How many faces do you recognise here?
Alexander Graham Bell (1847 –
1922) - was an eminent Scottishborn scientist, inventor, engineer
and innovator who is credited
with inventing the first practical
telephone. He also had dyslexia.
Albert Einstein (1879 –1955) - was a
German-born theoretical physicist and
mathematician and developed the
general theory of relativity. It is thought
that he had a learning disability and had
a very difficult time doing maths in
school. It was also very hard for him to
express himself through writing.
Stevie Wonder –is an American
musician, singer-songwriter, record
producer, and multi-instrumentalist. A
child prodigy, he has become one of the
most creative and loved musical
performers of the late 20th century. He
was born six weeks premature, resulting
in him becoming blind.
Stephen Fry, is an English
comedian, actor, writer, presenter,
and activist. He experienced
mental health problems for much of
his life but it wasn't until he was 37
that he was finally diagnosed with
bipolar disorder.
Beethoven (1770-1827) –was a
German composer and pianist. He
remains one of the most famous and
influential of all composers. In about
1800 his hearing began to deteriorate,
and by the last decade of his life he
was almost totally deaf. He gave up
conducting and performing in public but
continued to compose; many of his
most admired works come from this
period.
Ellie Simmonds - is a British
Paralympian swimmer . She competed in
the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing,
winning two gold medals for Great Britain,
despite being the youngest member of the
team, at the age of 13. In 2012 she was
again selected for the Great Britain squad,
and won another two golds in London,
including setting a World Record in the
400m freestyle.
Stephen Hawking - is an English
theoretical physicist, cosmologist,
author and Director of Research at the
Centre for Theoretical Cosmology
within the University of Cambridge.
Hawking has a motor neuron disease,
a condition that has progressed over
the years. He is almost entirely
paralysed and communicates through a
speech generating device.
These are well known people who have, or had
disabilities or special education needs, who
have made a difference to the world in some
way.
A disability can refer to physical impairment,
sensory impairment, cognitive impairment,
intellectual impairment, mental illness, and
various types of chronic diseases. These
impairments were often referred to as being
crippled, handicapped, or having a handicap in
past times.
11
Of course there are also millions of people worldwide famous or not, who live with, battle, and overcome
their disabilities every single day of their lives. It is estimated that around 6% of these people are under
the age of
18.
Okay, so 6% may not sound like a lot but when there are a total of 11 million people in Great Britain with
a limiting long term illness, impairment or disability, we’re talking approximately 660, 000 young people.
That’s almost 2 out of every 30 of you in this room.
8/10
My friends make me
give them sweets.
They say they won’t be
my friends if I don’t.
But they never give
me anything.
Mary
The other girls hid my
coat so I couldn’t find
it at
home time. They
laughed
when I started to cry.
Marsha
I haven’t got any
friends. At playtime
I just walk round the
playground on
my own. I would give
the other children
anything if they would
be my friends.
Kuldip
This may be due to many reasons, such as:
• Negative attitudes towards disability
• They may be seen as ‘different’
• Their disability may mean that they may not recognise that they are being bullied
• They may be more isolated due to their disability
• They may have difficulties telling people about bullying
• They may find it harder to make friends
What can you do to help?
Hopefully by now you will
recognise some of the
positive contributions
people with special
educational needs or
disabilities (SEND) have
made and continue to
make to our society.
Don’t be a bystander. If
you see someone being
bullied or treated unkindly,
whether they have a
disability or not, TELL
SOMEONE!
Let’s face it – who isn’t
different in some way? Look
at the person next to
you…are you exactly the
same as each other? We
can all do things others can’t
and this is exactly the same
for those with SEND.
Difference should be
celebrated!
•
Be a friend. If someone is struggling to join in or seems isolated, try and include them.
•
If you know or suspect someone is being bullied but may have difficulty telling someone,
offer them support to do so or be the one to tell someone.
•
Does your school have a peer support system to help those who may struggle to make
friends? If so, get involved! If not…why not?!
Remember…2 out of every 30 young people will have a disability or special educational need.
Young people who are disabled are 3 times more likely to be bullied than their peers.
Do something positive and…