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Access for Everyone

Access for Everyone

What happens when your wheelchair won't fit in a movie theater or you can't see well enough to cross the street safely? Create a model of a place that is accessible to everyone.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Craft Materials
  • Recycled Cardboard Box

Steps

  • Step 1

    Discuss famous people who have had to overcome physical challenges, such as Helen Keller, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eric Weihenmayer (a blind athlete and author who climbed Mt. Everest), etc. Discuss how they've had to adapt to achieve independence. Students may wish to share stories of people they know personally who face physical challenges and the measures they have taken to get around successfully.

  • Step 2

    Talk about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and mandates that businesses must provide access to the goods and services they offer.

  • Step 3

    Ask students to create a model of an accessible area or structure. Use recycled materials and craft items such as boxes, craft sticks, and Model Magic to form buildings, streets, people, etc. Then have them paint and decorate the scene.

  • Step 4

    Ask students to present their 3-dimensional scene and talk about the features they included and why.

Standards

SS: Individual Development and Identity: Explore, identify, and analyze how individuals and groups are alike, how they are unique, and how they relate to each other in supportive and collaborative ways.

SS: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: Explore ways in which institutions (including voluntary associations/ organizations, health care networks, etc.) are created to respond to changing individual and group needs.

SS: Power, Authority, and Governance: Develop awareness of rights and responsibilities of people in specific contexts.

SS: Science, Technology, and Society: Identify how technologies such as communication and transportation have evolved and how people have employed advances in technology to modify daily lives including health and economics. Explore historical examples and imagine future technologies.

Adaptations

Contact an agency, such as a local chapter of the American Foundation for the Blind or a local Veterans Affairs office, and invite someone to speak to the class - either in person or via a video call - about how they provide access for individuals.

Ask students to research and write about a renowned individual with physical challenges.