A Critical Analysis of Key Policies Shaping Services for Young Children with Disabilities in South Africa

Autor/inn/en	Philpott, Susan; Muthukrishna, Nithi
Titel	A Critical Analysis of Key Policies Shaping Services for Young Children with Disabilities in South Africa
Quelle	In: Education as Change, 23 (2019), Artikel 3958 (23 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Philpott, Susan) ORCID (Muthukrishna, Nithi)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1947-9417
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Young Children; Disabilities; Public Policy; Attitudes toward Disabilities; Barriers; Social Attitudes; Access to Education; Inclusion; Disability Discrimination; Civil Rights; Child Development; Early Childhood Education; Educational Policy; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Frühe Kindheit; Handicap; Behinderung; Öffentliche Ordnung; Social attidude; Soziale Einstellung; Education; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Inklusion; Bürgerrechte; Grundrechte; Zivilrecht; Kindesentwicklung; Early childhood; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	There have been significant recent developments in the policy arena in South Africa in respect of disability and of early childhood development viz. the "White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy." Using Bacchi's analytical framework encapsulated in the question, What's the problem represented to be?, these policies were subjected to scrutiny, analysing how disability and inclusion are represented within them, and how these representations shape the lives of young children with disabilities. Among the underlying assumptions contained in these policies is that barriers excluding persons with disabilities are socially constructed and their removal will result in inclusion. Further, the policies imply that marginalisation and vulnerability are inherent traits of children with disabilities. Inclusion is portrayed as an ideology rather than a practice. Amongst unproblematised elements of the polices is the supposition that children with disabilities are a homogenous group, and that there is a distinction between children with and without disabilities. The effects of these representations manifest in a focus on social barriers, which downplays the importance of habilitation and rehabilitation for the individual child and may result in children with disabilities being portrayed as passive recipients of services. It may also undermine choice and agency of children and their families. Further, the analysis indicates that defining the principle of inclusion too broadly makes it difficult to measure. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Education as Change. The Centre for Education Rights and Transformation, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa. Tel: +27-11-5591148; e-mail: journal-ed@uj.ac.za; Web site: https://upjournals.co.za/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01