There have long been calls to stop labelling children as having special needs. Department of Education figures released in 2012 show that 19.8% of pupils in England have special educational needs, of which 2.8% have statements of SEN. And yet school inspectors Ofsted suggest that the term SEN is used far too widely and that many children labelled as SEN would simply benefit from “better teaching and pastoral support”. Conversely, the current policy climate, particularly in relation to Disability Living Allowance, appears to be pushing a harder and harder line whereby the application of the diagnostic label is the primary issue in determining whether someone will receive welfare benefits or support. This situation creates a schism between social and political spheres; whereby socially, people seek to resist being defined by a label, but politically, they need to be defined by that same label if they are to access much needed support services. The implications for resistance to a rising tide of medicalisation are obvious, but this climate also has implications for the disability rights movement……….Click here to read the full post on the cost of living blogsite.
