Deconstructing language practices: discursive constructions of children in Individual Education Plan resource documents |
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| Authors: | Victoria A Boyd Stella L Ng Catherine F Schryer |
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| Institution: | 1. School of Professional Communication, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada;2. Centre for Faculty Development, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada;3. Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada;4. Centre for Ambulatory Care Education, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Although Individual Education Plan (IEP) resource documents in Ontario, Canada aim to assist children in achieving their special educational goals, a point of disjuncture exists between the documents’ intentions and children’s actual experiences. Addressing this issue is crucial in preventing inequity and fostering educational development and social well-being for children. We employ critical discourse analysis informed by disability theory to deconstruct the language practices used to conceptualize children in IEP resource documents. Our purpose is to question the underlying assumptions regarding representations of children and illuminate the potentially harmful consequences of such conceptions. We expose the presence of both neutral and harmful language practices and consider how such language may shape the way the documents translate from policy to practice. This study offers a model through which the language of other special education documents can be critically evaluated and proposes potential avenues for creating documents that avoid disabling children further. |
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| Keywords: | language disability special education Individual Education Plan |
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