Menneskeverd – Utviklingshemming – Skole: Verdighet som grunnlag for pedagogisk praksis

Abstract

This article aims to discuss questions about dignity and children with cognitive disabilities (named mental retardation in ICD-10), with questions about inclusive or segregated education. In the first part of the article we discuss theoretical approaches to dignity. Traditional understandings of dignity are based in enlightenment humanism with its focus on autonomy and reason, or on dignity achieved through the cultivation of virtues. We discuss different approaches to inclusive notions of dignity. First, we discuss approaches that take their point of departure in vulnerability, and mutuality in human relationships, exemplified by Eva Kittay, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Martha Nussbaum. Subsequently, we present approaches that emphasize the singularity of the human being and upholding human rights as the basis for human dignity, exemplified by Avishai Margalit and Julia Kristeva. In the second part of the article, we discuss how five experienced teachers speak about dignity and pedagogical practice with children with cognitive disabilities. We point to how both integrated and segregated practices in schools are justified in and may be connected to different theories of dignity.