Superheroes, Villains, and Victims: Disability in Hollywood
This workshop introduces students to representations of disability in American films and television and their broader cultural impact. Students will analyze common media tropes, such as the “supercrip,” “tragic victim,” or “villain,” using video clips from both stereotypical and authentic U.S. portrayals of disability. Students will use the Framework for Evaluating Disability Representation in Film and Media (FWD-Doc, 2025) to critically evaluate how these portrayals shape public attitudes toward disability, influence social inclusion, and contribute to stigma or social change. The workshop also highlights the issue of “cripping up” (i.e., non-disabled actors portraying disabled characters). Students will complete graphic organizers, including Frayer models (i.e., a graphic organizer for new vocabulary terms), small group media analysis, written sentence starters to support dialogue in English, and Venn diagrams to compare and contrast portrayals of disability in the media. The students will finish their analyses with a gallery walk (i.e., students interact in small groups to present and share visual representations of their analyses using their completed graphic organizers).
Core curriculum: 1.4 The joy of creating, engagement, and the urge to explore; 3.1 An inclusive learning environment
English curriculum: Use a variety of strategies for language learning, text creation, and communication; use different digital resources and other aids in language learning, text creation, and interaction
Social studies curriculum: Reflect on how people have fought and continue to fight for change in society while also having been and still being influenced by geographic conditions and historical contexts
Format: Active session. Students will work in collaborative pairs/groups for a 90-minute session. This workshop can be adapted for a 45-minute session.
Additional Resources
Through My Eyes: A Day in the Life of an American Teen with a Disability
This interactive workshop introduces students to the daily experiences of American teenagers with disabilities and explores how schools and communities can foster greater inclusion. Through short narratives, photographs, video clips, and first-person accounts from U.S. adolescents with diverse disabilities, students will examine topics such as accessibility, belonging, friendship, identity, and participation in school and community life. Students will compare these experiences with their own educational contexts and discuss how disability is understood in the United States and Norway. Students will gain insight into disability, equity, and student voice while exploring their own role in creating inclusive schools. The Photovoice SHOWeD method will be introduced for analysing photographs and for having future small group discussions when taking their own photos in their school or community in ethically ways.
Core curriculum: 1.4 The joy of creating, engagement, and the urge to explore; 2.1 Social learning and development; 3.1 An inclusive learning environment
English curriculum: Use a variety of strategies for language learning, text creation, and communication; use different digital resources and other aids in language learning, text creation, and interaction
Social studies curriculum: Reflect on how people have fought and continue to fight for change in society while also having been and still being influenced by geographic conditions and historical contexts
Format: Active session. Students will work in collaborative pairs/groups for a 90-minute session. This workshop can be adapted for a 45-minute session.
Additional Resources
Inclusive Activism: Disability Rights and the American Civil Rights Legacy
This workshop explores the American disability rights movement and its connections to broader struggles for civil rights and social justice in the United States. Students will learn how activists with disabilities challenged discrimination and advocated for equal access to education, employment, transportation, and community life. Through stories, photographs, short video clips, and primary source materials, students will examine key events and leaders, including the Independent Living Movement, the 504 Sit-in, and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students will analyse how disability rights activists collaborated with and drew inspiration from other social movements, including the African American civil rights movement, women’s rights movement, and LGBTQ+ rights movement. Through guided discussions and collaborative activities, students will explore themes of equity, citizenship, identity, and social change. Students will create a written and visual timeline of events and compare them to the historical context of Norway.
Core curriculum: 1.1 Human dignity; 1.6 Democracy and participation; 2.1 Social learning and development; 2.5 Interdisciplinary topics – 2.5.2 Democracy and citizenship
English curriculum: Communication; oral interaction; reflection; experimenting with language individually and with others
Social studies curriculum: Reflect on how people have fought and continue to fight for change in society while also having been and still being influenced by geographic conditions and historical contexts
Format: Active session. Participants will be working in collaborative pairs/groups for 90-120 minutes. This workshop requires at least 90 minutes, but can be adapted to a lecture-based format for a 45 or 60-minute presentation with a 15-minute Q/A about the disabilities rights movement.
Additional Resources
Change Makers: U.S. Students Making a Positive Impact
This workshop introduces students to the American educational practice of service-learning, which integrates classroom learning with meaningful community service. Students will explore authentic case studies of U.S. high school projects, such as school gardens supplying fresh food to cafeteria lunches, collaborative art projects promoting kindness, mental health advocacy campaigns, and the creation of photographic cookbooks designed for people with disabilities. Using the service-learning IPARD framework (i.e., Investigation, Planning & Preparation, Action, Reflection, and Demonstration), students examine how these projects foster academic and vocational skills and civic engagement and begin designing their own service-learning projects..
Core curriculum: 1.1 Human dignity; 1.6 Democracy and participation; 2.1 Social learning and development; 2.5 Interdisciplinary topics – 2.5.1 Health and life skills: 2.5.2 Democracy and citizenship
English curriculum: Communication; oral interaction; reflection; experimenting with language individually and with others
Social studies curriculum: Reflect on how people have fought and continue to fight for change in society while also having been and still being influenced by geographic conditions and historical contexts
Format: Active session. Participants will be working in collaborative pairs/groups for 90-120 minutes. This workshop requires at least 90 minutes, but can be adapted to a lecture-based format for a 45 or 60-minute presentation with a 15-minute Q/A about service-learning and youth advocacy.
Additional Resources
When Access Became a Right: The 504 Sit-In and the Fight for Disability Justice
This workshop introduces students to the 1977 Rehabilitation Act Section 504 Sit-In, one of the longest nonviolent occupations of a U.S. federal building and a landmark event in the American disability rights movement. Students will learn how activists with disabilities organized a 25-day protest in San Francisco to demand enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the first federal law prohibiting discrimination based on disability. Students will explore how collective action can create social change. A central focus of the workshop is the coalition-building that sustained the protest. Students will discuss the role of solidarity, advocacy, and civic engagement in advancing equality. Students will then compare and contrast to Norwegian activism campaigns and draft social media posts for an issue that concerns them locally or nationally.
Core curriculum: 1.1 Human dignity; 1.6 Democracy and participation; 2.1 Social learning and development; 2.5 Interdisciplinary topics – 2.5.2 Democracy and citizenship
English curriculum:
Communication; oral interaction; reflection; experimenting with language individually and with others
Social studies curriculum: Reflect on how people have fought and continue to fight for change in society while also having been and still being influenced by geographic conditions and historical contexts
Format: Active session. Participants will be working in collaborative pairs/groups for 90-120 minutes. This workshop requires at least 90 minutes, but can be adapted to a lecture-based format for a 45 or 60-minute presentation with a 15-minute Q/A about the disabilities rights movement.
Additional Resources
The Vibes That Shape Us: Building Belonging Through Storytelling
In this interactive workshop, students will explore how relationships, trust, and belonging shape the “vibe” of a classroom, school, and community. Drawing on the international movement for Truth and Reconciliation, students will learn how storytelling and active listening can help bridge differences, challenge assumptions, and strengthen communities. Through a facilitated small group discussion, students will experience a structured process for sharing experiences and listening respectfully to the perspectives of others. Students will examine how identity, culture, experiences, and social narratives influence the ways people connect. Interactive activities will encourage students to reflect on the environments that help them feel valued, respected, and included. Students will reflect on their own community and create their own written prompts for a future discussion.
Best for: Students who are familiar and comfortable with each other.
Core curriculum: 3.1 An inclusive learning environment
English curriculum: Use suitable reading, listening, speaking and writing strategies adapted to the situation and purpose; demonstrate comprehension, independent reflection and critical thinking during the analysis of some current social debates in English speaking countries
Social studies curriculum: Discuss how the way we see the past, events and groups has had impact on and continues to impact people’s actions and attitudes
Format: Active session. Students will work in collaborative pairs/groups for a 90-minute session. This workshop can be adapted for a 45-minute session.
Additional Resources
For more detailed descriptions of the workshops and additional resources, please visit: https://michelle-bonati.com
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Michelle’s Workshops for Ungdomsskole Teachers and Teachers-in-Training