University launches free disability resources for schools
A series of resources has been launched by Queen Margaret University to promote disability equality and representation as part of the school curriculum.
The launch of the new Toy Box Diversity Lab website aims to enhance “disability literacy” by guiding discussions between teachers and primary school learners – as well as encouraging them to think about accessibility in their own environments.
Funded by the QMU Innovation Fellowship, the educational tools include an activities pack, instructional videos and a directory of other resources to foster positive discussions.
The university will also be launching an online short course called Disability Confidence for Educational Practitioners, running from September.
Dr Clare Uytman and Dr Siân Jones, senior lecturers in the division of psychology, sociology and education at QMU, have led the three-year long project.
The lecturers have tested their resources with almost 550 children in Scotland and England, as well as running focus groups to create the final products in collaboration with teachers, disabled adults and parents of disabled children.
Dr Uytman said: “Positive understanding, representation and discussion around disability is so important for achieving a more inclusive learning environment through imagination and play, which will help children understand the importance of these topics from an early age.”
As well as the website, the QMU lecturers have also been working in collaboration with activist not-for-profit organisation, ToyLikeMe, to ensure better representation of disabilities in children’s media, including toys, books and television programmes.
Dr Jones said: “There is growing evidence that toys representing disability give non-disabled children windows into the worlds of disabled children.
“We are building on this evidence base, using images of adapted toy prototypes, such as Barbie with a missing limb, or Olaf the snowman from Disney’s Frozen with a cochlear implant, and showcasing these to children through pop-up exhibitions and activities we have been trialling at schools to help them think and speak positively about disability.”