Framing inclusion: intellectual disability, interactive kinds and imaginary companions

ABSTRACT

A central aspect of inclusion is to grant all children opportunities to participate and gain from a fellowship in school. However, some categorised groups of children are more prone to segregation and exclusion than others. Drawing on philosopher Ian Hacking’s theories of the interactive relationship between how categories influence the categorised, the structures children are subjected to in schools affect how a child constructs her or his identity. The empirical data of this article are based upon a child (Will) labelled as intellectually disabled who spends most of his time in school segregated from his peers. In this segregated context, he has constructed a universe of imaginary companions and pretended identities (roles) that he frequently interacts with and enters. In relation to the attitudes, approaches and organisational practices that educational institutions subject groups of children to, the discussion questions whether the ascribed roles and function of Will’s imaginary universe is a result of and/or a response to the institutional structures in which he finds himself. If this is the case, the educational system, from policy to practice, has to ask itself what kinds of people do they wish to construct.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• social participation
• fellowship
• interactive kinds
• imaginary companions
• pretended identities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Øyvind Ibrahim Marøy Snipstad is a Ph.d student at the doctoral programme for Children and youths participation and competence development in faculty for Health and Social Sciences at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. His dissertation is about Children categorised as intellectual disabled and their experience of inclusion.

Notes on contributor

Øyvind Ibrahim Marøy Snipstad is a Ph.d student at the doctoral programme for Children and youths participation and competence development in faculty for Health and Social Sciences at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. His dissertation is about Children categorised as intellectual disabled and their experience of inclusion.