Negotiating Normalcy with Peers in Contexts of Inclusion: Perceptions of youth with disabilities in India |
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| Authors: | Srikala Naraian Poonam Natarajan |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Curriculum and Teaching , Teachers College, Columbia University , New York , NY , USA;2. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, The National Trust , New Delhi , India |
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| Abstract: | The qualitative study reported in this article investigated how youth with disabilities in India described their peer relationships within their educational settings. We situate the aims of this study within the larger context of inclusive education in India and discourses on self-determination for individuals with disabilities. Findings from the study suggest that students with disabilities actively sought membership in their peer communities but had few opportunities within inhospitable schooling contexts to represent themselves in ways other than as needing help. For families of students with disabilities, the onerous demands of making physical environments and curricular materials accessible to their children left them isolated within schools and their communities. The study sheds light on families’ reluctance to abandon legal guardianship models in order to support increased self-determination for their children, and also raises important questions for activist educators working within complex conditions such as the Indian context. |
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| Keywords: | families inclusive education India non-government organisation peer relations qualitative research self-determination significant disability |
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