Wykluczenie społeczne osób z niepełnosprawnością w środowisku lokalnym

Abstract

In Polish reality, the day‑to‑day functioning situation of people with disabilities appears to be difficult, since the changes that have been taking place from the 1990s hardly managed to meet the real needs of the referred group. The present publication is an attempt at capturing this very issue in the interdisciplinary perspective, by bringing to a common ground such fields as special needs pedagogy, social pedagogy, sociology and social politics. The research undertaken herein remain within the positivist paradigm. The study consists of six chapters, out of which first three constitute a theoretical take on the topic in question and the pivot for subsequent considerations. The fourth chapter embeds the assumed theoretical perspective in a methodological approach, whereas the following one presents the results of empirical research, as well as the interpretation thereof. Additionally, the final chapter is a proposition of a cohesive model of the people with disabilities’ inclusion into the local environment. “Disability” is a basic theoretical notion presented in the chapter one. In the context of the undertaken investigation, the following basic models of disability have been presented: social, medical, and the bio‑psychosocial one. Moreover, there are also references to legal aspects relating to both the judicature and interpretation concerning the status of disability. Aside from the structural‑functional outline of notion in question, an important point in the considerations is a depiction of the forming process of social as well as individual determinants of disability, in addition to the overview of contemporary research on situation of people with disabilities. The subsequent chapter analyzes the phenomena of social exclusion and social marginalization in the literature on the subject. The readers’ attention is also directed towards such issues as the indicators of exclusion, the variety of approaches and terminology, as well as the frequent yet notional use of the discussed phenomenon in politics and social praxis. In order to meet the needs of the research, an eclectic model of social exclusion has been assumed. The chapter devoted to social and human capital expresses a proposition of embedding the considerations on creating the reality of people with disabilities in the perspective of social structure and interaction, especially important in relation to the local environment – the area defined by the scope of a local government administration, by which it is meant – the institutional scope. As to methodological bases of the author’s investigations, they locate the research project within the current of positivist studies. What is more, as a separate procedure, aimed at complementing and expanding the topic, the qualitative method has been implemented. In both the approaches, the selecting process of the study group, the methods and techniques used, as well as research tools, have all been described and explained. Selected notions pertaining to causes and spheres of social exclusion, have been presented in relation to the empirical research conducted in the area of the Cieszyn powiat (second‑level administrative unit of local government in Poland, similar to county). The opinions of the studied people with disabilities are supplemented by the perspectives of professionals working with them directly and holding a down‑to‑earth view on their everyday reality. As a background, but at the same time as a contributive factor that is dynamically changing, the social‑institutional capital of the selected powiat has been described. A multifaceted model of the social inclusion and support to people with disabilities is put forward in the book’s final chapter. The said model would take into account different levels of reality and the scope of social influences – legislation process, institutional implementation, education, social aid, specialist services, and others.