Overview
A holiday job as a ‘Mental Retardation Nurse’ in a huge institution resulted in a life-defining traumatic experience. Determined to do something to improve the lives of people with disability, the author took on a number of roles, and as he progressed through each of the different roles over several decades, he reflected on his participation in the devaluation of people with disability as a service provider, even though that was the opposite of what he intended. These reflections resulted in a growing awareness of the systemic nature of the devaluation of people with a disability and how the narrative of the whole society was supporting this, while claiming benevolence and care. Evidence was hidden in plain sight, but once seen, could not be unseen. Research as an academic showed that all children with disabilities could be included in the mainstream classrooms and lessons with significant gains, academic and social, for them and their mainstream peers. If they were fully included through their education, a rich ordinary life with community relationships was common, with their peers learning that individual difference was not a barrier to deep friendships. The author concludes that to change the current situation for people with a disability, we have to change at an individual, service and societal level. It is a choice.
Dr Bob Jackson is currently Adjunct Associate Professor at Curtin University in Perth and continues to research and support the inclusion of people with disability in school and society.
Details
238 pages
Weight 520gms
Postage included in Australia
Also available on Kindle at Amazon.com
| Weight | 14 kg |
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