This course is a block of three, 4-credit hour courses designed to give students insight and information about disabilities. Students who participate in this block of courses will be able to examine their own attitudes and perceptions of people with disabilities, interact comfortably with co-workers who have disabilities, and be knowledgeable advocates for friends or family members who may have disabilities.
For those interested in the field of disabilities as a career, this block provides a foundation of knowledge and current information about issues, policies, practices and professions useful for employment and essential for additional study in the field. This block comprises the core courses toward a 19 to 21 credit hour undergraduate Interdisciplinary Certificate in Disabilities Studies, sponsored by the UMKC Institute for Human Development.
Interdisciplinary Certificate in Disabilities Studies
Psych 406: Introduction to Developmental Disabilities
Psych 406: Disabilities and Community Life
Human 490P: Perceptions and Images of Disabilities in Film and Literature
For more information, please contact
816-235-6335
Introduction to Developmental Disabilities
Psychology 406: 4 Credit Hours
This course builds an essential knowledge base for the study of developmental disabilities. Students will learn from people with disabilities, learn "people first" values, and examine their own feelings about people with disabilities. Students will learn principles of human development, causes of disability, syndromes and disorders, and the physical, social, and psychological effects of disability on individuals and families over the life span. The health, education and social systems supporting people with disabilities at critical junctures in the life span (i.e. school age, transition to adult living, finding employment, aging) will be addressed.
Disabilities and Community Life
Psychology 407: 4 Credit hours
Students will learn about services and supports that assist persons with severe disabilities acquire independence. Students will learn about laws and legislation effecting people with disabilities. Students will be involved with people with disabilities, the people who are trained to assist them, and the national, state and local systems which serve and support them. Students will learn current concepts in disability studies such as person-centered planning, natural supports, transition and community inclusion. These concepts guide best practices in working with people with disabilities.
Perceptions and Images of Disabilities in Film and Literature
Humanities 490P: 4 Credit Hours
This course combines classroom
discussion and independent study. Students will study selected written and
visual arts (e.g., film, theater, literature, painting) to develop an
understanding and awareness of how images of disability, as conveyed through
forms of popular culture, inform our own attitudes and conceptions of people
with disabilities. Students will also apply research, observation and
communication skills to work on an individual or team project, which
demonstrates their understanding of how popular culture affects attitudes and
perceptions.
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