Promoting inclusive learning and social experiences for young disabled people at school
Berni Kelly, Queen's University Belfast
Co-author(s): Jude MacArthur, Sarah Sharp, Michael Gaffney
Abstract
This paper is based on a 3-year ethnographic study of the educational experiences of eight disabled young people and eight non-disabled young people aged between eleven and fourteen years living in New Zealand. Researchers observed these young people's experiences at school and conducted semi-structured interviews with young people, parents and school staff. The study is based on the social model of disability and a sociological understanding of young people as competent social actors. This theoretical base prioritises the views of young people and their lived experience of disability and impairment. The study found that young disabled people's experiences are interwoven in relationships with peers and teachers and varying personal and professional meanings attributed to disability and impairment. Young disabled people have diverse and fluid school experiences set within the context of complex and shifting peer and teacher relationships. The researchers observed a range of experiences of disability including lower expectations for learning, segregated learning opportunities, social isolation and limited participation in school and community activities. In contrast, some young people experienced enabling relationships with teachers who actively supported their learning and participation in school life. Young people provided rich accounts of their experiences and demonstrated their abilities to use agency and resistance to shape their social and academic life at school. Findings also reveal that young disabled people work hard to be included alongside their peers in school and have equal learning opportunities, whilst also trying to ensure their impairment-related needs are met. These findings have significant implications for educators, particularly in relation to structures and relationships that support inclusive learning and social experiences for disabled young people at school. The views of young disabled people involved in this study provide ideas for developing more inclusive school experiences. Educators can learn from listening to the expert views and experiences of young disabled people themselves. In this way, we can shift from a professional expert approach that homogenises disabled young people within a medical model framework towards more inclusive approaches based on young people's lived experiences.