Intellectual disability and space: critical narratives of exclusion.
The labels we use for student placement actively create exclusion or inclusion.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors read school documents and policies. They looked at how adults talk about where kids with intellectual disability learn.
They argue that words like "self-contained" or "included" are not just labels. These words actually decide who gets power and who gets left out.
What they found
School language treats space as fixed. Kids are "placed" in rooms like objects.
This hides the real choices adults make. It makes exclusion seem natural instead of chosen.
How this fits with other research
Eidelman (2011) shows one path forward. Special Olympics uses words like "Unified Sports" and "valued lives." This matches the critique by offering new language that builds inclusion.
Fahmie et al. (2013) looks at cameras in group homes. Staff there also use space to control bodies. Both studies reveal how settings limit freedom for people with ID.
Petursdottir et al. (2023) reminds us that all labels matter. Just as AAC design shapes communication, school labels shape student lives.
Why it matters
Next time you write an IEP or talk to a teacher, pause. Ask: "What picture does this word paint?" Replace "self-contained" with "separate classroom." Replace "included" with "learning alongside peers." Small word swaps make adult choices visible and open the door to real inclusion.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The language of intellectual disability is rife with spatial terms. Students labeled with intellectual disability are "placed in" special education where they may be "self-contained," "segregated," "excluded," or "included." Conversations ensue about where to seat them, next to whom, and at what distance from the teacher and other students. In this article, critical spatial studies and critical narratives are used to illustrate the ways in which power and exclusion constitute intellectual disability.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-51.01.074