Assignment:
Disability, Health, and Society
Overview: In assignment, you will produce a 3-page essay that illustrates your ability to:
1) Reflect on how your ideas about access have changed while taking this class;
2) Identify and describe two real-life examples of barriers to access; and
3) Analyze thesebarriers to access using one idea you encountered while taking this class.
Instructions: Produce a 3-page written essay that includes the following threesections. Please be certain to use subheadings in your essay.
Section 1: Reflection (1 page)
In section, you will write about how your ideas about access have changed as a resultof taking this course. You will use first-person language for this section (e.g., "I thought"or "I believed"). Think about and respond to all of the following questions:
• How did you think about access and/or universal design before starting thisclass?
• How have your ideas changed since starting this course?
• What one specific new idea about access/universal design helped you changeyour thinking?
o [Include a brief mention of the one specific idea and appropriate APAcitation for the one reading you will discuss in Section 3]
• How do you connect access or universal design to one idea about health ordisability from Weeks 1 or 2?
o [Include an explanation of the one idea from Weeks 1 (health) or 2(disability) and an appropriate APA citation for this reading]
Section 2: Identification and Description (1 page)
Address the following questions for both examples of barriers to access:
• What is the barrier to access you are describing?
• What is the context/setting of the barrier?
• What is the consequence of this barrier? That is, what is it preventing people with disabilities from doing?
• Why do you think this barrier to access remains unaddressed?
o [Be specific here - think of social, environmental, financial, politicalfactors at play here]
Section 3: Application (1 page)
In this final section, you will use the one new idea to analyze the two barriers you described above and thinkabout potential solutions. Please summarize information from these readings as yourespond to all of the following questions for both examples you described above:
• Why is this a barrier to access in the university/ community?
o Use an idea (i.e., a specific principle or goal of universal design, or way toensure access) to explain why.
• How could this barrier to access be addressed in the university/community (or itseffects lessened/mitigated)?
o Use an idea (i.e., a specific principle or goal of universal design or way toensure access) to explain how.
• How will addressing this barrier impact the health of disabled people (connect to your response from Section 1)?