Moving beyond the minimum: socially just pedagogies and Asperger’s syndrome in UK higher education

Madriaga, Manuel; Goodley, Dan

Abstract

A year-long longitudinal study was conducted to gain insight into the lives of eight students who had a label of Asperger’s syndrome during their transitions into higher education in the UK. Reflecting on life history data, the findings suggest that universities might actually be maintaining and (re)producing barriers that perpetuate the exclusion and ghettoisation of disabled people. The analysis goes beyond an acknowledgement of institutional disabling practices to pinpoint the subtle impacts of issues of pedagogy, learning, teaching, and assessment. It is argued, therefore, that inclusive education needs to engage more directly with the specific issues faced by learners with the label of Asperger’s syndrome. However, rather than viewing this as an issue of special education for distinctly impaired learners, Asperger’s syndrome must be understood with reference to wider questions of how higher educators respond to diversity and difference.

Citation

Madriaga, M., & Goodley, D. (2010). Moving beyond the minimum: socially just pedagogies and Asperger’s syndrome in UK higher education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(2), 115-131. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110802504168

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Sep 21, 2009
• Publication Date: 2010-03
• Deposit Date: Oct 21, 2024
• Journal: International Journal of Inclusive Education
• Print ISSN: 1360-3116
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-5173
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 115-131
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110802504168
• Keywords: Asperger’s syndrome; critical pedagogy; disabled students; higher education
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/23550175
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13603110802504168