#ben whitburn

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Let’s take the concept of ableism, which starts with the idea that ability — a singular, able-bodied approach — frames nearly everything we do. Discrimination comes about for disabled people, then, because their differences are primarily regarded as medical or individual problems that require a rehabilitative response. Critically, ableism can be used as a platform for orientating affirmatively towards disability. It invites us to acknowledge different abilities, while emphasising the social, cultural, environmental and technological connections that work together to facilitate equity. Thinking with ableism in this way helps us question why and how ability matters, while at the same time recognising that barriers to inclusion are made, and neither is a naturally occurring state.

Dr Ben Whitburn, ‘It’s the socially created barriers that disable students, not the conditions they live with’, ABC

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Readers may have heard of the medical and social models of disability. These take contrasting positions on the root causes and implications of disability. In simple terms, the medical perspective — or what is often referred to as the traditional, deficit or tragedy model — starts from the premise that a person is prevented from full participation because of the category of impairment or condition they have, which itself cannot be therapeutically fixed. An example of medical-model thinking in schooling might be where a student with a processing disorder, which affects their capacity to keep up with their peers, is prevented from learning in the classroom because their teacher is constantly in a rush to deliver a very busy curriculum. In contrast, the social model — which is favoured by advocates, peak bodies and some governments — starts from the idea that what disables people are the socially created barriers that hinder full participation, rather than the conditions they live with. As above, the same student could be included in learning if their teacher acknowledged inclusion in schooling does not mean everyone learning at the same pace.

Dr Ben Whitburn, ‘It’s the socially created barriers that disable students, not the conditions they live with’, ABC

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A 2022 study from the national organisation Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) revealed that more than one in ten students with disabilities are refused enrolment. And of those who do attend mainstream schools, more than 40 per cent are excluded from participating in school events and day-to-day activities. The issue report that was handed down in November 2021 by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability also references widespread barriers to inclusive schooling, including inadequate resourcing, negative views among educators, insufficient training and disproportionate suspensions given to students with disabilities.

Dr Ben Whitburn, ‘It’s the socially created barriers that disable students, not the conditions they live with’, ABC