The discursive practice of learning disability: implications for instruction and parent-school relations.

This article serves as an invitation to rethink and to broaden the scope of learning disabilities (LD) research and practice. We begin with 3 assumptions: Education in a representative democracy is inevitably a political enterprise; social justice is everyone's responsibility, but educators have a s...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Learning Disabilities Vol. 37; no. 6; pp. 466 - 482
Autores principales: Reid DK, Valle JW
Formato: review Journal Article
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Nov/Dec2004
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:This article serves as an invitation to rethink and to broaden the scope of learning disabilities (LD) research and practice. We begin with 3 assumptions: Education in a representative democracy is inevitably a political enterprise; social justice is everyone's responsibility, but educators have a special role to play; and segregated schooling is neither equal nor equitable. After an analysis of the primary extant discourses, we argue for a more comprehensive and more openly political vision of the LD field, which we think is supported by Disability Studies in Education. Finally, we draw 3 conclusions relevant to our collective work as researchers and educators. First, learning disabilities are not objective fact; they are historically and culturally determined. Second, disability is both a personal and a societal attribute. Finally, learning disabilities are not and have never been immutable. We contend that we are ethically bound to transform educational practices to both welcome and accommodate everybody's children.