Activitiy 1.3 - Study visit to a disability aids centre

Learning Aims:
The pupils are to learn what reduced motor function can mean and understand and discuss the relationship between reduced movement and handicap. The pupils should also acquire knowledge about which professions are represented at the workplace, what one does within various professions and what educational training is required. They are also to become familiar with some disability aids and be able to explain how these work.
Subjects:
Biology, physics and technology
Suggestions for use:

The study visit can be carried out with the whole class or in smaller groups. Ideally, try to find more than one place to visit or carry out the visit at various times. Introduce the visit to the class by discussing what the pupils think about, what expectations they have, what disability aids they think they will see and test, what people they think they will meet and what work activities they think these people have. Give the pupils the task of finding out more by doing a search on the internet or by speaking to someone they know who is well-informed on the subject. Ask the pupils to formulate questions to ask during the visit.

After the study visit, the pupils are to report using text, pictures or film. Choose a suitable computer program for this work, such as PowerPoint or Photo Story. Suggestions for content:

  • What disability aids did I try and how do these help the patients?
  • What new things did I learn?
  • I would like to know more about…

Hopefully, the pupils will have seen and tried out a wheelchair during their study visit. Present this Activity to the pupils:

Adam is a teenage boy confined to a wheelchair. He has a congenital spine injury and cannot move from the waist down. He wants his school and home life to be fun, to be able to play basketball, compete in wheelchair races, etc. Activity: Imagine that you work at a disability aids centre and have been given the task of developing a suitable wheelchair for Adam. What do you suggest, based on what you have seen, to help Adam as much as possible? Is one wheelchair enough, or does he need more than one?

This task can be reported on in text and in pictures, together with the report on the study visit.