Culture and SEND

Within this blog, I would like to look at how having a child with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) is contextualised with in different cultures and the factors that can influence on the decisions and outcomes for children.  Having a disability could be seen as an imposed limitation that isolates an individual from their own culture and/or society.  Therefore, it is important to examine both, culture and disability.  However, we need to keep in mind the importance of recognising, valuing and accepting those cultures whilst ensuring that there is effective communication between all concerned to meet the individual needs of the child in a coherent manner.  This includes effective communication between parents, carers, professionals and any others without any oppressive practice. 

But firstly, we need to examine what is the concept of disability.  Jones (2004) identifies that there are two distinctive models of disability and that is the social model and the medical model.  Within the medical model of disability, the individual needs treating, curing or fixing, hence the individual is seen as ‘the problem’. Whereas the social model views SEND as a socially produced concept which is caused by the way society is organised, rather than an individual’s independent impairment or difference to the external factors.  This viewpoint locates the problem within society, the environment and the interactions between individuals with SEND that creates barriers to inclusivity for all in having an equal right to society.  Therefore, the social model of disability is due to the social and economic structures that excludes individuals who have a disability or seen different.  But, the view of disabilities is complex in nature where it constitutes biological, psychological, cultural and socio-political factors which cannot be extracted.  This applies to the various cultures in which disability may mean many things. 

So let us look at the what does culture mean.  There are many definitions of culture within literature.  Eskey (2012) shares that culture can be seen as a ‘tradition’ through written or oral methods of passing people’s heritage from one generation to another.  Taking this view in context, culture is seen as a social symbolism rather than a biological factor.  Whereas, Jezewski (1990) identifies that culture is a system of learnt and shared standards for perceiving, interpreting and behaving in interactions with others and with the environment.  The two important parts of this definition is that culture is learned and that is shared.  Humans learn this culture from those who they interact from the start of birth with the cultural values, beliefs and behaviours. 

Before the 20^th Century, the term ‘culture’ was used by elite and powerful groups to define existing limitations of theirs and their related cultures in order to maintain status quo (Eskey, 2012).  Those without the possession of knowledge were seen as lacking the culture.  Bourdieu (1977) and Barth (1989) support these claims sharing that culture is a social process that it is based on a systematic process in the allocation of power where a social conflict between tradition and the systematically generated behaviours within and outside that culture and human interactions where agreement and conflict are tools to culture used to comprehend a new order or to restore an older order.  Therefore, culture is seen as a social construction where Eskey (2012) argues that cultural constructions are all thoughts, feelings and human activity which are not natural but they are the result of historical experiences that become an integral part of the culture.  In contemporary perspectives, if culture is used metaphorically, it may mean fashion and style.  Overall, this identifies that culture is socially constructed that forms one’s identity within a specific group but can also exclude others.     

With these views of what culture represents, the manner in which people with disability or disability is perceived and the way they are treated could be varied across the globe. 

Task

• Having had some discussions and understanding of culture, please watch the video below to see how various places and culture views a child or individual with a ‘disability’ or ‘difference’.
• Please reflect on these cultural perspectives and send me your views or comments on your experiences. Thank you.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5yYXcXdB5o

References

Barth, F. (1989) The analysis of culture in complex societies, Ethnos, 54(3), pp120-142.

Bourdieu, P. (1977) The economics of linguistic exchanges. Social Science Information, 16(6), pp645-668.

Jones, C. (2004) Supporting inclusion in the early years. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Eskay, M., Onu, V.C., Igbo, J.N., Obiyo, N. and Ugwuanyi, L., 2012. Disability within the African culture. Contemporary voices from the margin: African educators on African and American education. United States: Information Age Publishing, Incorporated (pp.197-211)