Students from a course offered through the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education (RPSE) held an end-of-the-semester gallery walk to showcase their work on Monday, Dec. 12.
The course — RPSE 201: The Disability Experience — introduces students to the modern disability experience, with an emphasis on disability justice and advocacy. The course examines the societal implications and individual experiences of disability, centering the voices of individuals with disabilities themselves, and discusses strategies that can be used to work toward their full participation and inclusion in society.
As part of the course, students were assigned to develop an engaging and approachable educational resource that can be used to inform members of the public about issues related to disability and ableism, to reduce stigma, and increase inclusion for all.
Projects, which were showcased in the Wisconsin Idea Room of the Education Building, ranged from websites and infographics, to podcasts, children’s and young adult books, art projects, and more.
Guests who attended the gallery walk were then able to vote for the most effective and engaging resources. The students who were honored are:
First place: Sophia Schaubel, who developed a trivia-based board game that includes disability facts and scenarios aimed at reducing ableism.
Second place: Livia Isaacs produced a children’s book about a class full of animals going on a field trip where they learn about disability advocacy.
Third place: Ellie Pettus designed a “spin-the-wheel” type of game geared toward changing stigmatizing attitudes about people with different disability types into more inclusive ones.
The class was led by Susan Smedema, a professor and chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education. All of the students in the class are part of The Disability Experience first-year interest group (FIG) on campus. FIGs are clusters of (usually) three fall semester UW–Madison classes that are linked together to explore a common theme, and open to incoming freshmen — who attend these classes together as a cohort.
Students from the course — RPSE 201: The Disability Experience — showcased their work at an end-of-the-semester gallery walk on Dec. 12 in the Education Building.