Courses in Disability Studies are taught by Texas Center for Disability Studies faculty and staff and are currently offered through the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. The course number for each course is SW 387R for the graduate level and SW360K for the undergraduate level class.

Text:   You will have readings for the course that will be made available to you online. They will be uploaded to the Web site where they can be read electronically or printed.

Format: This course will be conducted entirely on the Web, using software called Blackboard. This software is fully accessible, but if you have difficulty in using a screen reader to access any information on the Web site, please contact the instructor as soon as possible. As is University policy, if you need any accommodations to successfully complete this course, you must notify the instructor in advance of your needs.

Course Objectives:The purpose of this course is to introduce you to systems of family support for individuals with disabilities. This course is designed to show you to how to work with families and family systems to support individuals with disabilities in their self determined plans. You will develop a detailed case history and person centered plan with an individual with a disability.To that end:

*The student will learn and critically evaluate current definitions and methodologies of self determination, family support, and person- centered planning.

*The student will understand family systems and the unique roles and attributes that support individuals with disabilities in their person- centered planning activities.

*The student will identify how attitudes and beliefs about family systems, self-determination, and person-centered planning may impact the personal and social view of disability.

*The student will identify and discuss some of the specific issues that influence individuals in the person-centered planning process.

*The student will examine the complex interplay of social, political, and economic forces as they relate to self-determination and family support.

*The student will examine the impact of cultural values in conceptualizing person-centered planning.

*The student will understand the longstanding social oppression of the disability community, and consider ways to initiate social change.

Requirements: Since this course is offered for either graduate (SW 387R) and undergraduate (SW 360K) credit, there are corresponding requirements depending on your class enrollment. If you are not sure which class you are in, please ask the instructor.

This course is designed in a Web-based environment that provides a certain kind of flexibility in creating learning opportunities for you. The course is designed to give you some flexibility in choosing how you best learn, and what topics are of primary interest to you, within a structure. There are usually five lessons in this course. Most of the lessons will last two weeks, although some of the “projects” will only last one week. At the beginning of each lesson, there is a "map" to describe the learning activities for that lesson. Some of the activities will be required, and some will be optional. The map will clearly state what is required to complete that lesson, but if you have any doubts or questions, be sure to ask the instructor. 

One of the biggest hazards in a distance learning environment is getting behind, and although there is some flexibility within this course, you must complete your lessons on time!  The lessons will be open for a certain time period only, and you must complete the activities within that time period to get credit. If you find yourself getting behind, due to unexpected circumstance or poor planning, let the instructor know as soon as possible. This is not a course where you can ignore everything until mid term and cram and catch up. The content is measured out and paced, not crammed. Before you start, ask yourself whether you are willing to devote time each week to this course, just like you would if you were going to a classroom.

Learning Activities
Each lesson is organized into learning activities as follows:

The Map
The map lists the tasks, gives estimated times to complete the task, and provides the number of points available for task completion. The map will also specify which assignments are REQUIRED and which are optional. Within each lesson, you will find options about the activities you engage in to obtaint information. This allows you the opportunity to construct some of your learning based on your interests or preferred learning styles. Some activities will be required, and the optional activities will be your choice.

The Lesson
This is the lecture the instructor would deliver in a classroom. The lessons are always required, along with the document that you produce with each lesson. .

Activities
Most will be required, some will be optional, but each activity supports each lesson. These tasks will involve you actually “doing” something, like filling out a questionnaire or interviewing someone.

Readings
You will have a reading packet for this class, consisting of articles, book chapters, etc., supplied to you online. You will write a reaction paper for the items you read. There will be specific instructions for each reading.

Readings on the Web
You'll be asked to read and react to documents on the Internet. Again, you will have specific instructions for each of these readings, and a link within Blackboard to get to the specific Web site.

Listen on the Web
Sometimes you’ll have an option to listen to something on the Web, usually National Public Radio programs. Contact the ITS help desk or go to the ITS Web site for help with a media player software problem.

Web Hunt
This task invites you to review Web sites. Again, you will write a review and reaction paper for these assignments.

Discussion Questions
Each week, the instructor will provide questions to discuss on the bulletin board. Your participation there will be required, just like class participation. For three of the lessons, we will have a variation of this activity called: Ask the Expert! For these weeks, an individual with expertise in a particular subject relating to family support will log on to answer your questions. Your assignment will be to pose questions followed by writing a reaction paper for the discussion.

Quiz
Each lesson will end with a quiz. The lesson quiz summarizes the key points of the lesson and may be either short answer or multiple choice answers. Each quiz allows a wrap-up of a particular lesson, and makes sure you have integrated the information provided.

Portfolios
At the end of each lesson, you will submit all your work for that lesson using the drop box on BlackBoard. You should also include a cover page that lists the work you are submitting and the maximum amount of points allowed for that task.  The instructors will review your work and provide feedback and comments, along with your grade for the lesson, as soon as possible.

Share Your Work
You should post one of your reaction papers for each lesson under the “Groups” icon. Because you may all pick different tasks, this is an opportunity for other class members to learn about something they didn’t read or explore. Following directions, you will upload your favorite (or most interesting, or most funny, or most boring, whatever you want) reaction paper, saving the document with your name or the name of what you are reacting as, for example, “janeholocaust.doc”. This will cue your classmates about what they are reading. Once you upload your document, read someone else’s document, then write a brief comment about what you uploaded, and what you read, in order to get credit for the activity. This is an easy way to get some points, and it’s usually very interesting to see what your classmates are thinking and doing. This option is available on all the lessons, not on the projects.

Project Weeks
There will be some weeks when we forgo new information in order to apply the information you already have learned. During those weeks, you will have an assignment to help you apply your learning. These assignments will vary, but at least one will require you to watch a movie, and apply some of the concepts we have discussed. You will write a paper or answer questions about the assignment in that week.

Grades
You will acquire points by doing the tasks associated with each lesson. Each lesson has basic requirements equivalent to the time you would physically spend in a classroom, plus the time you would normally spend outside the class doing readings or working on papers.  Each lesson clearly states how many points you can earn, and the grade per point total. There are different point requirements for the graduate and the undergraduate students. There will be points for doing the project, during the project week. There are no mid-term or final exams, only quizzes at the end of each lesson, and activities to support your learning. Note: THERE WILL BE GRADE PENALTIES FOR LATE WORK.