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What Is Diversity in Special Education?

This document discusses diversity in special education. It defines diversity as acceptance and respect of individual differences along dimensions such as race, ethnicity, gender, abilities, beliefs, and ideas. These differences are explored in a safe, positive environment where individuals understand and celebrate each other's rich diversity. The document also discusses Loden's Diversity Wheel model, which identifies nine primary dimensions that strongly influence identity and eleven secondary dimensions that can change, to help people better understand group differences and identities.

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94 views1 page

What Is Diversity in Special Education?

This document discusses diversity in special education. It defines diversity as acceptance and respect of individual differences along dimensions such as race, ethnicity, gender, abilities, beliefs, and ideas. These differences are explored in a safe, positive environment where individuals understand and celebrate each other's rich diversity. The document also discusses Loden's Diversity Wheel model, which identifies nine primary dimensions that strongly influence identity and eleven secondary dimensions that can change, to help people better understand group differences and identities.

Uploaded by

Tin Acidre
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WHAT IS DIVERSITY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION?

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each student brings
unique experiences, strengths, and ideas to the classroom and recognizing individual differences.  These can be along
the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious
beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.  It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing
environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating
the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.

Diversity is about accepting the specialness and differences between us

LODENS DIVERSITY WHEEL

tool that would help people better understand how group-based differences contribute to people's social identities.

"I wanted to identify the differences that make a major difference," she explains, " ... to show which dimensions of
diversity are important in people's lives, acknowledge their power so that people who wanted to talk about them would
be supported by the model."

"I wanted to limit the number of differences we talked about [to] the ones that are particularly important in shaping our
identities, and also the ones that are prone to stereotypes," she states. She chose to emphasize the differences that
often lead to frustration, suspicion and conflict when they are not understood or acknowledged.

The nine primary dimensions are considered to be particularly influential in determining your values, selfimage and
identity, your opportunities and thoughts and perceptions about others. These dimensions or characteristics are the
ones that are most fixed; you are least likely to make changes in these areas. The eleven secondary dimensions are in
the outer circle. These characteristics are also part of your social identity, but they can change as your life experiences
affect you.

The title of this booklet tells the story: we can live in peace and unity when we choose to understand and accept the
extensive diversity in our society. If not in your school right now, sometime in the future you will be living and working in
an environment made up of all races, religions, abilities, physical characteristics and ages. Discrimination will not be an
option.

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