Ideologically Informed: a Policy Archaeology of Special Education in Ontario, 1965-1980
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IDEOLOGICALLY INFORMED: A POLICY ARCHAEOLOGY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN ONTARIO, 1965-1980 by Yvette Marie DeBeer A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Graduate Department of Theory and Policy Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Yvette Marie DeBeer, 2011 IDEOLOGICALLY INFORMED: A POLICY ARCHAEOLOGY OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN ONTARIO, 1965-1980 Yvette Marie DeBeer Doctor of Education 2011 Graduate Department of Theory and Policy Studies in Education University of Toronto Abstract Waves of education reform in Ontario since the 1960s have resulted in widespread changes to curriculum, governance, and policy directives. Despite these continual reforms the structures and the practices of special education have changed very little since the early twentieth century. This dissertation looks at special education policy historically (1965-1980) in Ontario and offers an explanation for this resistance to change. Policy archaeology is developed in this study to map policy texts backwards through time and to interpret the meaning of policy discourses in these texts. The discourses produced by various policy actors are interpreted within the historical context to illuminate the ideologically informed beliefs of society about children with disabilities and their education. The ideologies of conservatism, liberalism, and scientific rationalism continue to construct the identities of children with disabilities as deviant from ―normal‖ children. These differences are scientifically measured and quantified by medical and psychological professionals. The hierarchical organization of schooling sorts students into homogeneous groups according to ability. The constructed identities and segregated placements marginalize children with disabilities from the opportunities available to children in the regular classroom. Ideologies are stable and enduring and contribute to the stability of beliefs about special education in spite of extensive and continuous reforms in other areas of education. ii This dissertation builds on the earlier theories of the policy web (Joshee & Johnson, 2005). The large policy web of special education is composed of individual webs of meaning that represent the condensation symbols of disability, education, professionalism, management, and equality in particular ways that support the marginalization of children with disabilities. These webs are internally cohesive and related to each other by shared discourses. These interconnections give the web an intricate, irregular design but also give the web strength. Based on Pierre Bourdieu‘s theories of capital, the members of the Ontario Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, and its members as individuals, held high forms of capital that were used as power. This association shaped policy discourses in particular ways that influenced beliefs about learning disabilities, acquired resources for children with learning disabilities, and reproduced privilege for the association. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my supervisor, Dr. Reva Joshee for her unfaltering patience and guidance as I stretched and grew as a scholar. A writing week in Canmore, Alberta clarified my thinking and energized the process. Thank you for the experience. I thank my committee: Dr. Lauri Johnson for her expertise and her continued confidence and support. I am grateful to Dr. Stephen Anderson for his insightful commentary. Their suggestions have substantially improved this dissertation. Thanks to Edith Binns and Carol Ann Sloat who provided me with generous access to the historical records of the Council for Exceptional Children and the Association for Bright Children. I also wish to thank the office staff from the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario and to the Autism Society for their help accessing their records. My thanks also extend to Mark Zammit, the designer of the postmodern lace graphic. He took parts of a photograph and my vague descriptions to create the graphic that forms a central concept in this dissertation. Colleagues at Lakehead University provided insightful analysis and cogent focused suggestions. I am indeed surrounded by brilliance. To my family and friends who have supported me through the length and intensity of this journey, I am forever grateful. Special thanks to my children, Jason and Anne. Their unfailing encouragement and confidence in their mother‘s abilities helped me through the most challenging times. This dissertation represents more than ―a book on a shelf.‖ It is a culmination of a lifetime of learning and represents my growth into academia. I look to my future with joy and excitement. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii Chapter One: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1 Situating Myself .......................................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 3 The Historical Context ................................................................................................................ 5 Striving for Equality ................................................................................................................... 5 Linguistic Equality .................................................................................................................. 8 Cultural and Religious Equality .............................................................................................. 9 Women‘s Equality ................................................................................................................ 10 Indigenous Equality .............................................................................................................. 11 Equality Through Constitutional Reform and The Charter of Rights and Freedoms ........... 12 Disability Advocacy.................................................................................................................. 14 Single Disability Advocacy .................................................................................................. 15 The Independent Living Movement ...................................................................................... 18 Cross-Disability Political Advocacy ..................................................................................... 19 Advocacy for Children with Disabilities in Ontario ............................................................. 21 Significance............................................................................................................................... 24 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 26 Chapter Summary ..................................................................................................................... 27 Chapter Two: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................31 Special Education in the Historical Period ............................................................................... 31 The United States and Special Education ............................................................................. 31 Ontario and Special Education .............................................................................................. 33 Current Literature...................................................................................................................... 41 The Medical Model ............................................................................................................... 41 Eurocentrism ......................................................................................................................... 45 Ability Streaming/Tracking .................................................................................................. 47 Chapter Three: THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ...................................53 Historiography ...................................................................................................................... 53 Critical Policy Sociology ...................................................................................................... 54 Policy as Discourse ............................................................................................................... 56 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................. 59 Discourses as representational systems ................................................................................ 59 Levels of Discourse..............................................................................................................