The Problem with Simulation-Based Disability Education
By Katy Fattaleh
Edited by Katie Carr and Jordyn Zimmerman
A common approach to disability education is the use of simulation activities. Presumably, the idea behind this practice is that by allowing nondisabled students to “try on” various disabilities, it will help them develop empathy for disabled people. These activities are often a part of a disability awareness day or week, and tend to be the only time that students learn about disability in a given year.
Putting aside the fact that, just like any other marginalized group, we shouldn’t reserve discussions about disability to take place during special days, weeks or months, the practice of using simulations to learn about disability is flawed and harmful. We invite you to consider the following reasons:
Disability is Diversity
At The Nora Project, we frame disability as a natural, neutral, and expected part of human diversity. Disabled people are a part of a marginalized community, despite making up 25% of the world’s population. Using this context, it’s easy to understand why simulation activities are problematic. So how do we justify using simulation as a means to better understand part of or the entire disabled community?
Disability is Diverse and Complex
Simulation activities oversimplify disability to a single symptom, ignoring the complexity of the disabled experience and providing students with an inaccurate picture of what it means to be disabled. Students are invited to use wheelchairs, wear blindfolds, wear noise-canceling headphones, and the like to “experience” what it’s like to have a disability. Yet, many disabled folx experience a variety of symptoms or conditions that cannot be accurately replicated in a simulation. Additionally, the disability community includes folx with a much broader range of disabilities, both apparent and non apparent.
Identity Pride
Despite the fact that some schools do not appropriately service or support disabled students and staff members, there are students and teachers with disabilities in every school. If we limit the discussion of disability to certain conditions or ways of being when we talk about it in schools, it can damage a student’s understanding of their own disabled identity. Students and staff members are sure to have family members and know community members that experience disability in a range of ways. Implying that the only certain disabilities are worth discussing or recognizing, contributes to a hierarchy of disability and can skew students’ perception of what disability is and can be.
Empathy ≠ Sympathy
The idea behind simulation activities is that they offer students a chance to experience what disabled people experience. However, empathy is much more complex than simple perspective taking. Empathy is made up of three components: Cognitive, affective, and prosocial. Cognitive empathy is the perspective taking - imagining how it feels to be someone else. Affective empathy is feeling what another person is feeling - demonstrating what would be considered an empathic response to someone else’s emotions. However, prosocial behaviors are the intentional actions that benefit others - the reactions that demonstrate an understanding of what someone needs. In order to truly develop empathy, we have to get to know each other. For example, using things such as AAC or a mobility aid for a short period of time to communicate or move around — and then having the option to yell or run on the playground, doesn’t go far enough to help students understand how to be supportive of people with speech-related or physical disabilities — nor does it help students understand how people who use assistive tools and supports feel about their disability.
Pity, Inspiration, and Charity
A big risk of engaging students in simulation activities is how it could create a harmful perception of disability. If a student engages in an activity that simulates blindness, for example, there could be a few outcomes. They might think the activity is fun, leaving with the perception that it’s fun to be blind. The opposite could also occur - they may leave the activity thinking, “thank goodness I’m not blind.” This perpetuates the narrative that disability is tragic. Or, nondisabled students may come away from the activity with a desire to be charitable to disabled people. They may believe that disabled people need help and pity to make their lives easier or better.
At TNP, we strive to provide high-quality curriculum that centers disabled perspectives and teaches students that disability can be a part of a person’s identity in which they take great pride. Through our programs, students learn about the disability rights movement, discuss the diversity of the disabled community, and understand that to be an aspiring ally, we should uplift disabled voices and advocate for equity and access. You can learn more about our classroom programs here.
About the Authors:
Katy Fattaleh: Katy Fattaleh is a former teacher and instructional coach with a passion for curriculum writing and professional development that shifts mindsets. As Director of Programs at The Nora Project, Katy is focused on creating high quality, engaging, accessible programming that students and teachers love. Katy earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from Illinois Wesleyan University and Masters in Educational Technology from National Louis University.
Katie Carr: Katie Carr (she/her/hers) is a neurodivergent woman with a passion for accessibility and utilizing online spaces for advocacy. She joined TNP as the Brand & Communications Manager after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Public & Professional Writing.
Jordyn Zimmerman M. Ed: As a nonspeaking autistic person who was denied access to effective communication until age 18, Jordyn Zimmerman has personal experience challenging the status quo, as featured in the documentary, This Is Not About Me. Jordyn is a Program Strategy Manager for The Nora Project.
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