Un cuento motor para sensibilizar hacia la discapacidad intelectual: La Galaxia Diversa A motor story to raise awareness of intellectual disability: The Diverse Galaxy

Abstract

Simulation strategies, which may promote inclusive attitudes, allow participants to experience the physical reality of disabled people. Disability Awareness programs have generally included simulation activities for physical or sensory disabilities, but simulation activities regarding intellectual disabilities have rarely been introduced since they are less obvious. This work presents a motor story compound of cooperative physical challenges, which have been designed to raise teachers’ awareness of intellectual disability in the subject of Physical Education through the indirect simulation. Likewise, the cooperative behavior aroused when applied in a pre-service teachers’ group through the Cooperative Physical Challenges of an emotional nature diary were evaluated. The motor story application with pre-service teachers showed the potential to generate collaborative and supportive behavior, although it had been difficult to understand the instructions of the challenges. In conclusion, the Diverse Galaxy could be a useful pedagogical tool to raise awareness of intellectual disabilities, through indirect simulation, if it is used as a critical incident to make visible the inequality in which students find themselves when their specific educational needs are not met. In addition, its design allows working on the principles of Universal Learning Design, such as the need to provide multiple ways of representing the information that is transmitted.