"Inclusion of the Brain Versus Inclusion of the Heart": Constructions of Competence in Schools

• In Event: 66.063 - Typing and Talking Back: Challenging Prevailing Discourses of Research With Persons With Complex Communication Needs

Abstract

Objectives
This paper examines (re)constructions of competence of five students with autism who type with support to communicate in an inclusive high school. We aim to: 1) Question discourses that narrowly competence to an academic skill one has or doesn’t; 2) Identity how this pattern could flatten conceptions of inclusion and isolate students in new ways; 3) Suggest more holistic determinations of inclusion and who decides when the goals of such are achieved.

Perspective(s)
This paper engages with the notion of “presuming competence” of individuals with disabilities pivotal to disability studies in education (DSE) work (Biklen, 2005; Biklen & Burke, 2006). Calls to presume competence counter cultural constructions of what intelligence looks/sounds like that perpetuate the historical tendency for those who don’t measure up to be pushed to the margins. Failure to presume competence in schools has yielded placement in segregated settings with low expectations and limited academic opportunities (Donnellan, 1984; Kliewer, Biklen & Kasa-Hendrickson, 2006).
Aiming to resist this history we utilize a DSE lens (Danforth and Gabel, 2008) to examine discourses that emerge even when academic access is present; problematizing ableist notions of participation are privileged as the primary demonstrations of students’ competence (Ashby, 2010; Hehir, 2002). We do not aim to diminish the value of academic inclusion or the support this school provides to these students; we are steadfast advocates for resisting oppression through inclusion and activism. Instead, by identifying discourses that narrow competence to normative ideas of academic performance, we emphasize that the presumption of such is a reciprocal, ever-evolving action, rather than a measuring stick of academic capability.

Methods
Qualitative methods (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007) were used to collect data including: interviews, videotaped classroom observations, self-representational artifacts, academic work, researcher memos, and email correspondence. Transcripts, field notes and documents were hand coded and video data was coded using StudioCode software. A discourse analysis was conducted (Gee, 2011) focusing on assumptions around participation, presumptions of competence and inclusion.

Data sources
Participants included five students with autism who type to communicate in a high school in the Northeastern United States, their parents, and school support teams. A student will collaborate and present on this project.

Substantiated conclusions

Preliminary results yield three primary discourses: “A category of their own;” Passing the test; “Making friends is hard.”

“A category of their own:” Class participation positioned students as “too smart for special ed.” Their unique needs placed them in “a category of their own.”

Passing the Test: Participants demonstrated preoccupation with state exams. When asked, “how’s school?” student responses reflected anxiety about or performance on tests.

“Making friends is hard:” Students’ rigorous academic schedules were positioned as barriers to social opportunities.

Scholarly Significance

While these students have exemplary academic access, the discourses constructing their exclusive status in school infer limited interpretations about what participation and inclusion for students with complex communication needs is and is not. Identifying ableist notions of competence can help us (re)focus on a holistic approach to inclusion, leading to more democratic and supportive schools and communities.

Author

• Casey Woodfield, Syracuse University