IMPLICATIONS OF CONCEPTIONS OF DISABILITY IN SCHOOL IN/EXCLUSION: NARRATIVES OF OLD PEOPLE

ABSTRACT

History records different ways of treating people with disabilities, ranging from extermination to confinement, to integration and, more recently, to their inclusion in all spheres of social life. However, these approaches do not follow a linear or exclusive progression, as they often overlap and, at times, reveal setbacks. This study stems from research that aimed to identify, through the narratives of old people, how people with disabilities were treated throughout their life trajectories and how such historical conceptions have shaped - and continue to shape - school in/exclusion. This is a qualitative study, developed through narrative interviews with nine individuals over the age of 70, all residents of the research setting. The empirical material drawn from the interviews was organized into thematic clusters and examined through Discourse Analysis, inspired by Foucault. The findings highlight stigmatizing views toward people with disabilities, such as the naturalization of non-learning, which was used to justify school exclusion. The study also shows that inclusion policies have brought considerable advances in conceptions of disability and in educational practices.

KEYWORDS:
Disability; Subjectivation; Effects of truth; Memories of old people. School in/exclusion.