KEY INFORMATION

Recommended age group: 11–14
Time required: 60 minutes

About this lesson

The social model of disability is a way of viewing the world, developed by disabled people. It states that people are disabled by the barriers within the society around them and not their impairment or difference. 

In this lesson, students will put their knowledge of the social model of disability to the test to identify how they could make changes to remove barriers for disabled people in their school or community. The lesson plan is flexible and editable, with suggested delivery methods which can be adapted to best suit the young people in your class, their knowledge and their experiences.  

After a game of ‘Solutions snap’, to get students thinking about different ways to remove barriers, students will follow the AAA trail: 

  • to ask disabled people about the barriers that impact them and how they would like to be supported,  
  • to audit locations to understand what solutions are already in place or could be improved,  
  • and finally, to create an action plan for what they could do to support equal access and opportunity for everyone. 

Be the Change resources

This resource best completed after delivering the two Be the Change - Form time activities presentations, which introduce students to the social model of disability and develop their understanding of the role that they could play to remove barriers in the community.

Explore the Be the Change - Form time activities 1 resource.

Explore the Be the Change - Form time activities 2 resource.

Further resources

Want to run more lessons and assemblies inspired by ParalympicsGB athletes, the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Values? 
 
The Get Set to be a Paralympic Champion resources help young people to discuss and better understand the Paralympic movement and Values whilst building key literacy and verbal skills.  
 
Our Paralympic Movement classroom resources can be used to shine a light on the history, achievements and challenges of the Paralympic movement. 
 
And finally, these flexible history presentations and cross-curricular classroom resources can be used to explore the inception and growth of the Paralympic Games, and as an introduction for larger projects on the changing perceptions of sport, women, and disability throughout society.