Teacher Application
Teachers, like everyone else, are influenced by the images associated with disabled people presented by the media. As Shepherd (2007) states:
“with the increasing number of students with disabilities entering the general education classroom, this media-induced perception of disabilities can influence how teachers and peers view students with disabilities” (2).
While this influences may not always be direct, they undoubtedly have an important effect. Thus, it would be folly to assume the teachers are not influenced by the representations of disability in media. There seems to be a dearth of literature on this matter, and therefore, research for this portion of the website will be ongoing. That said, opening dialogue and promoting introspection on this issue amongst teachers and authors will likely help to explore potential media-induced biases.
Shepherd, Terry. (2007) Infinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations: Portraits Of Individuals With Disabilities In Star Trek. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus. 3(6). Retrieved Jan. 20th, 2016. http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol3/iss6/art1.