‘Challenging disabling attitudes, building an inclusive society’: considering the role of education in encouraging non‐disabled children to develop positive attitudes towards disabled people

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, the introduction of the Disability Equality Duty 2006 has provided a new window of opportunity to promote the idea that education has a role to play in changing non‐disabled children/young people’s attitudes towards disabled people. This article explores the issues raised by the application of the Disability Equality Duty to English schools. The remainder of the article then seeks to ‘map the territory’ for future research into the role that education might play in challenging disabling attitudes and building an inclusive society.

Keywords:

• disability
• disability equality
• children
• inclusive education
• anti‐disablist education
• UK education policy

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the ESRC for their financial support for the study that inspired this article (ESRC Ref. RES‐062‐23‐0461). Thank you also to Colin Barnes and the anonymous reviewers for their comments upon an earlier draft of this article.

Notes

1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/2006/feb/drc-015-090206.asp (accessed October 20, 2008).

2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/oct/02/labourconference.labour7 (accessed October 20, 2008).

3. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (UK) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2006 both stress the importance of the ‘inclusive environments’ dimension (the United Nations convention offering the most uncompromising support for ‘mainstream’ schooling for all disabled children).

4. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmeduski/147/147we26.htm (accessed October 20, 2008).

5. http://83.137.212.42/sitearchive/DRC/citizenship/howtouse/index.html (accessed October 19, 2008).