Cultural Diversity and Working with Students Who Have Visual Impairments
Assumptions Regarding Multiculturalism
1. It is increasingly important for political, social, educational and economic reasons
to recognize the US is a culturally diverse society.
2. Multicultural education is for all students.
3. Multicultural education is synonymous with effective teaching.
4. Teaching is a cross cultural encounter.
5. The educational system has not served all students equally well.
Assumptions Regarding Multiculturalism (cont)
6. Multicultural education is (should) be synonymous with educational innovation
and reform.
7. Next to parents (primary caregivers) teachers are the single most important factor
in the lives of children.
8. Classroom interaction between teachers and students constitutes the major part of
the educational process for most students.
Taken from Banks(1988) page 43.
Multicultural education is a progressive approach for transforming education that
holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings, failings, and discriminatory
practices in education. It is grounded in ideals of social justice, education equity, and a
dedication to facilitating educational experiences in which all students reach their full
potential as learners and as socially aware and active beings, locally, nationally, and
globally.
Multicultural education acknowledges that schools are essential to laying the foundation
for the transformation of society and the elimination of oppression and injustice.
By Paul Gorski (2000)
Aspects of Multiculturalism
Ethnicity
Social class
Gender
Geographical background
Language background
Age
Religion
Teaching style
Biases and prejudices
Sterotyping
Assuming that every member of a minority group has the same characteristics, thought
patterns, likes and dislikes, etc.
Stigma
Negative attitudes and consequences applied by a majority group to a minority group.
May be based upon observed behavior of a single member of the minority group.
Most likely based on teaching (both overt and implied) by other members of the
majority group.
Why is it so important that you as a TVI or COMS understand and respect cultural
diversity?
By 2010, close to 42% of all school children in the US will come from culturally
diverse homes.
Almost half of all the students in Texas come from culturally diverse homes.
Because it makes you more effective
Because almost everything you do will involve other people (either students or adults)
Cultural contexts are critical for understanding patterns of child development. Until the
last several years, almost all research in this area was done from a WASP perspective.
People often BECOME members of the visually impaired minority. They must then
deal with their own stereotypes and stigmas.
Because it’s the right and ethical thing to do.
Pity, overprotection, coddling by the TVI or the COMS is NOT helpful or beneficial
for the student.
There are several issues:
How to work with culturally diverse families.
How to teach VI students about cultural diversity.
How to honor each VI students’ own cultural background and use that to ensure that
instruction is efficient.
VI students as a cultural minority – the “blind” community.
Social skills and an accurate understanding of cultural diversity.
In order to address any of these issues, we must have Cultural Competence “respect for
difference, eagerness to learn, and a willingness to accept that there are many ways of
viewing the world” (Hanson, 1998):
Cultural Competence
Know ourselves
Know our prejudices and biases
Monitor our attitudes
Develop cultural sensitivity
Lead by example
What is culture?
“…ways of perceiving, believing evaluating and behaving.” Hunt and Marshall, 1999.
“Members of the same culture share basic beliefs about reality, take certain ‘facts’ for
granted, accept common standards of behavior, and cherish similar values.” Cartledge,
1996
Macroculture
“…the core or universal culture of the country.”
High emphasis placed on:
1. individualism
2. industriousness
3. ambition
4. competitiveness
5. self reliance and
6. independence.
Microcultures
Subcultures within the macroculture
May be based on:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Ethnicity
Socioeconomic status
Religion
Gender
Geographical region
Sexual orientation
Disability
Etc.
The importance of language to culture
Language binds people together
Language patterns and habits define what is “proper” (“speaking” in the South)
Language regarding a cultural group can convey honor or disrespect (person first
speech)
Assimilation and Acculturation
Assimilation – becoming totally immersed in the macroculture
Acculturation – adopting the outward appearance of the macroculture while still
maintaining some of the tenets of the original microculture
Working with culturally diverse families
Independent versus interdependent societies
a. African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American cultures tend to be
more interdependent.
b. Western European cultures tend to be more independent.
c. Urban societies tend towards independence; rural ones toward
interdependence.
The sanctity of the family’s position in the child’s life
Different cultures have different parenting styles (Chinese vs. Native American)
Locus of control – if it is internal then the family is likely to work to push the child to
“improve”; if it is external, then the family may not believe that it is possible or even
important for the child to overcome the disability.
Issues surrounding parental guilt
Issues surrounding “protecting” the child from the environment.
Goals:
Ability to communicate with the family
Relate to the family
Identify the information that parents need
Integrate our educational and social interventions with the participation preferences of
the family (Sontag & Schacht, 1994)
So how do we help our students be more culturally sensitive?
TEACH SOCIAL SKILLS
Steps to teaching social skills:
·
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·
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Present the skill and help the student to understand why it’s important.
Modeling
Role play
Feedback (including self-evaluation)
Application in a variety of situations
(generalization)