ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how seventh grade students develop digital illusions as a means to reflect on their attention to depictions of ability and disability. By altering illusions in advertisements to include disability and by depicting themselves as differently abled, students explored the ways in which they attend to and empathize with images, as well as the ways images can serve to shape their perceptions. Students gain increased awareness and connoisseurship when viewing illusions in visual culture. In a primarily visual world, constructing digital images and illusions is an important skill for students. Tackling a sensitive topic with middle school students can invite unwanted comments from students, which could serve to diminish the engagement and sincere consideration of the classroom community. The art, design, and media education classrooms are well suited to explore this understanding along with the intersection of aesthetics, imagery, and empathy.
