Developing a positive attitude for disability is considered a simple process whereby adults are expected to teach children to be positive towards children with disabilities, although they are different (Symeonidiou & Loizou, 2018).  This approach establishes a framework in which persons without disabilities are considered to be normal, while children with disabilities are deviations from the social norm (Oliver, 1990‧ Oliver, 2009). Thus, disability programs often reinforce the notion that the dominant privileged group must respect the powerless minority group. The prevailing stereotypes about disability reproduced using oppressive rhetorical and literary texts that present people with disabilities as passive individuals, subject to regret (Monoyiou & Symeonidou, 2016).

Within this framework, the topic of the present paper was selected to utilize material from the Research Project "Tesserae of Knowledge" for the preparation of learning activities for ninth grade students on attitudes and stereotypes about disability according to the positive perspective of artists with disabilities.

The activities were implemented for students of a private high school in Nicosia province. The sample consisted of 6 pupils aged 15 years old. The material selected was linked to the objectives of the Literature Curriculum and was followed by the design of activities aimed at freeing students from negative attitudes and stereotypes about disability, as reproduced by the community. At the same time, the use of material from artists with disabilities, selected by the Research Project "Tesserae of Knowledge", was also linked to the purpose of Disability Studies, which states that disability is not a problem for any person himself, but is left to society itself (Connor, Gabel, Gallager & Morton, 2008).  In addition, through this sociological approach to disability, another aim of the Disability Studies is served, since through the work of artists, the feminist approach to disability is presented, with the experiences of artists with disabilities being the springboard to change and get rid of negative attitudes and stereotypes about disability.

The representation of disability in Greek literature dates back to classical antiquity, and the depictions are just as stereotypical as Greece has since been a space in which the model of perfect proportions, a good body and a healthy mind was developed, whilst any person would deviate from it, deficit and even had no reason to exist (Zoniou-Sideri, Deropoulou-Derou, Karagianni, & Spandagou, 2006∙). Disability and ability in modern thinking are mainly related to the body and its functionality. In ancient Greek literature disability was a social construction (Garland, 2010).

Language is a social phenomenon, which affects the social structure codifies and symbolizes reality, which is hierarchically structured. This hierarchy along with values and prejudices is often expressed and reproduced in language in such a way that often stigmatize individuals or groups of individuals, reproducing stereotypes (Fragoudaki, 1987).

Stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination are interconnected, stigma-related concepts. According to Gorgolis (2006), stereotypes are defined as negative cognitive structures that determine one's behavior. Biases are cognitive and emotional reactions that develop when a person or group of people embraces negative stereotypes and accepts the belief that individuals are disadvantaged over other people.

Additionally, language in every form is stratified into languages ​​that are socio-ideological: language of social groups, language of the younger generation and professional language (Bakhtin, 1988). According to Van Dijk's (2004) theory of language use, production and understanding of speech are based on and affect the relevant properties of communication as interpreted by language users. These subjective mental processes may be prejudiced, concealing attitudes that have an ideological burden (Corbett, 2001).

The methodological approach is based on Fairclough's model of critical discourse analysis that analyzes both explicit and unintelligible content of words, phrases, and sentences that students used to interpret poems and passages from artist interviews with disabilities and diversity, so that to examine if students are influenced by stereotypes and attitudes about disability (Fairclough, 2004). The detection of attitudes and stereotypes, the ideas analyzed in poems and artists' interviews, as well as the recognition of the results of the content of the play activities in the attitudes displayed by the students, led to the method of discourse and content analysis. According to Berelson (1952), ‘key elements of this method are to identify and focus on people's intentions, attitudes, and social patterns, to describe students' emotional responses, to detect refers to the content of the artist's communication and nteraction with the reader or listener’ (p.52) The approach method serves another purpose of the present study, which was to observe the changes in the attitudes of the content of students' responses to the activity sheets. The description of the attitudes is usually useful because it provides data that can be correlated with corresponding changes in the authors and also provides a useful historical dimension, which, according to Berelsom (1952), "it helps to understand the current content of communication" (p. 29). The methodology was designed to utilize material from the Research Project "Tesserae of Knowledge" in conjunction with material from the Cypriot Curriculum of the Ministry of Education and Culture for third grade students. Specifically, the methodological approach is based on the design of play activities, according to the social model and the feminist approach of disability, since the aim was to change students’ attitudes, stereotypes and prejudices through the experiences of persons with disabilities. In order to enable the planning and implementation of the activities, material was first browsed and studied from the Research Project "Tesserae of Knowledge". Our interest focused on the Philology courses, especially on the History lesson and the Modern Greek of Secondary Education System. Subsequently, the main axis of the Literature Curriculum was chosen, since the final material selection from the Research Project "Tesserae of Knowledge" focused on Literature. Next, the Human Relations-Human Characters theme was selected, which corresponded to the Literature and Society / Human Relations theme. Thus, teaching objective and material from the Research Project "Tesserae of Knowledge" were chosen.

The activities’ outcomes showed that the students were looking for a positive element in the poem given to them in order to find positive ones. The goals were achieved after students had recorded words and phrases associated with their own personal experiences, recalling them in their memory. However, they approached the poems through the medical and social model of disability, recording relevant words and phrases. The stereotypical references of the students were few, which means that disability or diversity did not determine the identity of the poetic subjects. The artists' language communicated with the teenage students, after the poets' words and phrases had communicated the problem experienced by the artists. In addition, the responses recorded by the students showed that the second activity put the students in the process of questioning, which is a philosophical process, according to which a person begins to think critically and philosophically in order to receive his own judgment. According to Fairclough, it appeared that the students were drawing undue attitudes to the artists' poems, indicating that the discourse consists of ideas of the intellect that reproduce the attitudes and stereotypes. The words in the poems communicated the artists' language, without reproducing attitudes and stereotypes because of disability and diversity. It also appeared that students were familiar with disability, the problems a person with a disability faces, as well as ways in which he or she can overcome the barriers posed by society by limiting it. Each student also constructed the meaning of the appropriate attitude for disability and displayed positive attitudes that govern human relationships and, above all, respect, acceptance of diversity, equality and social justice.

Bakhtin, M. (1988). Τhe dialogic imagination Texas: University of Texas Press Austin. Berelson, B. (1952). Content Analysis in Communication Research. New York: Hafner Press. Connor, D., Gabel, S., Gallagher, D. & Morton, M. (2008). Disability studies and inclusive education-implication for theory, research and practice. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 12 (5-6), p. 441-457. Corbett, J. (2001). ‘Supporting Inclusive Education - A connective Pedagogy’ Routledge Falmer: London. Efstratiou-Tsakalotou, D. (1921). Latin-Greek Dictionary. Athens: Current Affairs. Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press. Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Longman Group Limited. Fairclough, N. (2004). Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press Fragoudaki, A. (1987). Language and Ideology. Athens: Ulysses. Garland, R. (2010). The Eye of the Beholder: Deformity and Disability in the Graeco-Roman World, 2nd edition. Ithaca, 5, p.3. Gorgolis, S. (2006). Disability and Popular Culture. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference "Folk Culture and Education", Volos: Thessaly Conference Center. Available at: http://www.eipe.gr/praktika/cat01.htm. Monoyiou, E., and Symeonidou, S. (2016). “The Wonderful World of Children’s Books? Negotiating Diversity Through Children’s Literature”. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 20 (6), 588–603. Oliver, M. (1990). The Politics of disablement. Basingtroke: MacMillan. Oliver, M. (2009). Understanding disability: From theory to practice (2nd ed.). London: Palgrave MacMillan. Symeonidou, S. & Loizou, E. (2018). Disability studies as a framework to design disability awareness programs: no need for ‘magic’ to facilitate children’s understanding, Disability & Society, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2018.1488677. Van Dijk, T.A. (2004). Ideology and Discourse Analysis. Ideology Symposium Oxford. Available at: http://www.discourses.org/UnpublishedArticles/Ideology%and%20discourse%20analysis.html. Zoniou-Sideri, A., Deropoulou-Derou, E., Karagianni, P. & Spandagou, I. (2006). Inclusive Discourse in Greece: strong voices, weak policies. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 10(2/3), 279-291. Material from the database Research Project "Tesserae of Knowledge" Bozkurt, O. (2001). The Wall. Retrieved from: http://ucy.ac.cy/psifides-gnosis/documents/psifidesgnosis/%CE%A8%CE%B7%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%AC_Portfolio/Orkun_Bozkurt/BozkurtToixos-DUVAR.pdf. Bozkurt, O. (2012). My life on wheels. Retrieved from: http://ucy.ac.cy/psifidesgnosis/documents/psifidesgnosis/%CE%A8%CE%B7%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BA%CE%AC_Portfolio/Orkun_Bozkurt/BozkurtMyLifeOnWheels.pdf. Pagiasi-Katsouri, N. (2018). Emis Anapirikes Karekles. Retrieved from: http://ucy.ac.cy/psifidesgnosis/documents/PsifiakoArcheio/Emis_anapirikes_karekles.pdf.