(Dis)abling children in primary school micro-spaces: geographies of inclusion and exclusion

Schools as spaces for in/exclusion of young Mainland Chinese students and families in Hong Kong

Around 30,000 children living in Shenzhen, Mainland China cross the border to Hong Kong to attend school every day. This paper focuses on the school as a key meso-level organisation that mediates macro-level policies and micro-level everyday life experiences among these children and their families. We advocate a relational, spatial perspective, conceptualising schools as webs of intersecting physical, social and digital spaces, where differences between the "locals" and "others" are played out, negotiated and (re)produced, and in turn giving rise to specific (and understudied) geographies of in/exclusion. Drawing on our qualitative research, we offer a close reading of three exemplary school spaces: (i) the physical classroom and school grounds, (ii) the digital classroom, and (iii) at the school gate. Our findings demonstrate the complex and at times contradictory ways in which "the school" is a place of both inclusion and exclusion. It is a dynamic and power-traversed space where social differences between the "locals" and the "others" are played out, contested and redefined continuously.

Footfalls and heart-prints for Indigenous inclusion

Geographies of inclusion have largely been ignored in Management & Organization Studies (MOS), which tend to be encased within global white Western power over knowledge production. In this paper, I contribute to how non-Western contexts can serve as a counterpoint, yet avoid sharp dichotomies, concerning hegemonic Western discourse in geographies of inclusion. Through ethnography, I seek to provide some answers to the question: How does inclusion happen and how can it be theorised in non-Western contexts. Two central ideas of the paper are: 1. MOS can and should learn from non-Western contexts. Indigenous inclusion, specifically linked to Adivasis in India, illustrates how geographical contexts matter for theorising inclusion which can be enriched by examining non-Western contexts; and 2. Liberation theology through discernment and contemplative action, can provide insights and probe the possibilities of the nature of inclusion. I make no claim to a sole interpretation, rather I offer a guiding framework, grounded in an empirical contribution, for a nuanced understanding of Indigenous inclusion. My poignant hope is to invite other adaptations and traditions to further enrich and unveil understandings of geographies of inclusion for MOS.

Interrogating inclusion with youths who use augmentative and alternative communication

Even as the goal of social inclusion underpins health and social services for disabled youths, those with communication impairments continue to lead narrowly circumscribed lives. In this Canadian study, we combined visual methods and interviews with 13 Canadian youths who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to understand how they make 'practical sense' of discourses of inclusion. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of practice, we suggest: (i) participants' narratives reveal habitus - a socially constituted set of dispositions - that predispose them to accommodate the devalued social positions and constricted conditions of existence imposed on them; (ii) some forms of 'inclusion' perpetuate symbolic violence, as youths who use AAC internalise, as seemingly 'natural', dominant social norms and values that privilege 'normal' bodies; and (iii) although their practices primarily reproduced the status quo, youths in the study also worked at the margins to create locally produced forms of inclusion that attempted to transform the 'rules of the game'. We argue these results suggest a need for systemic shifts past reified notions of inclusion towards fostering social spaces where alternative ways of being in the world are positively valued.

Mothers' perspectives on the lived experience of children with intellectual disability and challenging behaviour

Children with intellectual disability and behavioural needs (challenging behaviour) are vulnerable to exclusion from services and communities. The situation is exacerbated by difficulties in accessing appropriate support and services to effectively meet the needs of children and carers. Family perspectives on the 'lived experience' of children can provide insight into how behavioural needs can affect their ability to access everyday experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers of children with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviours. Phenomenological thematic analysis provided four key themes: finding our way; square services, round needs; behaviour touches everything and belonging. Experience of inclusion and exclusion was a central tenet of the lived experience. Recommendations call for timely proactive and bespoke interventions to identify and support children at risk of exclusion from communities. Early intervention and effective local provision will avoid increased burdens placed on families and services, in supporting children whose needs are currently unmet within child-centred provision.

Are adults with intellectual disabilities socially excluded? An exploratory study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

The aim of this exploratory study is to examine to what extent adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Taiwan are socially excluded and to identify the factors that are potentially associated with such social exclusion.

METHODS

The research method of this study is secondary data analysis, using descriptive and χ2 statistical analysis. Two data sets, from the 2003 and 2006 surveys entitled 'Survey of Living Situation for People with Disabilities in Taiwan', were used (n = 572; n = 618). In addition, 'independent living/living within the community' (as opposed to residing in an institution), 'employment' and 'household economic situation/residing in a low-income household' were social exclusion indicators in this study.

RESULTS

The results revealed that in the 2003 (2006) survey, 81.9% (79.6%) of the subjects fell into at least one category of social exclusion, 11.3% (12.3%) fell into two or more categories and 0.2% (1.1%) fell into all three categories. Moreover, older women with ID, with no spouse or partner, lower educational levels and greater severity of the disability had a significantly greater likelihood of being subjected to more categories of social exclusion.

CONCLUSIONS

The finding that the proportion of adults with ID and no social exclusion has risen from 18.1% in 2003 to 20.4% in 2006 represents an encouraging trend. However, there has been a marked increase in the proportion of the subjects with more categories of social exclusion, particularly with regard to those who have to endure all three categories, from 0.2% in 2003, to 1.1% in 2006. This implies that, at the time of the last survey, there was still considerable room for improvement in the social inclusion of adults with ID in Taiwan.

An international comparison of patterns of participation in leisure activities for children with and without disabilities in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands

PURPOSE

To investigate whether there are differences in participation in leisure activities between children with and without disabilities in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands and how much personal and environmental factors explain leisure performance.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional analytic design, the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, CAPE, was performed with 278 children with disabilities and 599 children without disabilities aged 6-17 years. A one-way between-groups ANOVA explored the differences in participation between the countries. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis assessed if age, gender, educational level, living area and country of residence explained the variance in participation.

RESULTS

Scandinavian children with disabilities participated in more activities with higher frequency compared to Dutch children. The strongest predictor was country of residence. For children without disabilities, differences existed in informal activities, the strongest predictor was gender.

CONCLUSION

Differences in school- and support systems between the countries seem to influence patterns of participation, affecting children with disabilities most.

Introduction to theme section on geographies of intellectual disability: ‘outside the participatory mainstream’?

This paper introduces the following theme section on Geographies of Intellectual Disability. It outlines the historiography of geographical work on intellectual disability, noting in particular the contributions of Wolpert (Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 5 (1980) 391) and Hall and Kearns (Health and Place 7 (2001) 237), before tracing claims made about both the 'institutional' and 'deinstitutional' eras in the changing geographies confronting and experienced by intellectually disabled people. This account, highlighting the tendency for such people to remain 'outside the participatory mainstream' in almost all circumstances, offers along the way an introduction to the four contributions that follow.