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Windows of reflection: conceptualizing dyslexia using the social model of disability
Author(s) -
Macdonald Stephen. J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
dyslexia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.694
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1099-0909
pISSN - 1076-9242
DOI - 10.1002/dys.391
Subject(s) - dyslexia , psychology , perception , context (archaeology) , affect (linguistics) , narrative , learning disability , developmental psychology , social model of disability , class (philosophy) , cognitive psychology , reading (process) , psychiatry , linguistics , paleontology , philosophy , communication , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , computer science , biology
The aim of this study is to develop perceptual knowledge of dyslexia from adults diagnosed with this condition. Historically, the dominant conceptual frameworks used to study dyslexia stem from psychological or educational practice. These disciplines predominantly draw on professional neuro‐biological or educational knowledge that can be broadly summarized within a medical or educational model approach. Both the medical and educational models view dyslexia as resulting from a neurological and learning dysfunction. As such, only a small amount of research has attempted to locate dyslexia within a sociological context. This paper analyses the life narratives of adults diagnosed with dyslexia using the social model of disability. The author investigates the impact that disabling barriers have in education and employment for people with dyslexia. The implications of this are discussed, particularly how issues of disabling barriers and social‐class structures affect the lives of people with dyslexia. The paper argues that social‐class positioning and institutional discrimination (in the form of disabling barriers) shape the experiences of people living with this condition. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.