Hello Margarita. Iwould not mind providing none
complains. These issues are theoretical and in many ways speculative. Many of
the list members are students, whom the majority may be disabled
themselves. They may be interested, but may also be painful.
The majority however are members of staff of an institution,
whom the majority-I am guessing- may not disabled. These people are -against the
odds- advocating for a better future for all, and/but sometimes their material
experience may convince them that there are doing the right thing ( in fact
doing it), and reading an email of an grumpy guy that likes
rattling the boat, may be highly annoying.
Having said that, I send and anticipatory 'sorry' for the
future views. They are not made to offend anyone in particular just encourage a
bit of a dialogue. After more than ten years of living in the cradle of
angloxaon culture, I realise that in this self reflexivity is not
necessarily verbalised, and this activity may be considered as definite
thoughts, being only part of a thought process.
Anyway. Happy new year, Andy
Ps. From memory:
We are living the pathology of modernity and possible an
imminent destruction of humanity (Jorgen Habermas)The comfort zone of capitalism
is made of middle age thinking (Federic Engels). We cannot escape from our
present, but may be able to understand the instant immediate
past. (Michelle Foucault).
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 6:01
PM
Subject: Re: Number of Dyslexic students
in HEI?
Happy New Year to all.
Dear Andy, I would be very interested to follow the discussion, and do
not find it unpractical at all.
With best wishes and saludos,
--
Margarida Dolan, Ph.D.
Skills
Development for
Research, Learning and Teaching
*Please
consider the environment
before printing this email*
On 10/01/07, A
Velarde <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello
Amanda. I wonder whether this dialogue may be a bit
etherious. I
send you some views anyway. Reply to [log in to unmask], as I guess
others
may find unpractical. Any other person who wants to hear form
this
conversation pls do so too.
I "Assume that the disability is
located in the
environment, not in the student".
exactly.
Hence,
1. The point is to identify to which measures of quantity,
movement,
cognitive capabilities such environment has being constructed
(for us), so
we don't continue doing it in that manner. And convince
people of the need
to relies efforts (someone said funding?) to make it,
progressively, more
universal
2. There is a strong evidence that
such environment would obey contemporary
economics of return (although
this would only be possible to be understood
by those who would read
history in 50 year in the future), not humanitarian
values. I.e.
Although in the present a ramp not only brings more consumers
to an establishment, and not also is a PR, against competitors, people
also
care.
II. 'The label the student wears for statistical and
financial purposes is
all part of the picture'.
Yes, but who is
holding and reading that picture? if the case is to make an
environment for all, why not turning into the implied acceptable model
(the
one for whom UPIAS stood against in the first place. They created
the Social
Model in the 1970s).
Who could describe a normal
person? Statistician, functional professionals
of mass society and
consumerism, reply only after you have reached a point
of
material experience of a existence that denies your changing
humanity)
III. 'To describe it is a creative act I think (elsewhere
called discourse and dialogism)'
Lest apply the art to picture
the normal, shall we? There is a urgent
practical reason too. We may help
people not to create human bonsais for
their own
conveniences.
Best, Andy
----- Original Message
-----
From: "Amanda Kent" <[log in to unmask]>
To:
<[log in to unmask]
>
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 3:44 PM
Subject: Re: Number
of Dyslexic students in HEI?
Dear Andy,
Research into email
comunication suggests that although I am pretty sure I
understand what
you are saying, there's about a 50% chance that I am not
correct. I
recognise the theories you refer to. And I see that you are
asking 'and
so how can that be applied in practice?'.
A place to start might be
with one's own practice (or praxis as it might
be called elsewhere).
Assume that the disability is located in the
environment, not in the
student. The student is a person who moves,
communicates, thinks in a
particular ways; that affects the way they
negotiate their way through
spaces or carry out certain activities. They
can adapt to a certain
extent - adaptations might include the use of tools
or of human support.
The picture is one of a person moving through an
environment carrying out
certain tasks and activities. It's a moving
picture and the questions
you ask the student helps to create a sense of
the detail and also the
extent to which some of the behaviours are
repeated and some are
variable.
The label the student wears for statistical and financial
purposes is all
part of the picture. To describe it is a creative act I
think (elsewhere
called discourse and dialogism)
Amanda
On
Wed, 10 Jan 2007 09:58:52 -0000, A Velarde < [log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>Hello Amanda. Thanks.
>I guess there is a intrinsic
inter locking devise in the social model
>perspectives. Post modernist
views have a appoint in saying that the
>dichotomic separation
between 'Impaired and 'not impaired' also
perpetuates
>the
asymmetric power relations between them (at a cultural,
paradigmatic
>level). What is this? Well categorisation, which is what
we DOS may do
while
>counting, 'assessing' and 'supporting'
'them'.
>
>Some postmodernist suggest to decentralise the
subject as a technique to
>unlock the power relations that would
perpetuate 'disablism' by shifting
the
>gaze to 'the normal'. By
that act we would instantly realise that the
>emperor is a rather
mediocre being.
>
>How can we do that? Is it possible? feasible?
I doubt anyone would suggest
>to say that in a committee meeting but
there must be some other subtle
ways
>this process could start.
Creativity is something DOs have been
>demonstrating in the last 10
years.
>
>Best, Andy
>----- Original Message
-----
>From: "Amanda Kent" <[log in to unmask]>
>To:
<[log in to unmask]
>
>Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 7:33 PM
>Subject: Re:
Number of Dyslexic students in HEI?
>
>
>Dear
Andy,
>I very much like to see your critical statements made on
purpose. While i
>understand that the counting of heads is in some
way is necessary in order
>to provide services and plan for the
future, i see that the labelling and
>categorising process can reveal
assumptions about people that are
>questionable. It is important that
those doing the labelling and those
>labelled question their own
assumptions and also try to understand each
>others position. That way
leads to respect for difference and (one always
>hopes) human rights.
The social model makes a distinction between
>impairment and
disability and I think it is important to write about
that
>distinction as a means of thinking through to the future that
you
suggest -
> ie to a time when it is assumed that the
environment may disable anyone
>and any stage of their life, and it is
normal to lead life using a range
>of tools and strategies that assist
with adaptation to the environment.
>Best
wishes
>Amanda
>
>
>On Tue, 9 Jan 2007 14:23:37
-0000, A Velarde <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>
>>Perhaps it is not totally bad (or
wrong) that we do not know exactly how
>>many people
have a disability. I am making a critical statement,
on
>purpose.
>>Perhaps it would be better to define and count
people who 'are' normal.
>Yes,
>>categorise them.
>>
>>Perhaps if we do that writing about the 'social
model' would not
be
>>necessary.
>>
>>Best,
>>
>>Andy
>>
>>
>>
>>-----
Original Message -----
>>From: "Amanda Kent" <[log in to unmask]>
>>To:
<[log in to unmask]>
>>Sent:
Tuesday, January 09, 2007 1:43 PM
>>Subject: Re: Number of
Dyslexic students in HEI?
>>
>>
>>The difficulty
with establishing definitions/criteria and reliable stats
>>in
relation to disabled students in HE generally [not just for dyslexia]
>>is acknowledged in the DFES DES 'Action
>>plan':http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/des/index.shtml
>>
>>The
HE section includes the following-
>>
>>
>>"What
are the gaps in our evidence?
>>
>>We do not know what
proportion of disabled people go on to HE and doubt
>>whether that
could be established at the present, given there are
>>different
definitions of disability used by different data
sources.
>>
>>Previous studies have shown that a major
problem with data in the HE
>>sector is that there is no generally
recognised definition of disability
>>and also no general taxonomy
of subsets of disability."
>>Amanda Kent
>>DSA
Assessor
>>=========================================================================
>=========================================================================