Session Information
99 ERC SES 04 J, Inclusive Education
Paper Session
Contribution
Abstract
From a young age, disabled people experience oppression and exclusion in their school environment, due to barriers set by society and the educational system (Waldschmidt et al., 2017). Converging to individuals on the autism spectrum, literature indicates that their voice is often absent from disability discourse (Febriantini, Fitriati & Oktaviani, 2021). Moreover, women (with or without disabilities) also experience social exclusion and oppression (Mamas et al., 2021), which indicates that a disabled woman is subject to double oppression.
The aim of this research is to explore and reveal the quality of education of autistic women in Cyprus, giving emphasis to the challenges and oppression they experienced throughout their school years. The main researcher of this study is an empowered disabled woman herself, therefore the ideological stance from which this research was approached is related to valuing the participants’ descriptions and understandings; we hold that this can lead to their empowerment and perhaps even the ignition of further activism in the disability rights movement. Indeed, a basic underpinning of the evolving field of Disability Studies in Education, is that understandings of the experiences of education for people with disabilities is central, both for developing critiques of the ableist structures in educational settings, as well as suggestions of how education might be otherwise (Slee, Corcoran & Best, 2021).
The main research tool for this qualitative research was semi-structured interviews. Qualitative research was conducted as it was well suited to explore the main research questions, namely of how these women describe and give meaning to their experiences of school life and what suggestions they recommend to future or current teachers for developing more inclusive educational settings. The participants, who were chosen purposively, were two adult women on the autism spectrum, one with verbal and the other with non-verbal communication skills. The research is still in progress and will evolve to include other disabled women.
Through thematic analysis of research data (Miles, Huberman & Saldaña, 2014), four main conclusions emerged. The first conclusion is related to the women’s negative experiences in the school environment and the discrimination they have faced, especially from their teachers. The second is related to their passive participation in the school community. This is quite concerning, as the participants, now in their early twenties, have only recently graduated from school, which points to the fact that there is an ongoing discrimination within the Cypriot educational system. Indeed, relevant local research points to this (Mamas, 2013). Many teachers, due to lack of knowledge on issues related to disability and inclusion, wrongly consider that they include their students in the learning process, when in fact they are simply observed to spatially place them in the general classroom (Majoko, 2019).
The third conclusion is related to the different ways each participant makes sense and defines terms such as special education and inclusion. Results indicate that this may be related both to their school experiences, as well as to their field of graduate studies, as one of the participants studies Psychology, whereas the other Primary Education. Within these two fields of study, there seems to be a different balance of students’ involvement with the medical model and/or the social model of disability.
Lastly, the fourth conclusion relates to what is, in our opinion, a crucial aspect that needs to be discussed in depth within international conferences, namely the complex nature of intersectionality, as used in gender studies. Indeed, results of this research indicate the development of multiple identities/oppressions within school settings, beyond being disabled, which in turn points to the fact that different forms of oppression overlap, to create complex forms of discrimination.
Method
Methods section Qualitative research was undertaken, in which the researcher makes a huge mental and emotional investment in topics of personal interest (Phtiaka, 2003), namely of giving voice to marginalized individuals. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were chosen because of their flexibility, since they combine the open questions of the unstructured interview with the predetermined questions of the structured interview, thus allowing a non-oppressive setting for the voices of participants to be actively listened to (Fontana & Frey, 2005; Pourkos & Dafermos, 2010; Silverman, 2000). Participants were were initially approached through personal acquaintances, by phone. The topic and the aims of the study were described, and they were asked whether they would like to participate. They did not hesitate to agree, saying that they found the topic to be quite interesting and, most importantly, they welcomed the fact that it would be a means for their voice to be heard. Ethical considerations were also taken into account; thus it was explained that they would appear in the written account of the study with pseudonyms (Rojas, Susinos and Calvo, 2013). The interviews were carried out at a place and time freely chosen by the participants, in order to enhance the establishment of rapport and familiarity in a non-oppressive setting. The means with which the interview was conducted was different for each participant and in line with their interests, as well as their oral language skills (Febriantini, Fitriati & Oktaviani, 2021). Communication with Eleni was established orally, whereas with Christina, in written form. During the interview with Eleni, a laptop was used, two different recording devices and a photocopied passage called "My birthday" which I wanted her to relate with her own experiences. Reading the passage out loud to her was an accommodation we mutually agreed on, instead of her reading it by herself. In Christina's interview, a laptop was used, as well as loose, blank A4 sheets without lines, an accommodation which was agreed so that she could easily turn the pages and the lines would not hinder her. During the interview, after she wrote down an answer, the interviewer read it out loud to her so she could confirm it, and for the interviewer to ensure that she understood the content and graphic character correctly. During this process, Christina listened actively and wrote on a piece of paper if she agreed with what the interviewer was reading.
Expected Outcomes
Conclusions Through thematic analysis (Miles, Huberman & Saldaña, 2014), four main conclusions emerged. The first conclusion is related to the women’s negative experiences in the school environment and the discrimination they have faced, especially from their own teachers. In line with other literature, in a survey involving adult autistic people, it was reported that when there was no understanding from teachers, the school environment easily turned into a negative experience for them (Cunningham, 2022). The second conclusion is related to their passive participation in the school community. The two conclusions mentioned above are quite alarming, as the participants have only recently graduated from school, which points to the fact that there is an ongoing discrimination within the Cypriot educational system. Indeed, relevant local research points to this (Mamas, 2013). Many teachers, due to lack of knowledge on issues related to disability and inclusion, wrongly consider that they include their disabled students in the learning process, when in fact they are simply observed to spatially place them in the general classroom (Majoko, 2019). The third conclusion is related to the different ways each participant makes sense of terms such as special education and inclusion. Results indicate that this is mainly related to their field of graduate studies (Psychology vs Primary Education), withing which there seems to be a different balance of students’ involvement with the medical model and/or the social model of disability. Lastly, the fourth conclusion relates to what is, in our opinion, a crucial aspect that needs to be discussed in depth within international conferences, namely the complex nature of intersectionality, as used in gender studies. Indeed, results indicate the development of multiple identities/oppressions within school settings, beyond being disabled, which in turn points to the fact that different forms of oppression overlap, to create complex forms of discrimination.
References
References Cunningham, M. (2022). ‘This school is 100% not autistic friendly! ’Listening to the voices of primary-aged autistic children to understand what an autistic friendly primary school should be like. International journal of inclusive education, 26(12), pp. 1211-1225. Febriantini, W. A., Fitriati, R., & Oktaviani, L. (2021). An analysis of verbal and non-verbal communication in autistic children. Journal of Research on Language Education, 2(1), pp. 53-56. Fontana, A., & Frey, J. H. (2005). The interview. The Sage handbook of qualitative research, 3, pp. 695-727. Retrieved from http://www.iot.ntnu.no/Innovation/Norsi-Common-Courses/Lincoln/Fontana%20&%20frey%20(2000)%20interview.Pdf Majoko, T. (2019). Inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream early childhood development: Zimbabwean parent perspectives. Early Child Development and Care, 189(6), pp. 909-925. Mamas, C. (2013). Understanding inclusion in Cyprus. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(4), pp. 480-493. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M. & Saldaña, J. (2014) Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage. Phtiaka, E. (2003). A Journey into Knowledge: Qualitative Methodology and Research, Contemporary Education, v.132-133, pp. 85-92 (in Greek). Pourkos, M. A. & Dafermos, M. (2010) Qualitative Research in Social Sciences: Epistemological, methodological and ethical issues. Topos [in Greek]. Rojas, S., Susinos, T. & Calvo, A. (2013) ‘Giving voice’ in research processes: an inclusive methodology for researching into social exclusion in Spain, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(2), pp. 156-173. Silverman, D. (2000) Doing qualitative research. Sage. Slee, R., Corcoran, T. & Best, M. (2021) Disability Studies in Education – Building Platforms to Reclaim Disability and Recognise Disablement. Journal of Disability Studies in Education, v1, pp.3-13. Waldschmidt, A., Berressem, H., & Ingwersen, M. (eds.), (2017). Culture–theory–disability: Encounters between disability studies and cultural studies. transcript Verlag.
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