As a person with a cognitive disability and an interest in the social
model-- I'd love to help you.
I've read you post-- and I'm not sure what much of it *means*.
Language is a major barrier for many people with congnitive
disabilities. Can you try to explain your ideas in plain English, so
my peers and I can understand them?
- Ria
>Hello all
>
>I am an honours student and my thesis is about the theoretical
barriers and possibilities of widening service approaches for people
with an intellectual disability. It discusses the contrast between
discourses of congitive impairment, the social model and social
exclusion models.
>
>I am currently examining the social model, which is often referred to
as a 'materialist' approach. I am gaining an understanding that this
model is grounded in the experiences of disabled people and utilises
neo Marxist theory at the societal level and social constructionist
theory at a social level. I have not read much about 'critical theory'
however. I am referring to work based on Gramsci, the Frankfurt school
and Habermas etc.
>
>I am particularly interested to discuss the nature of agency in the
social model (or critical theory) with consideration to the issues
that face people with cognitive impairment. The sociological concept
of 'agency' refers to the assumption that people are reflective and
capable of choice and action (Barnes, Mercer & Shakespeare, 1999).
This term is meshed with the notion of rationality, which is in simple
terms the ability to use reason.
>
>For example, the intention of critical theory is to rigorously
examine reason, especially that of positivist sciences, in order to
discover the truth, rather than to surpass reason as a dominant
concept in modern thinking. So critical theory and the social model
upholds the importance of reason, and therefore the subjugation of the
body to the mind which marks out people with a cognitive impairment in
the first place. In more concrete terms, I can see these factors
reflected in the tradition of intellectual meritocracy in theory
building and in the requirement for the development of a group
consciousness based on a critique of reason (capitalist, medical etc).
>
>Any ideas???, I would really appreciate some discussion of this topic
and apologise if it is rehashing an old debate.
>
>Anna Williamson
>
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
>
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ria Strong
Melbourne, Australia
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[log in to unmask]
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
__________________________________________________________________
Get your free Australian email account at http://www.start.com.au
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|