عنوان

Institutional ableism and the politics of inclusive education :

Number

TLets572971

Title Proper

Institutional ableism and the politics of inclusive education :

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Beratan, Gregg D.

Title Proper by Another Author

an ethnographic study of an inclusive high school

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Institute of Education, University of London

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2012

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

Institute of Education, University of London

Text preceding or following the note

2012

Text of Note

This thesis explores some of the ways inequalities are maintained and legitimatedwithin the context of reforms that are focused on them. In particular, it looks at thecontinued marginalization of disabled students in U.S. public Schools. Central to thisis the development of the concept of institutional ableism, the idea that there arediscriminatory structures and practices and uninterrogated beliefs embedded withinsociety that subvert even the most well intentioned policies. This thesis is an attemptto examine this oppression on both the macro and micro-political levels.Chapter three looks at how institutional ablism works at a policy level. Using adetailed deconstruction of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvementact 2004 (IDEA), the first chapter examines the ways in which institutional ableismsubverts the stated intentions of IDEA to maintain disabled peoples marginalisedstatus within the education system. The chapter further deconstructs IDEA, focusingon its attempts to address the disproportionate representation of minority students inspecial education.The Final three chapters look at the micro-politics of school level reforms. Based on ayear long ethnography in an inclusive school in the western United States. Chapterfour focuses on the relationship between teachers and disabled students examining themechanisms used to maintain inequalities when traditional ableism has been madeinaccessible. Chapter five focuses on peer relationships. It was found that in filling agatekeepers role nondisabled students utilise the governance of friendship to preserveand regulate the hierarchical relationship between disabled and nondisabled students.Chapter six using case studies of several students looks at the school's disabledstudents' experience of the school, their teachers and their peers. It is clear from thesecases that even with the extensive efforts to dictate and control the positioning withinthe school, disabled students are still able to create spaces for resistance.

Beratan, Gregg D.

Institute of Education, University of London

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y