Biklen and Kliewer’s (2006) perspective of Blatt (1966) is powerful. I too know of no one who wants to be labeled in a way that disenfranchises them from society but yet I know people who will label others in a way to do so.
“Mainstreaming or integration were not for science to anoint. Whether or not to support integration was a matter of morality, not of science” (Biklen & Kliewer, 2006, p. 174).
Consider the idea of intelligence. Consider the idea of competence. Who sets the “norm” and what set of competences are being looked at? To often performance is the judged factor for intellect and competence.
Biklen and Kliewer (2006) present three principles so that we may consider that dis/ability and competence are socially constructed:
1. Disability Professionals have used labels that have become fixed with “medical abnormality” and are therefore loaded labels.
2. To understand the labelled person we need to understand the social context the label is being used in.
3. It is important to presume competence and abandon the negative lens of incompetence.
References:
Biklen, D. & Kliewer, C. (2006) Constructing Competence: Autism, Voice and the ‘Disordered’ Body. International Journal of Inclusive Education, Vol. 10:2, 169-188.
