Skip to content

NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

apply now request info contact

Department of Occupational Therapy

spotlight

The Official Blog of The Department of Occupational Therapy

Links

Main menu

  • Department Homepage
  • Programs
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Students
  • Alumni
  • Publications
  • Research

Looking at disability through a different lens

Images by Alex Leff (AlexGhana.blogspot.com)

A cohort of eighteen NYU students learned how disability is viewed in Ghana during a January Intersession course, ‘Disability in Global Context’, taught by the NYU Steinhardt Department of Occupational Therapy at the NYU Accra campus. Led by Anita Perr, Clinical Associate Professor at the NYU Steinhardt Department of Occupational Therapy, the students  represented the wide variety of  programs at NYU Steinhardt including: Early Childhood and Childhood Education, Special Education, Educational Leadership, International Education, Occupational Therapy, Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Drama Therapy and Music Therapy. Students from the International Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy program at NYU Wagner and the Interactive Telecommunications program at NYU Tisch School of Arts also participated.

Students investigated the issues of physical access as well as environmental attributes like noise and crowds, in various settings such as the Makola market and the Accra business district. Visits were arranged to health, disability, and vocational training centers, and to general education settings where students learned about the services that are available to people with disabilities in Accra.

Kids paying close attention at La Enobal School

A series of guest lectures by local Ghanaians augmented the site visits to allow students to learn about religion, family life, and non-profit organizations in Ghana. Prior to visiting an autism center, a school for deaf children, and a typical public school, Professor Akosua Anyidoho, Director of NYU Accra, provided an overview of the educational system in Ghana.

Elmina Slave castle

Students learn about the treatment of African men and women who were taken into slavery at the seemingly picturesque setting of Elmina Slave castle

 

It wasn’t all work and no play for the students. They participated in a number of non-academic activities as well. The group traveled to a national park and hiked the canopy walk, visited a wildlife refuge and learned how traditional African beads are made. A visit to the historic site of the slave ‘castle’, Elmina, proved to be very memorable.

Since the students came from different academic disciplines and had different life experiences, they were able to learn from each other and consequently meld into a cohesive group. Their willingness to share their own experiences and perspectives helped them to build on their interests, by exploring new ways of thinking about their own fields in relation to disability.

 

Posted by <a href="https://research.steinhardt.nyu.edu/site/spotlight/byline/manasi-vaidya/" rel="tag">Manasi Vaidya</a> on April 18, 2014 | This entry was posted in Department News, Students. Bookmark the permalink.

Post navigation

← Frieda J. Behlen Scholarship Awardees for 2014 Announced
Life on Wheels- Gary Karp Visits NYU →

Search SpOTlight

Recent Posts

  • Kristie Patten Koenig and Colleagues Awarded National Science Foundation Grant to Expand Autism Inclusion Programming
  • NYU Ability Project Explores Inclusive Creativity
  • Kristie Patten Koenig Wins Grant to Promote Neurodiversity through Film
  • New Faculty Spotlight: Amy Hurst
  • NYU OT at the 2019 AOTA Conference in New Orleans

Categories

  • Alumni
  • Class Notes
  • Department News
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Students
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
Like NYU OT on Facebook
 
This site, and all its contents, are Copyright © 2021 by New York University | All rights reserved | Accessibility
NYU Steinhardt - Occupational Therapy | 82 Washington Square East, 6th Floor | New York, NY 10003