Bottema-Beutel argues that the possibilities for interaction available to disabled students are not entirely inherent to their specific abilities or disabilities. Instead, these interactions are shaped by the constraints educators place on students, which serve to limit their possibilities for participation and choice-making. Through this lens, Discursive Psychology provides the insight that such activities are shaped by institutional norms and interactional practices rather than fixed biological traits.

Context A: Special Education - The Core Constraint (Structure vs. Impairment)

 "Essentialism is the belief that categories have some underlying nature—are natural kinds." For social categories, this involves beliefs about biological basis, discreteness, immutability, and informativeness.

State University of New York at Binghamton

- Essentialism
- Attribution Theory (Blame)

Essentialism and Blame in Understanding Disability Stigma

Bogart, K. R., Rosa, N. M., & Slepian, M. L. (2018). Born that way or became that way: Stigma toward congenital versus acquired disability. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 22(4), 594-612. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430218757897 (Original work published 2019)

Reference: Stigma Towards Congenital Versus Acquired Disability

Essentialism

People tend to blame individuals more for unfavorable outcomes, especially if the condition is perceived as controllable.

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