Society and the disabled.

Society and the Disabled

IN THE LAST 20 YEARS and especially since 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons, the integration of disabled young people into the ordinary education system has become widely accepted and is now a prominent goal of educational planning in many countries.

This undeniable change in attitudes and behaviour towards disabled people is playing an essential role in their integration into working life and into the societies to which they belong.

The concept of "handicap' has been greatly modified in the last two decades. It is now distinguished from that of "impairment' or "disability' and is defined as a disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal, depending on age, sex, social and cultural factors, for that individual. Handicap is therefore a function of the relationship between disabled persons and their environment. It occurs when they encounter cultural, physical or social barriers which prevent their access to the various systems of society that are available to others. Thus, handicap is the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others.

This new concept of what it means to be handicapped highlights the relative nature of differences between the performances or status of disabled people and those of others, and draws attention to the fact that these gaps may be reduced, if not removed, by appropriate action on the disabled person's physical, psychological, educational and social environment, and by measures to make him or her as self-reliant as possible.

From an educational point of view, the integration of disabled people requires specific measures, and above all that account should be taken of the special situation of each handicapped child or adolescent. The nature and importance of the disability should be evaluated, along with the possibilities of education and of developing individual aptitudes, following the strategy best adapted to each case. The breaking down of barriers within institutions, the setting up of multi-disciplinary educational teams and the use of varied teaching methods are required.

Integration into ordinary education takes different forms in different countries, sometimes even within the same country, depending on requirements and on the facilities available. Nevertheless all these forms are a response to the same overriding concern: to encourage the development of each child's personality and to ensure his or her eventual integration into adult society.