Ofsted inspection - disability awareness.

[FloraDora]

I have just read this as a recommendation on an ofsted report:

. provide positive images that embrace differences in people with special educational needs and/or disabilities, such as individuals with hearing aids, splints, glasses, wheelchairs or with facial disfigurements participating in valued and interesting activities

I have never before seen it so specifically worded.

Personally I am not in favour of a token poster that eventually becomes 'wallpaper' to the children but may give you a tick on an ofsted checklist. My home is not full of posters either.
As a Past literacy leader I have a wealth of books, but very few would support the above statement. I have of course searched for new books that do, but I want them to have characters with disability as a natural part of the story, not forced, token gestures and these are only just emerging and as I improve my resources I am ensuring that this becomes a criteria, but they are kept amongst others, not in a special section of my library so I am now having to keep a list to show Mrs O. The stock favourites for EY are not going to be re written I am sure so we will all have these new books to browse but keep the old favourites ( for a reason, because they are good children's literature) to focus with.
I have looked at small world characters - £21 for stiff upright figures that since I don't have the able bodied set would stand out on my shelf as a 'I bought these to tick a box but no one plays with them'.
The happy land characters: my LO's like arms and legs to move now and ignore these, so I am not going to purchase just to tick a box either.
I keep looking for the wheel chair in the build a bear shops and on ebay, but yet again they are expensive.

The hearing aid, facial disfigurement suggestion is a concern, has anyone seen resources that are inexpensive ?

I have made a flippy book with photos of children playing which shows some children who are disabled, but this is the best I can think of. I have several playmobil wheelchairs - tick.
My greatest asset I think is the gentleman we regularly meet at the park, somebody I know, so stop and chat to. He has MS and over the years has lost the use of his legs and sight. He has a dog to help and the children know that he is a working dog, but I have yet to summon up the courage to take a photo of them talking to him as I think it is ridiculous to have to do it, and an intrusion for him. Also, at a group I sometimes attend there are 2 children with barely noticeable disabilities. Mixing, seeing in every day life is far better I think than posters and pictures, but my evidence is my word.

I came across this article ( old but points still relevant - sorry it's in the Mail) in my research which opens up a good discussion point:
Parents' fury at 'Down's Syndrome dolls' designed to help children deal with disability | Mail Online
Perhaps we could share how we think we are covering this area?

[jadavi]

I agree with everything you say FloraDora

Conversation is so much more key than a few token figures or posters.
(Flash back to my three year old boy on meeting an old disabled man in the street shouting
'Why is that man so ugly?'!! Prompted some focused conversation that day which was not easy)

I think if we are prepared to discuss with Ofsted how we make a point of talking to our mindees about people we meet and their disabilities it should go some way to showing how we meet that target.

Not easy I agree.

[alex__17]

Ofsted asked in my recent inspection how I teach children about disabilities and different races etc and I told her I wasn't going to have specific resources as I think labelling as different will only make it more different. I have lots of story books with pictures of children and adults of different races and in wheelchairs etc but that's not the focus of the story it's people doing normal activities.
She was absolutely fine with what I said and agreed with what I said

[gwm]

Our best resource is being out in the community where the children can see and hear people of all shapes and sizes and mobility.
A few months ago my little boy (4) and I were walking through our local town. He said 'Why have all the people got different skin?'. My answer was 'It depends on where their ancestors came from. If their families from long ago lived in a very hot country , they have brown skin. But, if their families lived in a cold country, then they have paler skin.' I was able to explain to him as he has the knowledge and understanding to understand what I was saying.

[gwm]

I have just been checking on the internet to see what was available. These sites are just two of many - Home | Bookstart ( books about disability and diversity) and Books featuring disabled characters - Disability charity Scope UK (books and printable resources). Apologies to all you techno folk - I have No idea how to do internet links

[gwm]

Actually, that's very embarrassing... the computer did it all by itself!

[Wiggle Wiggle]

This for me has been interesting as I come from a nursery background and never have I felt to have the pressure so much to show disability characters, books etc. When doing my Childminding course the LA DO stated we have to have the disability characters see link below otherwise, we were missing out and required them for Ofsted. Never once had I seen them in any setting I had worked in.

Lakeshore Multicultural Block Play Dolls with Special Needs: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

To be honest, I have mostly have under twos who can access these characters although they mostly like to chew them (for want of a better term!) and recently a 20mth came to me to take the doll out of the wheelchair and to his dismay this does not occur! I did manage to teach him the word 'wheelchair' though.

The items as well are expensive - sorry but they are. As Childminders a huge budget to buy these items is not always in our remit and I like others have stated do not want to do the token approach and prefer to have discussions and be out in the community and talk about these.

Flora Dora I like the fact that you have made your own book. This is something I may try.

[Simona]

Behind every child with a disability there is a real person
These appalling dolls and figurines do nothing but attract attention to the disability

Maybe this is what we should show at inspection and put in our policy should the inspector raise the matter in terms of inclusion and equal opportunities


The social and medical model of disability — University of Leicester

[FloraDora]

This for me has been interesting as I come from a nursery background and never have I felt to have the pressure so much to show disability characters, books etc. When doing my Childminding course the LA DO stated we have to have the disability characters see link below otherwise, we were missing out and required them for Ofsted. Never once had I seen them in any setting I had worked in.

Lakeshore Multicultural Block Play Dolls with Special Needs: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

To be honest, I have mostly have under twos who can access these characters although they mostly like to chew them (for want of a better term!) and recently a 20mth came to me to take the doll out of the wheelchair and to his dismay this does not occur! I did manage to teach him the word 'wheelchair' though.

The items as well are expensive - sorry but they are. As Childminders a huge budget to buy these items is not always in our remit and I like others have stated do not want to do the token approach and prefer to have discussions and be out in the community and talk about these.

Flora Dora I like the fact that you have made your own book. This is something I may try.

These are the ones I was referring to, they only work in your setting I feel if you have others, able bodied, ethnic etc.. And for the price they really are not versatile. Like you, I have experience of nurseries and we could never afford things like this, let alone as a childminder, given that I am paid £3.85 an hour for 3/4 year old funding this would take 10 hours funding to pay for!

I am thinking about what I am going to say when inspected and on my SEF ..Simona's article gives food for thought.

[Maza]

An excellent thread, thank you for starting it FloraDora. I feel like printing it out (don't think that is possible though...) and flinging it at any inspector who even thinks of putting an action like that on my report. Disability is a topic that is so close to my heart (like many of us) as I have a darling brother and cousin with cerebral palsy. I support the charity SCOPE on many levels and am really proud of my daughter's attitude towards ability/disability, but do I have any dolls/posters - NO. Mostly because of because of cost but also for the other reasons highlighted in this thread.

Going off on a tangent slightly, one day when I worked at a nursery I saw a little girl pushing a teddy around in a pushchair and I just assumed she was pretending to be a mummy with a baby. When I watched her more closely I realised that she was pretending that the pushchair was a wheelchair and the teddy was her mummy. Her mummy was indeed a wheelchair user. That sweet little observation just always sticks in my mind, though I was disappointed with myself for being so presumptuous.

[Simona]

An excellent thread, thank you for starting it FloraDora. I feel like printing it out (don't think that is possible though...) and flinging it at any inspector who even thinks of putting an action like that on my report. Disability is a topic that is so close to my heart (like many of us) as I have a darling brother and cousin with cerebral palsy. I support the charity SCOPE on many levels and am really proud of my daughter's attitude towards ability/disability, but do I have any dolls/posters - NO. Mostly because of because of cost but also for the other reasons highlighted in this thread.

Going off on a tangent slightly, one day when I worked at a nursery I saw a little girl pushing a teddy around in a pushchair and I just assumed she was pretending to be a mummy with a baby. When I watched her more closely I realised that she was pretending that the pushchair was a wheelchair and the teddy was her mummy. Her mummy was indeed a wheelchair user. That sweet little observation just always sticks in my mind, though I was disappointed with myself for being so presumptuous.

Maza....Your comment is just a reminder to all of us of what this is all about...the ability of children to work things out for themselves without the need of useless and offending posters/dolls
Shame on those who exploit disability to make money via overpriced meaningless gimmicks and sad for nurseries who fall for the trick

I would hope that no inspector with real knowledge of EY and disability awareness would ever suggest such crass recommendations in a report
And if she did ....I would also hope cms would stand up and challenge such blinkered vision

Flora Dora...I came across the models of disability many many years ago when trained by disabled persons...they were passionate about their message and need to be seen as people before anything else

At Uni the models of disability were one of our modules for the Foundation Degree...so many years after we still have people who have not got the message or know about it and are empowered with writing such ignorant views in their inspection reports

This is a really good thread ...lets have more

[FloraDora]

Just watching my Sunday morning fix of Sunday Brunch and Ellie Simmonds is on promoting her new children's book :
Ellie Simmonds young fiction to Random House Children’s Publishers

could be one to add to my library, the publisher says 6+, Ellie said 7-8 so good for older mindees if you have them possibly. She talked about it being good to show overcoming difficulties, so may be appropriate for perseverance theme too.

[lollipop kid]

Hello,

Having been marked down before in an inspection for not having enough resources depicting "positive images of disability", I realised that I already had two terrific resources that we use a lot in my setting, just for their terrific stories. Typically, my mind went blank at my inspection when I was asked about such resources - instead I thought on my feet and mentioned that we always talk to a neighbour who, despite being in a wheelchair, is one of the most independent people I know, so is a fantastic role model to discuss with the children. The inspector did not accept any of our genuine anecdotes relating to this "real person", so I got marked down. (I was a bit shocked, but there you go.)

Since then, I always dig out "Tabby McTat" (Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler) and "The Lost Puppy" (Kate Gaynor). These are great stories and the I've found that even the most critical of inspectors can't dispute their suitability in this area. Tabby McTat actually covers off a lot more - the images it contains are a real melting pot of culture/gender/age etc. references. Have a look. I thoroughly recommend it. Plus, it is a great storyl, as is "The Lost Puppy".

I hope these help. They are definitely not tokenistic and the mindees and I really enjoy them.

[Simona]

Has anyone come across 'Boots for a bridesmaid' by Verna Allette Wilkins?
It covers disability, equal opportunities, diversity and stereotyping...all in one wonderful book

[FloraDora]

Has anyone come across 'Boots for a bridesmaid' by Verna Allette Wilkins?
It covers disability, equal opportunities, diversity and stereotyping...all in one wonderful book

Had this a while ago at school, yes agree great book, though not easy to come by now, my library doesn't have it either.

Susan Laughs and Just Because was propped up on my doorstep this morning, very early delivery and I was having a lie in / email session. Nice start - good books, I know my 2 year old will like Susan laughs, though I would have preferred it to be a few pages shorter. Tony Ross illustrations are very Tony Ross.

Michael Rosen liked Just Because..... Not sure about children's views, good repetitive phrase, but I think it might appeal to grown ups more than early years, I will review it at the end of the week.

I really think stories are the next best role modelling to actually mixing with people with a disability for disability awareness.
I visited two schools in Perth which were mixed able and special needs children. They took a lot of lessons together and the school staff supported each other. At lunch a lad who was strapped in a high back wheelchair played basketball with able bodied boys. Thats what we should be doing in the UK.
They also had a doctors, dentist and ed psych areas on site . Kindy to 18 year olds all on the same site too. Big brothers and sisters took little ones to school, a Dr's or Dentist appt was popped out to, so really convenient for parents. Lots of land there so easy to do.

[Maza]

Thanks for the recommendation Simona, just ordered it (got a used copy for less than £3!).