Constructions of the Education of People With Dis/Abilities in Russia: A Discourse Analysis of Newspaper Talk

• In Event: Including and Excluding (Dis)ability

Abstract

The study explored how the talk around the issue of education of people with dis/abilities is constructed in a Russian newspaper for teachers. We drew upon discourse analysis to address the research goal. Two theoretical perspectives framed the interpretation of data: the view on media as a mechanism of institutional change and a social-relational model of disability. The authors produced a description of two competing discourses deployed in publications, special education as segregated and special education as inclusive. The presentation will highlight how newspaper talk worked to construct a particular version of education for children with dis/abilities in Russia and how that talk positioned people with dis/abilities in terms of their participation in the broader society.

Authors

• Maria J. Oreshkina, University of Scranton

• Jessica Nina Lester, Indiana University