how attitudes are formed, and how they can be challenged.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

  • Strategic Thinking. demonstrated by your ability to:
  • 1) adopt a strategic view where problems are connected with a larger system (the bigger picture) and where feasible solutions must balance the future goals and aspirations of many stakeholders (the long term view).
    2) analyse the strengths and limits of Government policy and legislation and institutional arrangements on the context and practices of support for people with a disability, their families, professionals and community stakeholders.
  • Socially Awareness, demonstrated by your ability to:
  • 1) recognise and make informed judgments about the impact of past and present policy and practice for individual and community capacity building. 
     


At the completion of this course students who have attended lectures and actively engaged in class debate and completed the self-directed readings and other assigned work will be able to:

  • Critique historical and contemporary philosophies to understand trends.
  • Describe different approaches that have been taken to conceptualise and define disability.
  • Use sensitive language in reference to disability.
  • Discuss basic human rights and legal rights in relation to community participation, integration, and quality of life.
  • Articulate the issues regarding social attitude, stigma and labelling, integration and social roles.
  • Enhance community awareness about disability.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of how your own practice can impact on the life of a person with a disability


Overview of Learning Activities

Learning activities will be based around lectures/lecture notes and associated activities, online resources, media critiques, and case studies that provide students with an opportunity to appreciate both historical and contemporary issues facing people with disability and the disability sector.


Overview of Learning Resources

The students will be able to access course information and learning materials through the Learning Hub and will be directed to readings and other sources of information in lecture and through the Learning Hub. Students will also be expected to use library resources.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment will occur throughout the semester and students will be provided with feedback on their progress. Assessment tasks include:
There are three pieces of assessment for this course

1: Multiple Choice Test in week 6 on materials studied to date. 20%of total mark

2: Multiple choice/short answer (on materials studied throughout semester) in week 12. 40% of final mark for course

3: Group project due end of week 10. 40% of final mark for course.