Humans are social animals. Social relationships are an important aspect of our lives. It brings a sense of fulfillment and belonging. People with disabilities may find it difficult to interact with others and find friends. The following resources are provided to help students with disabilities develop social skills, help them find people they share things in common with, and ways to remain in contact with friends and family.
This article from UCLA discusses the power of social relationships. This study brings an interesting point, “the next time you are going through a stressful or painful experience, if you cannot bring a loved one with you, a photo may do.” Students can read this article to help them realize the importance of remaining in contact with loved ones, if not in person, through other media such as electronic mail, Facebook, and cell phones.
Facebook is a social network. Students may sign up for this free website. The information needed to sign up is first name, last name, birthday, gender, a password, and an e-mail. Setting up an email is also free through various sources such as yahoo or gmail. Students may request friends, be requested, and find new friends using Facebook. This is an easy way students with disabilities can stay connected to friends and family. People post greetings, invitations, pictures, and activities so others can see how they are doing. This is a valuable resource because it is easy to use and is very popular throughout the world among all age groups.
This video describes different steps to take in order to make new friends and how you can stay in contact with friends. First, talk to several people. This gives you a better chance of finding people that have things in common with you. Joining a group is another step you can make. This allows you to meet people you already have something in common with. Spending time with people you have met is also important. Once you have made friends, make sure to make time for them. You can invite them to a movie, game, or to go shopping. It also emphasizes the importance of knowing not all people you meet will become your friend and that is okay. This video is helpful for students because it provides a visual of the different settings you can look for friends. Students can use this video as a guide to find friends and to practice the different steps at home and out in public.
Everybody needs friends!!! They loan a listening ear, provide feedback and are just generally fun and fabulous. Not all of us are close to relatives and having an enduring and personal relationship with someone who values and encourages you as a person is a just an awesome feeling. Facebook is huge and very popular with just about every age group and a great way to reconnect with past friends or meet new ones. Showing a person how to navigate "the information highway" and engage with others is an excellent tool as a way to explore and build social connections. And who doesn't treasure a photo of a loved one...my nephew's school picture, a family reunion photo or even one of the family dog. Keeping a photo nearby is a great way to cherish memories and also teach a person that new memories can be captured via a camera when you socialize with others. Thanks for this post on social relationships. I am going to start doing a better job of building and strengthening the ones I have now...camera and Facebook uploads here I come :)
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ReplyDeleteYou are very correct that humans are social animals, which is why it is important as future educators to help our students develop relationships. The article by Stuart Wolpert was very interesting. We thought of sharing this article with parents or students to help ease the transition of going to college. Posting photographs of friends and family around your dorm room in college is a great idea to ease the pain of loneliness. Facebook, the leading online social network, is a great way for students to keep in touch with family and make new friends. They are able to share interests, what’s going on in their lives, and pictures with a touch of a button. Creating a lesson on how to use Facebook is a great idea to assist students on how to keep in touch with family and friends, but also how to safely find new friends. Great choice!! The video “How to Make a Friend” is awesome! This is a very important concept to address that individuals with disabilities may find difficult. The video shares four easy steps to make and keep friends. We could use this video as an introduction to a lesson on social relationships.
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