This session will look at Special Educational Needs and Disability labels in education through the lens of Critical Psychology and consider what such labels 'offer' and what they 'take away'. As part of the session, we will engage in the 'to label or not to label' debate.
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) labels are often framed as a ‘problem’ that needs to be managed and/or fixed. Special schools, ‘special’ interventions, ‘special’ support staff are part of the everyday experiences of children and young people with such labels.
In this session we will debate SEND labels, that is, to label or not to label, drawing on the academic fields of Critical Psychology and Critical Disability Studies. Specifically, we will look into their ‘sticky’ nature (how they get attached to a person), their purpose (what are they for?), who benefits from them, and how different stakeholders -practitioners, students, parents/carers- make sense of them. We will also explore how the current education system in England is designed in such a way that such labels are central in accessing support for students with SEND. Finally, we will look at alternatives, such as education systems which provide support to students independent of labels.
This session also includes a Q&A with our academic staff and current students.
If you would like to book a place to attend this session, please click the 'Visit Website' button to be taken to our online booking form.