Concept

Chapter 2: Problematizing the Binary: A Poststructural Understanding of Dis/Ability in Schools

U.S. public schools perpetuate harmful ability/disability binaries by viewing students with disabilities through a deficit lens requiring them to be "fixed" rather than questioning systemic structures. The authors propose integrating Disability Studies in Education (DSE) theory with Discursive Psychology (DP) methodology to analyze how everyday language practices in schools actively construct students as dis/abled. This synthesis enables new research questions focused on institutional discourse rather than individual pathology, revealing how talk in settings like IEP meetings organizes notions of "competent" and "incompetent" behavior. The framework aims to disrupt binary thinking and hierarchical power relationships embedded in school systems, ultimately guiding educators toward equity, inclusion, and rejecting medical deficit models.

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Updated 2026-01-01

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Disability Studies

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Empirical Science

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