Helping C hi l d r e n
C o mm u n icat e
It was just after the winter holidays, when Gordon Blood’s 4-year-old son—now 32 years old—was talking with a friend about the gifts they’d received. “I got a He-Man, He-Man, He-Man, He-Man, He-Man, He-Man, He-Man!” the friend stuttered. Blood’s son responded, incredulously. “Wow, you got seven He-Mans?” According to Blood, professor and head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, the scenario was a perfect example of how listeners’ perceptions and reactions are a product of learned environmental biases and stereotypes regarding people with disabilities. 2
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Summer 2012