Tested activities in the classroom

1. Tested
activities in the
classroom
Disability Simulation Workshop
CSR2VET project
Designing activities related to
disability for Vocational Education and
Training (VET) students is a meaningful
and educational experience. These
activities can help students develop
empathy, knowledge, practical and
transversal skills.
The activity - designed, implemented
and evaluated by Şile Ayet Azer Aran
Defence Industry Vocational and
Technical Anatolian High School - let
students to experience, in a simulated
enviroment, visual and walking
impairements.

2. Objectives
2
• Create empathy and understanding towards disabilities.
• Create awareness sensitizing students to the impacts of the
environment on the experience of disability, either as a positive
or enabling force, or a barrier.
• Increase students’ citizenship competence.
• Increase students’ knowledge on the rights of people with
disability.
• Increase students’ practical skills for inclusive and respectful
interactions in both personal and professional settings.
Resources • Official documents on the topic such as the “Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.
• Best practices* on the topic.
• Blindfolds, walking sticks, wheelchairs.
Tipology
and duration
Learning outcome
Typology
Simulate various disabilities (visual impairment and mobility
challenges) using blindfolds and wheelchairs. Have students
perform simple tasks to experience the challenges firsthand.
Duration
The activity takes about 30 minutes, depending on the number of
the students involved.
However, a whole day is preferred when pre-during-post activities
are included.
1. Increased empathy and understanding - Students demonstrate increased empathy towards
people with disabilities; students gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by
people with disabilities through firsthand experiences.
2. Critical thinking - Students critically reflect on their experiences and identify personal biases
or misconceptions about disabilities. Students analyze societal attitudes towards disability
and evaluate how these attitudes impact the lives of individuals with disabilities.
3. Ethical considerations - Students explore the ethical implications related to disabilities,
considering issues such as accessibility, equal opportunities, and the right to autonomy and
self-determination.
* In preparing the activity, the “Engelime Engel Olma Projesi – Enable My Disability” project has been explored. The
suggestion is to explore the Erasmus+ platfom results to find out best practices and learning resouces.

3. 3
1. Pre-activity session - Conduct a classroom session on the topic (different types of
disabilities, challenges faced, assistive technologies, etc.).
2. Simulations - Conduct disability simulations (like blindfold activities for understanding
blindness) to help students experience challenges faced by people with disabilities. Follow
these simulations with debriefing sessions to discuss feelings, insights, and lessons learned.
3. Follow-up session - Assess the impact of these activities on the overall school culture and
student behavior. Use surveys, interviews, or observations to measure changes in attitudes
and behaviors related to disability. Based on feedback and assessment results, make
necessary adjustments to future activities to enhance their impact and effectiveness.
Tools to evaluate the activity
1. Observation and participation - Assess students’ active participation during the activity,
including their ability to follow guidelines and work collaboratively.
2. Quiz or assessment - Administer a quiz or written assessment to evaluate students’
understanding of ethical, social and economic concepts related to disability.
3. Presentation or report - Have students create presentations or reports on the activity,
emphasizing what they’ve learned, their contributions, and their experiences.
4. Peer and self-evaluation - Encourage students to assess their own participation and that of
their peers, promoting self-reflection and teamwork.
5. Make a SWOT analysis - Involve students in making a SWOT analysis detecting strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the activity as a whole. In the following pages we
present the SWOT Analysis conducted by Şile Ayet Azer Aran Defence Industry Vocational
and Technical Anatolian High School.
6. Interview - Involve students asking them to respond to a questionnaire on the activity.
Methodology / Implementation
Şile Ayet Azer Aran Defence Industry Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School during the activity.

4. 4
Strengths
Hands-on learning:
the activity provides students with
a practical, experiential way to
learn about disability.
Raise awareness:
the activity contributes to raise
students’ concern about the
impact of the environment on the
experience of disability.
Cost effecive:
the activity requires limited
expenses.
Weaknesses
Inadequate training: teachers and staff might lack
training in organizing inclusive activities, impacting their
effectiveness.
Limited participation: some students might not
participate due to discomfort or lack of interest, limiting
the impact of the activities.
Sensitivity concerns: activities must be designed
carefully to avoid causing discomfort to students.
Accidents risks: activities must be designed carefully
to avoid causing accidents to students.
Evaluation Challenges: measuring the true impact of
these activities on students’ attitudes and behaviors
can be challenging.
Opportunities
Collaborations: partnering with local
disability organizations can provide
resources, and expertise.
Parental involvement: involving parents in
these activities can strengthen the impact,
promoting a consistent message between
home and school.
Curriculum integration: integrate disability-
related topics into the curriculum, ensuring a
continuous focus on inclusivity.
Peer support programs: implement peer
support programs where students support
their peers with disabilities in educational and
social activities.
Sustainability: design a permanent maze for
future practices.
Threats
Resistance: resistance from students,
parents, or staff who are not supportive of
inclusive activities can hinder progress.
Biases and prejudices:
social factors such as biases and prejudice
raised by students, parents, or staff.
The
SWOT
Analysis

5. Job shadowing and internships
Objective: to provide real-world experience in working with people with disabilities.
Activity: arrange job shadowing or internships at organizations that employ individuals with
disabilities. Students can observe and interact with employees, understanding their roles and
challenges.
Accessible workplace design project
Objective: to design an inclusive workspace.
Activity: have students work in teams to design a workspace that is accessible to all, considering
mobility, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. They can present their designs and explain the
reasoning behind their choices.
Communication workshops
Objective: to enhance communication skills with people with various disabilities.
Activity: invite guest speakers with disabilities to talk about their experiences. Conduct interactive
workshops focusing on effective communication techniques, including sign language basics, and
understanding non-verbal cues.
Assistive technology exploration
Objective: to familiarize students with assistive technologies.
Activity: arrange a hands-on session where students can explore and test various assistive
devices and software (screen readers, adaptive keyboards, communication devices, etc.).
Discuss their applications and impact on daily life and employment.
Inclusive entrepreneurship challenge
Objective: to encourage entrepreneurship with inclusivity in mind.
Activity: challenge students to develop a business idea that caters to the needs of people with
disabilities. They can create business plans considering accessible infrastructure, inclusive hiring
practices, and products/services designed for various disabilities.
Guest speaker series
Objective: to expose students to diverse experiences and perspectives related to disabilities.
Activity: invite a range of guest speakers, including individuals with disabilities, disability rights
advocates, and professionals working in disability-related fields. Question and answer sessions
can follow each talk, allowing students to engage directly with the speakers.
Other opportunities
5

6. 6
Other opportunities
Learning by playing
Finally, you can look for resources to let students learning by playing. In this section we present
you a WebApp designed in the context of DIVETOUR, an Erasmus+ project on Tourism for all.
DIVETOUR game based app helps students acquire important knowledge of what accessible
tourism, customer care and inclusion of people with disability are; it also helps professionals
of the tourism sector use innovative and quality digital tools and making them aware of the
advantages of their use.
The learning approach used in the game-based app is “learning through play”: quiz, mini-games,
and scenarios are presented to the users, who have to solve problems and to achieve specific
goals in life-like situations. In the safe environment of the game, it is possible to commit errors
while playing, without risking the negative consequences that there would be in the real world.
The website resources also include a Terminology Guide List of terms and phrases to be used in
project documents, Web content, etc. in relation to persons with disabilities and impairments.
The DIVETOUR game is pecifically designed for students in the tourism sector, but it helps all of
us to better understand the principles of accessibility and Universal Design.
It is usefull for all!

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are
however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those
of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive
Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held
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