Hooves-on Learning: Developing Interactive Animal Anatomical Resources for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Presenter: Arielle Nicole Benedict

Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Correa

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Disability Studies

Session: Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Auditorium, A31

ABSTRACT

The educational system was built in a way that preferentially benefits students without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). As a result, students with IDD often find themselves facing barriers to their education, one of which being the lack of alternative pedagogical methods present in the classroom. Without flexibility in the curriculum and learning, people with IDD may struggle to access and learn new information. The inaccessible nature of STEM related materials, including anatomical resources, is especially apparent as the information is frequently presented in a manner directed towards university level students, a population in which people with IDD are underrepresented. Many people with IDD also learn best when they are able to interact with materials in a hands-on manner in higher and lower levels of education. I am partnering with The Achieve Collective, an organization that provides people with IDD the opportunity to interact with horses. My community project aims to provide the individuals working with this organization interactive educational resources, including binders and posters that focus on internal and external anatomy of horses and various other barnyard animal species. Through interaction with these resources we hypothesize the participants will be able to gain a better understanding of animal anatomy therefore building their confidence. We believe this boost in confidence will help the participants further succeed in equine activities and in other aspects of their lives.

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