Teaching Disability Models and Myths in High School English: A Three-Lesson Plan with Gallery Walk (free resources)
As high school English teachers, adding disability studies into literature analysis gives students a powerful way to look at characters and stories. Disability models help us understand how disabilities are shown in books, movies, and shows. They also help uncover common myths and stereotypes about disability.
During my practicum, I created resources for my Grade 12 English class when they were reading The Handmaid’s Tale and The Woo-Woo. These resources helped students analyze disability representation using different models and myths. I had great feedback from both my co-op teacher and the students who did the lessons. Here’s a quick explanation of what disability models are, why they matter, and a three-lesson gallery walk activity you can use in your classroom.
What Are Disability Models and Myths? Why Are They Important?
Disability models and mayths are ways to explain how society and stories view disability. They influence how characters with disabilities are shown, sometimes in ways that are helpful and empowering and sometimes in ways that cause harm.
Some key disability models and myths to know:
- Social Model of Disability: Disability isn’t about the person’s body or mind, but about the world not being built for them. Barriers like stairs without ramps or negative attitudes cause problems. This model focuses on changing society to be more inclusive.
- Medical Model of Disability: This model sees disability as a problem in the individual that needs to be fixed or cured.
- Disability Hierarchy: Some disabilities, usually physical ones, are treated as more acceptable or “inspiring” while others, like mental or invisible disabilities, are ignored or stereotyped.
- Disability as Evil: Disability is linked to villainy or being “broken.” Often seen in horror or fantasy, this connects disability to fear.
- Moral Model: Disability is seen as a punishment, test, or lesson. People with disabilities might be shown as angelic or cursed.
- Disability as Ethical Test: The disabled character exists mainly to inspire or teach able-bodied characters, not to have their own story.
- Disability as a Symptom of Human Abuse: Disability is shown as a warning because of pollution, war, or science gone wrong.
Using these models, students can think more deeply about how disability is shown and what messages stories send.
Lesson 1: Introduce Disability Models and Myths
- Explain the main disability models and why they’re useful when reading books or watching shows.
- Give students a Common Disability Models Handout with summaries and questions for each model. I attached the one I created above.
- Have students chat about the models and have them start applying them to to characters in books and movies they would be familiar with. In my case, I got them connecting them to the books The Handmaid’s Tale and WooWoo to spot examples and start discussions.
Lesson 2: Gallery Walk Activity
- Before class starts, set up four stations around the room.
- Print copies of the gallery walk document. You can print a copy for each student or one per group.
- When class starts, explain that they are to work in groups and go from station to station, exploring disability myths and models through different examples. They are to then fill in the document as they go from station to station.
Station 1: Disability Hierarchy Pyramid
- A big printout of the Disability Hierarchy Pyramid.
- Slips of paper with different disabilities or conditions for students to rank based on societal acceptance.
Station 2: Superheroes and Villains
- Color printouts of:
- Darth Vader
- Daredevil
- Freddy Krueger
- Captain Hook
- Hiccup (from How to Train Your Dragon)
- Students compare these characters. Which are heroes or villains? What disabilities do they have? How are their disabilities shown differently? Example: Hiccup has a prosthetic leg but is a hero. Captain Hook also has a prosthetic hand but is a villain. This shows how disability can be seen positively or negatively depending on the story.
- Students can search for these characters online if they are not familiar with them. The point is to get them talking!
Station 3: Me Before You Trailer
- Printout with QR code to watch the trailer.
- Students watch and discuss if the movie suggests a disabled person needs to be “cured” to live a good life.
Station 4: Disability Quotes
- Quotes like:
- “They brought it on themselves.”
- “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”
- “I could never live like that—they’re so brave.”
- “Maybe this is karma catching up to them.”
- “They’re here to teach us something.”
- Students discuss what these quotes say about disability. Do they reflect myths like the Moral Model or Ethical Test?
Lesson 3: Applying the disability myths and models to books
In the third lesson, students take a closer look at powerful quotes from The Woo-Woo by Lindsey Wong and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. The goal is to identify how disability is represented and which disability models or myths these quotes reflect. This helps students understand the real-life impact of these ideas and stereotypes.
These questions help students use the disability lens to connect literature and real-world ideas, deepening their understanding of representation and stereotypes. They also encourage critical thinking about how disability is shown in stories and what that means for society.
Why Teach This?
Disability models help students question stereotypes and think critically about representation. This builds empathy and encourages them to see characters—and people—in all their complexity. Also, I taught this lesson to grade 12 students, and they really enjoyed it!