How Should We Define ‘Handicap’?

Our definition of ‘handicap’depends on our ‐ often hidden ‐ assumptions about social values. Educational research can help to make these clear, suggest, John Wilson, Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Educational Studies, Oxford University, Barbara Cowell, Barbara Cowell, Who Teaches in Abingdon In this article we want to put together two developments: first, some current assumptions of educational provision for children with special educational needs and, second, a style of research suggested by the work of some recent writers such as Harré (1972, 1974), Wilson (1972, 1981) and Winch (1958, 1970). We summarise below what we wish to say. (a) the way we define ‘handicap’and similar terms depends on the social values prevailing in our society. These are likely to be (1) physical ability (2) social competence and (3) intellectual performance. We attach much less value to qualities of character, such as patience and kindness, even though we do also believe in these. (b) Instead of blindly accepting the three values and the criteria associated with them we should look for rational criteria on which to base our definition of ‘handicap’. (c) Education could be considered as such a criterion. However the kind of education we provide is based on, and determined by, the same three values of physical ability, social competence and intellectual performance. (d) If, instead, we based education on values of character ‐ rather than paying only lipservice to them ‐ we would define ‘handicap’differently. We would see it primarily in terms of emotional disability, instead of physical, social and intellectual impairment. It would be difficult ‐ but not impossible ‐ for teachers to establish and apply such criteria in schools. (e) Educational research has a role to play in identifying and making clear these, often hidden, values and criteria on which education provision is based and which influence policy makers, teachers and others. Unless educational research does this it will only reinforce our preconceived ideas about the ways children with special needs should be educated, or accept new assumptions which may not be more explicit than our existing ones.