COMMENT

As a teacher, and even as a learner, I believe it is vital for me to be aware of this entire range of differences.

As people, we cannot help the fact that we have been raised in a certain environment, with values and assumptions (that we hold to be true) about how the world and its people function. Every person comes with their own set of beliefs and understandings that have been shaped by their experiences in life. It is easy for us to then view the proceedings in our lives through the lens of our own background, projecting upon others what we know of life and choosing to understand their circumstances through our own.

It is at this point that I find the above-mentioned awareness of the wide range of differences among people to be pivotal. Although it would be impossible for me to claim to be familiar with all of my peers’ or students’ circumstances, allowing for the idea that there may be things I do not know or understand opens the mind to navigating this world of differences and diversity. If I am able to make an effort to learn what these conditions, attributes and differences are for my fellow human beings, I am able to approach both their and my learning from a new and productive mind-set. It allows for empathy and problem-solving as well as genuine exchange, which, at least in my experience, fosters a true kind of integration, a merging of understandings even (rather than integration, which to me always creates a visual of one person joining another, rather than both meeting each other halfway).

On principle, this is what I seek to achieve, which is why I deeply appreciate these differences.

That being said, I really love the approach of 'Lifeworld Differences' that Dr. William Cope mentioned in the last video and in many ways it aligns with how I feel about ‘classifying’ people completely.

UPDATE

I am going to elaborate on the topic of physical and mental abilities, as I feel that the college I work at - Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA - has made a lot of improvements in this area in the most recent years, in my opinion largely due to the creation of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the creation and expansion of said office has taught me a lot about various topics of diversity.

First of all, I am going to take a moment to define ‘disability’, though I appreciate the point made about that term - “disability being a relationship to context” - by Dr. William Cope in the ‘Categorical Differences’ video. Nevertheless, it is unfortunately still the common and more widely understood term for this topic than it’s more neutral counterpart and as Berklee does utilize it, it will be easier to refer to it as such in that context.

disability

Pronunciation /ˌdisəˈbilədē/ /ˌdɪsəˈbɪlədi/

NOUN (disabilities)

1 A physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.

1.1 A disadvantage or handicap, especially one imposed or recognized by the law.

‘he had to quit his job and go on disability’

(lexico.com)

The term ‘disability’ puts the onus on the affected party to manage the circumstances of their situation, since they are said not to be able to ‘function as others do’. In the mindset of integration, this would imply that they simply have to find a way to ‘fit in’ anyway, or otherwise be forced to accept exclusion.

Interestingly enough, institutions that take on the topic of disability are, ideally, guided by the concept of the counterpart in that they seek to find solutions that serve any and every kind of physical and mental ability.

Berklee’s overall stance on the topic, for both students as well as staff and faculty is this:

Inclusive Spaces and Accessible Campus

The campus environment is complex and includes physical, technological, cognitive, and aesthetic dimensions. Additionally, there are spaces for gathering and experiencing a sense of community and connection. All members of the Berklee community should be able to access the spaces and resources on campus and find a sense of place and belonging. Indicators of success include the following:

• Accessible spaces and technologies on campus
• Incorporation of Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning principles and practices
• Inclusiveness in the aesthetics and physical spaces on campus (e.g., gender-inclusive restrooms, lactation rooms, cultural spaces, artwork, signage)
• Elimination of related barriers to full participation and engagement within campus spaces

(see berklee.edu - Diversity and Inclusion Framework)

Obviously the statement above refers to more than just physical and mental abilities (though they touch upon several of the other differences covered in this module and as such it still feels relevant), but it clearly promises infrastructure and means to create an accessible campus for everybody. (This includes Braille directions and classroom information, which I feel the urge to mention because it at times amused me to see this at a music school. Obviously, not only musicians and people who have the ability to hear might frequent the premises, take staff members for example, and as such it makes complete sense for it to be there, but as a student I found the notion not entirely comprehensible and, as such, entertaining.)

That being said, I’m also aware that just because a department that was created for this sole purpose makes claims full of good intentions (and I shouldn’t be too harsh on them, the recent renovations in the past two years have significantly improved the infrastructure, clearly with these concepts in mind) does not mean that the entire college has adopted this mentality.

Nevertheless, I do believe Berklee is succeeding in addressing this particular difference through their efforts.

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• 'disability' definition on lexico.com - https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/disability

• berklee.edu - Diversity and Inclusion Framework: https://www.berklee.edu/diversity/diversity-and-inclusion-framework

• berklee.edu - Accessibility - https://www.berklee.edu/diversity/universal-access