Using a Social Model to Guide Individualized Education Program Development and Change Educational Paradigms to Be Critically Inclusive

Abstract

Purpose: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act explicitly acknowledges disability as a natural part of the human experience. However, special education services, including speech-language services, often focus on remediating the characteristics of the individual with the disability rather than addressing the disabling conditions of the school environment or leveraging the supports and resources available or potentially available to the student. The purpose of this article is to provide a social model of disability framework to guide Individualized Education Program (IEP) development and change educational paradigms around language and communication. Method: A discussion of a new theoretical framework, critical inclusion, is situated within the speech-language pathologist's role in the IEP process. An argument for adopting an integrative approach to service delivery through the social model of disability is provided. The Social Communication and Engagement Triad framework is then used to illustrate a social model of disability approach to assessment, IEP goal development, and service delivery case examples. Conclusions: Speech-language pathologists and all educators have a responsibility for creating a space where all learners belong and diversity in all aspects is celebrated. Embracing a social model of disability approach to the IEP process can support practitioners in their work toward creating a more equitable and inclusive education system.