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5. MEDICAL VS. SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY Medical model of disability,which considers the essence of the problem with education to be the child, or rather his/her disability is the philosophical foundation for integrated education. Disability is seen as a personal tragedy with which the individual must both come to terms and with which s/he must integrate into the society whose rules are set up for the needs of individuals without disabilities. A pupil's integration into mainstream schools is supported by features such as creating the role of an assistant to the teacher or a personal assistant and making adjustments to the environment. This approach is a significant departure from segregated education and an initial step towards inclusion, but also has many drawbacks. Providing an assistant to the teacher or a personal assistant can result in a hyperprotective approach to the child, and stigmatization and subsequent isolation from peers. The pupil will be only physically present in class, not included. In the event that the pupil does not succeed, the pupil and his/her abilities are blamed in the integrative system ("s/he is not able to handle the curriculum", etc.). It does not lead to teacher self-reflection, nor to an analysis of the suitability of the organization of the class / school, the curriculum and the teaching methods chosen. . Diagram 1: Students with disabilities in integrated education (Miles, 2000) Social model of disability, which came about as a result of the efforts of people with disabilities to have their rights to full participation in society recognised, is the philosophical foundation of inclusive education. The Social model of disability sees disability and associated special education needs as a socially created issue. Disability is not a personal characteristic, but rather a variety of conditions and situations, many of which are created by the social environment. That is why dealing with this issue demands social action. It is a collective responsibility of the society, which has the power to create modifications of the environment, necessary for full participation of people with disabilities in all areas of life, including full participation in education. Unlike integration, inclusive education does not address specifically the observation and analysis of integrated children's behaviour, but transfers the responsibility for creating appropriate conditions for inclusion from specialized professions primarily onto teachers. "The special educational needs of children are treated as part of natural social diversity and they are dealt with in mainstream education through the creation of individual training programmes and other appropriate educational and psychological interventions" (Nikolai, 2008). The system of education, the environment and skills of teachers must be such as to be able to provide optimal conditions to meet individual needs and promote the maximum development of all students. . Diagram 2: Students with disabilities in inclusive education (Miles, 2000) |
