How many faces do you recognise here?

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 – 1922) - was an eminent Scottish-born scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. He also had dyslexia.

Albert Einstein (1879 –1955) - was a German-born theoretical physicist and mathematician and developed the general theory of relativity. It is thought that he had a learning disability and had a very difficult time doing maths in school. It was also very hard for him to

express himself through writing.

Stevie Wonder –is an American musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. A child prodigy, he has become one of the most creative and loved musical performers of the late 20th century. He was born six weeks premature, resulting in him becoming blind.

Stephen Fry, is an English comedian, actor, writer, presenter, and activist. He experienced mental health problems for much of his life but it wasn't until he was 37 that he was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Beethoven (1770-1827) –was a German composer and pianist. He remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. In about 1800 his hearing began to deteriorate, and by the last decade of his life he was almost totally deaf. He gave up conducting and performing in public but continued to compose; many of his most admired works come from this period.

Ellie Simmonds - is a British Paralympian swimmer . She competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning two gold medals for Great Britain, despite being the youngest member of the team, at the age of 13. In 2012 she was again selected for the Great Britain squad, and won another two golds in London, including setting a World Record in the 400m freestyle.

Stephen Hawking - is an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. Hawking has a motor neuron disease, a condition that has progressed over the years. He is almost entirely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device.

These are well known people who have, or had disabilities or special education needs, who have made a difference to the world in some way.

A disability can refer to physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment, mental illness, and various types of chronic diseases. These impairments were often referred to as

being crippled, handicapped, or having a handicap in past times.

11

Some

disabilities we

can see…some

are invisible.

Of course there are also millions of people worldwide famous or not, who live with, battle, and overcome their disabilities every single day of their lives. It is estimated that around 6% of these people are under the age of 18.

Okay, so 6% may not sound like a lot but when there are a total of 11 million people in Great Britain with a limiting long term illness, impairment or disability, we’re talking approximately 660, 000 young people.

That’s almost 2 out of every 30 of you in this room.

8/10I haven’t got any

friends. At playtimeI just walk round the

playground onmy own. I would give

the other childrenanything if they would

be my friends.

Kuldip

The other girls hid mycoat so I couldn’t find

it athome time. They

laughedwhen I started to cry.

Marsha

My friends make megive them sweets.They say they won’t bemy friends if I don’t.But they never giveme anything.

Mary

This may be due to many reasons, such as:

• Negative attitudes towards disability

• They may be seen as ‘different’

• Their disability may mean that they may not recognise that they are being bullied

• They may be more isolated due to their disability

• They may have difficulties telling people about bullying

• They may find it harder to make friends

What can you do to help?

Hopefully by now you will recognise some of the positive contributions people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) have made and continue to make to our society.

Let’s face it – who isn’t different in some way? Look at the person next to you…are you exactly the same as each other? We can all do things others can’t and this is exactly the same for those with SEND. Difference should be celebrated!Don’t be a bystander. If

you see someone being bullied or treated unkindly, whether they have a disability or not, TELL SOMEONE!

• Be a friend. If someone is struggling to join in or seems isolated, try and include them.

• If you know or suspect someone is being bullied but may have difficulty telling someone, offer them support to do so or be the one to tell someone.

• Does your school have a peer support system to help those who may struggle to make friends? If so, get involved! If not…why not?!

Remember…2 out of every 30 young people will have a disability or special educational need.

Young people who are disabled are 3 times more likely to be bullied than their peers.

Do something positive and…