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This lesson is based on a presentation that DAWNMARIE GAIVIN, S2C Practitioner and I-ASC Leadership Cadre member, gave to the SPELLERS AND ALLIES ADVOCACY NETWORK, S&A for short, in August of 2020. S&A is an ADVOCACY group open to all nonspeakers 18 YEARS OLD and UP as well as ALLIES between the ages of 18-30. Following Dawnmarie’s presentation, S&A wanted to share their learning with other spellers. We hope this lesson is INFORMATIVE and EMPOWERING.
Spell: ALLIES Spell: ADVOCACY
What advocacy group wrote this lesson? SPELLERS AND ALLIES ADVOCACY NETWORK
Who gave the presentation to S&A? DAWNMARIE GAIVIN
Who is S&A comprised of? SPELLERS; ALLIES
Suppose Dawnmarie gave this presentation in August 2020. How many months/years has it been since?
Name another advocacy group that you know of.
Poke the Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network logo.
SARAH ACKERMAN, a minimally speaking member of S&A, said, “After
Dawnmarie’s presentation, I realized the importance of knowing one’s RIGHTS. It is essential that people become aware of DISABILITY LAW and understand what they are ENTITLED to. This knowledge can empower individuals to stand up for themselves and can pave the way for FUTURE GENERATIONS of nonspeakers.”
Spell: GENERATIONS Spell: ENTITLED
Who’s quote was shared here? SARAH ACKERMAN
Sarah thinks it is important for people to become aware of __________ law. DISABILITY
Sarah believes that nonspeakers today can pave the way for who? FUTURE GENERATIONS
What is one thing that Sarah believes is important for nonspeakers to understand? DISABILITY LAW; WHAT WE ARE ENTITLED TO
Name a community of people who you feel have paved the way for you (this could be in reference to civil rights, culture, etc.).
BEN CRIMM, another S&A nonspeaking member, reflected, “I think it is important to understand that the LANGUAGE and TERMINOLOGY we use in discussions with others must echo the LEGAL terminology, PRINCIPLES, and RIGHTS that have already been ESTABLISHED in the law.” Through our reflections, S&A thought that it is important for all nonspeaking people to know about three laws: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Assistive Technology Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Today we want to teach you a little bit about these.
Spell: LEGAL Spell: CRIMM
Ben Crimm believes it is important for nonspeakers to understand _______ and terminology. LANGUAGE
Ben Crimm believes that echoing ___________ terminology, principles, and rights that have already been established in the law is important. LEGAL
What is one of the legal elements that Ben suggests people echo in discussions? TERMINOLOGY; PRINCIPLES; RIGHTS
Name one of the laws we will discuss today. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT; ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACT; INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT
What convention did the United Nations create to support disabled people? UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities; CRPD
In what decade did the UN adopt this convention? 2000-2010; 2006
The AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, ADA for short, was established in 1990.
It requires that STATE governments, LOCAL governments, BUSINESSES, and NONPROFIT organizations, known as ENTITIES, that serve the PUBLIC communicate effectively with people with communication or speech disabilities. INCLUDED in this is a person’s ability to communicate WITH, RECEIVE information from and communicate information TO the public entities described above.
Spell: BUSINESSES Spell: LOCAL GOVERNMENT
What does ADA stand for? AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Under the ADA, State governments and local governments that serve the public are called what? ENTITIES
All entities under the ADA serve who? PUBLIC
Under that ADA, included in effective communication are:
Who is someone who might require support to receive information from a public entity? DEAF PEOPLE; NONSPEAKING PEOPLE, etc.
Name a public entity described in the ADA. STATE GOVERNMENT; LOCAL GOVERNMENT; BUSINESSES; NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
How many years ago was the ADA established? Present year- 1990=
What is an example of a nonprofit organization that serves you?
The picture above is a mural of Justin Dart Jr. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Capitol Crawl, one of the pivotal advocacy actions that instated the ADA. Poke this picture and read Justin Dart Jr.’s quote.
Considerations for “EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION” include the nature, length, COMPLEXITY, and context, as well as an individual’s NORMAL METHOD of communication. S2C is effective communication because it gives the individual access to the ENTIRE ALPHABET, which does not LIMIT what they can and cannot communicate; it also allows individuals to produce ORIGINAL, OPEN-ENDED, and UNLIMITED communication.
Spell: ORIGINAL Spell: UNLIMITED COMMUNICATION
Nature, length, complexity, and context are all considerations for what? EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
What habit does the ADA consider in determining effective communication that I mentioned? NORMAL METHOD OF COMMUNICATION
What does S2C give nonspeakers access to that doesn’t limit what nonspeakers can communicate? ENTIRE ALPHABET
What are two considerations of effective communication under the ADA?
NATURE; COMPLEXITY; CONTEXT; NORMAL METHOD OF COMMUNICATION
Name a communication system that does not give unlimited access to the alphabet.
Write a one-sentence metaphor that describes what it feels like to have access to effective communication.
Under the ADA, a letterboard would be considered an “AUXILIARY AID AND SERVICE,” and it is the RESPONSIBILITY of the public entity a nonspeaking individual is interacting with to provide the needed service. A discovery that S&A ally, AMAN ASFAH, made is that the ADA gives PRIMARY CONSIDERATION to the NONSPEAKING INDIVIDUAL to choose their PREFERRED aid or service in order to communicate. This means that if a nonspeaking person says that they prefer to use a letterboard over other modes of communication, this request should be honored under the ADA.
Spell: PREFERRED COMMUNICATION Spell: RESPONSIBILITY
Under the ADA, a letterboard is considered what? AUXILIARY AID AND SERVICE
The ADA gives what to the disabled person in choosing a communication method? PRIMARY CONSIDERATION
What disability law are nonspeaking people relying on when they assert the method of communication they prefer? ADA
In a sentence, describe who is given primary consideration in choosing a method of communication.
Name a responsibility the public entity has under the ADA.
Name a public entity you interact with and briefly describe its responsibilities.
Creative Writing:
In one sentence, explain what being an ally for nonspeaking people means to you.
What does “effective communication” mean to you?
What does it mean to be included?
We’d love to hear from you; we encourage you to send your creative writing to spellers-allies@i-asc.org
Special thanks to Dawnmarie Gaivin for coming to speak with the Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network. As Sarah shared, you are a resource and ally!
Source:
http://www.fortelawgroup.com/least-restrictive-environment-lre-mean/
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-108publ364/html/PLAW-108publ364.htm
https://www.ada.gov/resources/effective-communication/
https://www.brandingmag.com/2015/08/04/capitol-crawl-25th-anniversary/
https://activisthistory.com/2017/08/11/the-blind-historian-and-other-fables/
